European Social Policy articles from March 2007

European Social Policy archives from March 2007

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : AGREEMENT REACHED ON TREATY OF PRUM AND THE TRANSFER OF PRISONERS.
March 16, 2007... Cooperation between the police and legal systems is on the up. During the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 15 February, EU ministers decided to fold the Treaty of Prum, providing for a cross-border exchange of data between the...

FUTURE OF EUROPE : BELGIANS WANT STRONG, ECOLOGICALLY AWARE EUROPE.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... During a two-day debate held in Brussels by 150 Belgian citizens on 24-25 February, the participants voted in favour of a strong, social and ecologically aware Europe. They took part in the Belgian leg of the European Citizens' Consultation,'...

ECONOMY : COMMISSION: EU ECONOMY TO OUTPACE US IN 2007.
March 16, 2007... The European Commission has raised its figures for growth in 2006 compared to last November's projections. Based on interim data compiled in the EU's seven biggest economies (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom...

SOCIAL POLICY : EAPN SEES REASON FOR EUROPE'S POOREST TO BE ALARMED.(European Anti-Poverty Network)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is deeply concerned about the risk of confusion introduced by the replacement of the minimum income' concept by the minimum resources' concept in the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of...

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT : EU25 GDP GROWTH 2.9% IN 2006.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Eurozone and EU25 GDP both grew by 0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2006, compared to the previousaquarter, according to first estimates released by Eurostat on 6 March. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 3.3%...

INFLATION : EU ANNUAL INFLATION SINKS TO 2.1%.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Eurozone annual inflation was 1.8% in January 2007, down from 1.9% in December 2006 (a year earlier the rate was 2.4%). EU annual inflation was 2.1% in January 2007, down from 2.2% in December 2006. A year earlier, the rate was 2.3%. These...

MIGRATION POLICY : FRATTINI UNVEILS THE MAIN LINES OF HIS EUROPEAN MIGRATION POLICY.(Justice and Internal Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini)
March 16, 2007... Europe needs immigrants but not just any immigrants and not at whatever cost to their countries of origin. Justice and Internal Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini gave some insight into what could be done about this in his speech at the...

MIGRATION : THREE QUESTIONS FOR ILKKA LAITINEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FRONTEX.(Interview)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Frontex is the agency responsible for managing the EU's external borders. Europolitics met its Executive Director, Ilkka Laitinen. What is your vision for the future of Frontex? Our aim is to achieve systematic and integrated...

TEMPS DE TRAVAIL (DOSSIER) : ELEMENTS DE DISCUSSION FUTURE. ANALYSE COMMENTEE.
March 16, 2007... La proposition de la Commission sur le temps de travail, faite en 2004 et modifiee en 2005, a vecu. Si une discussion doit se poursuivre, elle doit repartir sur d'autres bases. Car il faut bien regler cette question des temps inactifs du temps...

BILAN : LA COMMISSION A-T-ELLE MIS L'EUROPE SOCIALE EN PANNE ?
March 16, 2007... Malgre la (re)apparition de la thematique ' sociale ' dans les propos des politiques, force est de constater que les faits dementent cette impression. A mi mandat de la Commission, l'agenda social 2005-2010, qui n'etait deja pas tres ambitieux...

TEMPS DE TRAVAIL (DOSSIER) : VIVRE AVEC LA DIRECTIVE ACTUELLE. L'APPORT DE LA JURISPRUDENCE.
March 16, 2007... La Cour de justice des CE, saisie de recours en manquement et de questions prejudicielles, a donne une impulsion fondamentale a la directive, repondant a ses imprecisions en resituant sa reponse face a l'objectif initial: la sante et la...

TEMPS DE TRAVAIL : VIVRE AVEC LA DIRECTIVE DE 1993. FICHE PRATIQUE.
March 16, 2007... L'echec de la revision de la directive sur le temps de travail necessite de relire, de facon approfondie, ce texte vieux de presque quinze ans. La premiere directive du 23 novembre 1993 (1993/104), revisee a plusieurs reprises, a ete codifiee...

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY : AGENCY EVALUATES COMPANIES' COMMITMENT TO UNION RIGHTS.(Vigeo, a corporate social responsibility rating agency)
March 16, 2007... Of the 55 enterprises that signed the global framework agreements, Vigeo - a European corporate social responsibility rating agency, headed by Nicole Notat, former president of France's CFDT trade union with Social Democratic tendencies(1) -...

AT THE HEART OF EUROPE.(presentation of Sergio Ghizzardi's documentary about Europe on the TV channel Arte)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... On 21 March, the TV channel Arte will have an evening dedicated to Europe. The main element of the evening will be a documentary by Sergio Ghizzardi, which leads the viewer to the heart of Europe' with Peter Mandelson, Jose Manuel Barroso,...

BAYER SLASHES JOBS.
March 16, 2007... The multi-national German chemical and pharmaceutical corporation Bayer has announced that it is to cut 6,100 jobs worldwide, including 3,150 in Europe. The group, which has just acquired Schering AG of Germany, employs in the region of 60,000...

BETTER DATA ON EDUCATION.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... A set of adjustments have been proposed by the European Commission to the way the EU measures progress towards the Lisbon Strategy goals in the field of education and training, in a communication adopted on 21 February. These adjustments would...

HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK : COMMISSION AIMS TO REDUCE ACCIDENTS AT WORK BY 25%.
March 16, 2007... The European Commission is expected, on 21 February, to adopt an ambitious strategy for health and safety at work for the 2007-2012 period. Given that during the previous period covered by the Community strategy (2002-2006) there was a...

RIGHTS OF SUSPECTS : COMMISSION BACKS PRESIDENCY'S COMPROMISE.
March 16, 2007... To facilitate a compromise between the member states, the European Commission is prepared to make serious amendments to its initial proposal for a framework decision on suspects' minimum guaranteed rights in criminal proceedings. That was the...

WORKING TIME : COMMISSION CONTESTS OMBUDSMAN'S INTERVENTION.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Commission took nearly four months to reply to the request from the EU Ombudsman about a complaint lodged by a German doctor on the subject of standby time. This is a clear indication of the trouble it had with a technically simple...

GENDER EQUALITY : COMMISSION HIGHLIGHTS URGENT NEED TO CLOSE GENDER PAY GAP.
March 16, 2007... "We must do everything possible to eliminate the pay gap between women and men," underlines a report by the European Commission, presented to the EU's Council of Employment and Social Policy Ministers on 22 February. FEWER JOBS, MORE...

DISCRIMINATION/RACISM : COMMISSION REVIEWS IMPLEMENTATION OF EQUAL TREATMENT DIRECTIVE.
March 16, 2007... There have been "delays" in transposing Directive 2000/43 implementing theaprinciple of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, and "additional efforts are needed to ensure effective implementation and...

SOCIAL POLICY : COMMISSION SET TO SIGN UN CONVENTION ON DISABILITIES.
March 16, 2007... The European Commission has made a proposal for signing, in the name of the Community, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the optional Protocol. These two texts, negotiated within a special committee,...

GENDER EQUALITY : COMMISSION URGES WOMEN TO TAKE UP CAREERS IN ICT.(information and communication technologies)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Although the economic, financial and employment potential of information and communication technologies is tremendous, Europeans are increasingly deserting ICT studies or giving up careers in the field. role modelsThe situation is even worse...

EU/ILO/WTO : COMMISSION WELCOMES JOINT ILO-WTO STUDY.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Commission has welcomed the publication of the first ever joint study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), on 19 February, in Geneva. The study, entitled Trade and employment:...

EDUCATION COUNCIL : COMMON HISTORY TEXTBOOK DISCUSSED BY MINISTERS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The idea of a common European history school textbook was discussed at the informal meeting of education ministers held in Heidelberg on 1-2 March, despite not being officially on the agenda. Whilst the points made by individual national...

CONSULTING WORKERS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The EU Court of Justice ruled against Italy, on 1 March, for its failure to transpose into national law within the required time limit Directive 2002/14 on informing and consulting workers (Commission v Italy, C-327/06). The Italian Republic...

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES : COUNCIL ENCOURAGES THE SILVER AGE'.(Council of European Union ministers recognizes the importance of senior citizens to the development of civil society)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The Council of EU ministers of employment adopted, on 22 February, a declaration on demographic changes which is a real plea for senior citizens. "Older people make useful contributions to society, to the strengthening of cohesion between the...

DAPHNE PROGRAMME.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The EU Council adopted without debate on 5 March a common position on the draft decision establishing for the 2007-2013 period the specific programme to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims...

FUTURE OF EUROPE : DELORS AND THE PES PROMOTE IDEA OF A NEW SOCIAL PROTOCOL.(Jacques Delors and the Party of European Socialists )
March 16, 2007... Jacques Delors and Poul Rasmussen arrived at a packed Committee of the Regions meeting to present their initiative, A new social Europe'. The former Commission president set the tone straight away. "If Europe does not take on new impetus,...

DISCUSSION OVER MINIMUM PAY.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Everyone knows that the conclusions of the Spring European Summit, scheduled for 8 and 9 March, are drawn up beforehand in diplomatic circles. The devil, as always, is in the detail. In the social sector, the discussion for the summit on 8...

50TH ANNIVERSARY : DRAFTING OF BERLIN DECLARATION COULD PROVE TO BE DELICATE.
March 16, 2007... The contents of the Berlin Declaration were on the menu at the dinner of the heads of state and government, on 8 March in Brussels, during the Spring European Council. Indications are that member states are still differing on numerous points....

SOCIAL DIALOGUE : EADS EMPLOYEES ADOPT A COMMON PLATFORM.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... European representatives of the Airbus division of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS-Airbus), who met on 27 February in Brussels under the aegis of the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF), have put their differences to...

SOCIAL EXCLUSION : EAPN SEES REASON FOR EUROPE'S POOREST TO BE ALARMED.(European Anti-Poverty Network)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is deeply concerned about the risk of confusion introduced by the replacement of the minimum income' concept by the minimum resources' concept in the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of...

EDUCATION COUNCIL : EARLY YEARS EDUCATION IDENTIFIED AS A "WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY".(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The importance of pre-primary learning to children's development was one of the points highlighted by Europe's education ministers, in a communique published following their informal meeting on 1-2 March. In the communique, pre-primary...

IMMIGRATION / RUSSIA : EP APPROVES NEW VISA AND READMISSION REGIMES WITH RUSSIA.
March 16, 2007... The European Parliament approved on 15 February two reports by MEP Maria da Assuncao Esteves (EPP-ED, Portugal) on agreements between the European Community and the Russian Federation on the facilitation of the issuance of short-stay visas and...

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS : EP LAUNCHES PROCEDURE AGAINST MEP MACIEJ GIERTYCH.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... It could well become known as the Maciej Giertych affair'. In fact, the story of this non-attached MEP from the League of Polish Families, who very recently published an anti-Semitic booklet, is starting to make big waves. The Bureau of...

WORKING CONDITIONS : EPSU LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR CARE SERVICES.(European Federation of Public Service Unions)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) sent out, on 8 March, a clear message against the exploitation that many of women face in delivering care services. "The care sector, as one of the main employers of women, is...

ETUC SUPPORTS AIRBUS WORKERS.(European Trade Union Confederation)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has announced in a press release its support for Airbus workers. "Airbus is the jewel in the crown of European aviation. This enterprise is the symbol of Europe's capacity to construct itself. It is...

EU-CROATIA MEMORANDUM.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Croatia and the European Union signed on 5 March a Joint Memorandum on Social Inclusion, which European commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla described as an important step by Croatia...

SOCIAL POLICY : EU EXECUTIVE CAUTIOUSLY LOOKS AT SOCIAL ISSUES.(Bureau of European Policy Advisers heads Roger Liddle and Frederic Lerais)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... "What is the new social reality of Europe?" This is the question that the European Commission is hoping to answer with its broad public consultation', launched on 26 February based on an interim report addressed to heads of state and government...

UNEMPLOYMENT : EU JOBLESS RATE DOWN TO 7.5%.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... EU27 seasonally-adjusted unemployment stood at 7.5% in January 2007, compared with 7.6% in December 2006. It was 8.3% in January 2006. These figures came from Eurostat on 28 February. Eurostat estimates that 17.5 million men and women in...

FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION : EU LAUNCHES FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AGENCY.
March 16, 2007... The European Union's Fundamental Rights Agency became fully operational on 1 March and has already started work as the successor to the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Later this year, the EU institutions will adopt...

EDUCATION COUNCIL : EU LEADERS URGED TO RECOGNISE EDUCATION'S CONTRIBUTION TO LISBON.(importance of education on the success of the Lisbon Strategy)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... EU ministers sought to emphasise the important role played by education policy to achieving the goals of the Lisbon Strategy, in a set of key messages sent to European heads of state and government. Adopted at the Education, Youth and...

HEALTH : EU MAY NEED 2-3 YEARS TO PREPARE FOR FLU PANDEMIC.(European Union)
March 16, 2007... The EU needs another two to three years to complete its preparedness for a possible flu pandemic. In a report made public on 22 February, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC) highlights the "considerable progress" made...

FLEXICURITY : EUROCIETT, UNI-EUROPA WANT EQUAL TREATMENT FOR AGENCY WORKERS.
March 16, 2007... Eurociett and UNI-Europa, the European social partners for the temporary agency work sector, published a joint declaration on 6 March to contribute to the flexicurity debate launched by the European Commission and which featured on the agenda...

INTERVIEW WITH MARIO TELO (ULB) : EUROPE MUST PLAY ON ITS STRENGTHS AS AaCIVIL POWER.(Interview)
March 16, 2007... Mario Telo is the chairman of the European studies institute at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and a specialist in institutional questions. In an interview with Europolitics, he analyses the latest developments regarding the European...

DEVELOPMENT : EU UNVEILS STRATEGY TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY.(European Union)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Promoting gender equality in developing countries must be a priority in any cooperation between the EU and these countries. This is the aim of the new strategy for gender equality in the European Commission's development policy adopted in...

EU YOUTH SUMMIT.(European Union)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... On 24-25 March 2007, more than 200 young people from the 27 member states will gather in Rome for the first ever EU Youth Summit to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957.aThe event is organised by the European...

GLOBALISATION FUND : FIRST MEETING WITH NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES.(European Globalisation Adjustment Fund)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... For the first time, national representatives for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) met formally with the European Commission to discuss the new fund, which entered into force in January 2007. Nikolaus van der Pas,...

FUTURE OF EUROPE : FRENCH MINISTER SAYS SOCIAL CONCERNS ARE BACK ON THE AGENDA.
March 16, 2007... French Labour MinisteraGerard Larcher has commented further on the declaration on social Europe made by nine European ministers on 14 February. "Social concerns are back on the agenda," he explained. "Initially, we had the impression of being...

IMMIGRATION : FRONTEX TARGETS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AT AIRPORTS.
March 16, 2007... Frontex, the European border control agency, is launching a pioneering operation to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the EU by air transport. Experts in border management services are to be deployed at the airports of Frankfurt, Madrid,...

HUMAN TRAFFICKING : GERMANY SHARES ITS WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Germany is sharing its experience in terms of how it countered the trafficking of human beings and prostitution during the football World Cup in 2006. The Article 36aCommittee (which prepares the work of the Council on legal and police...

HEALTH FUNDING.(report on Financing Sustainable Health Care by former European Parliament President Pat Cox)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament and now a leading lobbyist, presented a report on Financing Sustainable Health Care' toathe Vice President of the European Commission, Gunter Verheugen, in Strasbourg on 13 February. The...

HEALTH STATISTICS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Commission has proposed a regulation to establish a framework for the systematic production of statistics in the public health and the health and safety at work sectors in the form of a minimum collection of data produced by the...

HEALTH : KYPRIANOU PUSHES PATIENT MOBILITY.(Markos Kyprianou)
March 16, 2007... Speaking to members of the European Parliament's Health and Environment Committee, Markos Kyprianou, the European Commissioner in charge of Health, was reluctant to comment on the results of the consultation launched by the European Commission...

5OTH ANNIVERSARY : MANAGERS SET OUT THEIR SOCIAL DEMANDS.(European Confederation of Managers)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... CEC, the European Confederation of Managers, had the honour of opening the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the founding treaty of Europe. It did so through its CEC Executive Board, meeting in Berlin on 4 and 5 March, which brought...

JOINT EMPLOYMENT REPORT : MARKET SEGMENTATION, UNDECLARED WORK REMAIN MAJOR PROBLEMS.
March 16, 2007... "Labour market reforms can be fruitful, but efforts must continue if we are to achieve European goals in terms of employment." The Joint Employment Report 2006-2007, presented by the European Commission on 22 February at the Council of...

MENTAL HEALTH - BEST PRACTICES.(Mental Health Europe's search for best practices to stop the spread of mental health problems)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Mental Health Europe, the European association made up of mental health NGOs, is looking for examples of best practices to curb the spread of mental health problems, whether they target a particular group of people (women, youth, elderly...

GENDER EQUALITY : MEPS INVITE THE COMMISSION TO LEGISLATE.(Member of the European Parliament)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Parliament, on 13 March, called on the European Commission to add a concrete dimension to its road map for equality between women and men'. The policy of gender equality should be treated by the Commission as "an indispensable...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL : MINISTERS CALL FOR A STRONGER EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... "Stimulate employment, modernise and reinforce the European social model" - the conclusions of the European Summit in social matters appear to be dynamic but unfortunately have not produced any concrete results. EU ministers have thus...

YOUTH COUNCIL : MINISTERS SEE NEED FOR GREATER DIALOGUE WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The need to pay particular attention to the needs of young people in the transition period between school education and professional life was one of the key messages adopted by the EU member states' ministers, in the Youth Council on 16...

EDUCATION COUNCIL : MINISTERS TO PROPOSE PRIORITY ACTIONS AT PRE-PRIMARY LEVEL.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Adult learning and the need to strengthen early childhood education in Europe were the two main topics addressed by EU ministers at an informal meeting in Heidelberg on 1-2 March. In the case of adult learning, discussions aimed at...

HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK : MIXED REACTIONS TO NEW STRATEGY.
March 16, 2007... The European Commission adopted, on 21 February, its new Strategy for Health and Safety at Work for 2007-2012. The aim is to reduce accidents in the workplace by 25%. Reactions to the strategy, which Employment, Social Affairs and Equal...

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL INCLUSION : MORE OVERARCHING APPROACH TO LABOUR MARKETS IS NEEDED.
March 16, 2007... The Council of Employment Ministers adopted, on 22 February, recommendations on the economic policy guidelines and the application of employment policies in the member states, based principally on an analysis of the National Reform Programmes....

COLLECTIVE REDUNDANCIES : NATIONAL JUDGES REMINDED TO APPLY 1998 DIRECTIVE CORRECTLY.(European Union Court of Justice)
March 16, 2007... On the much talked about subject of collective redundancies, the EU Court of Justice was called on to answer two very specific questions raised by a Greek court. 1. What is the interpretation of the concept of establishment' in Article 1(1a) of...

POPULATION AND HOUSING : NEW PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CENSUS DATA.
March 16, 2007... The European Commission intends to improve the way in which population and housing data is collected. On 23 February, it presented a proposal for a regulation that will set the foundations for the collection of comparable and high quality data....

50TH ANNIVERSARY : NGOS PROPOSE THREE-POINT PLAN FOR SOCIAL EUROPE.(Social Platform )(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the EU and ahead of the Berlin Declaration, the Social Platform addresses an open letter to all EU political leaders, meeting at the Spring Summit next month, to propose three very practical actions to...

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT : ONE REGION IN SIX ABOVE 125% OF EU27 AVERAGE.(European Union)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... In 2004, gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant, expressed in terms of purchasing power standards, ranged from 24% of the EU27 average in the region of Nord-Est in Romania, to 303% of the average in Inner London. One region in six was...

PHOTO CONTEST FOR DIVERSITY.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Photography students from across the European Union can make a creative statement about diversity while having their work showcased to an EU-wide audience by entering the 2007 Breaking Stereotypes' photo competition. The competition runs from...

SOCIAL POLICY : POLL FINDS MOST EU CITIZENS ARE HAPPY.(European Union)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... According a Eurobarometer poll, published by European Commission on 26 February, the EU's citizens are happy, overall. Some 86% (EU25 average) of the respondents said they were relatively satisfied with their personal life and everyday...

PUTIN SIGNS EU-RUSSIA READMISSION LAW.(Vladimir Putin )(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on 4 March a federal law on the ratification of the Readmission Agreement, laying down the new rules under which Russia and the EU would exchange illegal immigrants. The law was passed by the state Duma,...

EDUCATION : SCHOOLS RECOGNISED FOR PROMOTING VIRTUAL' COOPERATION.(eTwinning Awards)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... A total of six projects, involving cooperation between schools using the internet, were awarded prizes at the eTwinning Awards, hosted by the European Commission in Brussels on 23-24 February. Winning projects were selected from over 350...

SOCIAL PARTNERS : SMALL BUSINESSES CONCERNED OVER CSR OBLIGATIONS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... MEPs are being urged to reject a report on corporate social responsibility (CSR), due to be voted in the European Parliament's plenary session on 13 March, on the grounds that it places too many responsibilities on small and medium-sized...

HEALTH AND SECURITY AT WORK : SMES WANT MONEY, TRADE UNIONS EXPECT ACTION.(small and medium enterprises)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The social partners have reacted, albeit not with once voice,' to the new Community Strategy for Health and Safety at Work'. UEAPME, the European SME employers' organisation, appreciated the efforts made by the European Commission.a"The...

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL : SOCIAL MINIMA EMERGE AS FOCUS OF ATTENTION.(Spring European Union summit)(Conference news)
March 16, 2007... The key messages for the Spring EU Summit were all ratified without problems during the brief Council of EU employment ministers in Brussels on 22 February. These included the joint report on employment, the joint report on social inclusion and...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL : SOCIAL PARTNERS PREPARE FOR FLEXICURITY' WITHOUT ACTUALLY SAYING SO.(economic flexibility and security in the European Union)
March 16, 2007... The traditional meeting between the Presidency of the European Union and social partners - the European Trade Union Confederation representing workers, BusinessEurope and UEAPME representing private employers, and CEEP representing public...

SWEDISH HOUSING AID.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... A 270 million aid scheme by Sweden to provide sheltered housing for the elderly was approved by the European Commission on 7 March. Housing is at a shortage in Sweden and there is little incentive for the private sector to build such...

CHILDCARE : SWISS STUDY REVEALS THAT PRE-SCHOOL CARE BENEFITS THE ECONOMY.(Conference Latine des Delegues a l'Egalite report)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... "Money invested in pre-school childcare generates up to three times more money for the community, and even allows the government a return on investment through increased revenues and fewer welfare payments," according to a study carried out by...

TEMPUS CONSULTATIONS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Future priorities of the EU's Tempus programme for higher education will be under discussion on 5-6 March, at a conference organised by the European Commission in Brussels. Delegates are expected from EU ministries of education, as well as all...

UK POST OFFICE AID.(United Kingdom)(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... Funding from the UK government of 460 million for public post office services for the year April 2007-April 2008 was approved by the European Commission on 7 March. This is in addition to 220 million per year to maintain the loss-making rural...

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : UNIONS AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES CALL FOR A EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK.(Brief article)
March 16, 2007... The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP) are both concerned that European internal market and competition policies are...

SOCIAL POLICY / ENERGY : UNIONS ONCE AGAIN REJECT ENERGY LIBERALISATION.(European Trade Union Confederation)
March 16, 2007... Adding its voice to the debate on European energy policy, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) organised a conference criticising the effects of liberalisation on employment in the energy sector. Employee representatives, at the...

ADVANCED THERAPIES : VOTE POSTPONED AGAINST BACKDROP OF DEBATE ON ETHICS.
March 16, 2007... Negotiations are continuing between the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission on the proposal for a regulation on advanced therapy medicinal products. The EP's vote at first reading, scheduled for the mid-March plenary...

SOCIAL POLICY : WAGES AND INFLATION: THE KEY POINTS.
March 16, 2007... Following the debate on wages and their impact on inflation within the Eurogroup, we now bring you the key points and arguments put forward by Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in a working document of which Europolitics has managed...