European Social Policy articles from October 2006

European Social Policy archives from October 2006

DROITS DES FEMMES : TO TRANSLATE (EN) : INTEGRER LES QUESTIONS DE GENRE DANS LES ACCORDS COMMERCIAUX.
October 10, 2006... RAPPORT DU PARLEMENT EUROPEEN Dans un rapport de Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE, Allemagne), adopte par la commission du commerce international du PE, le 28 septembre, les deputes appellent la Commission a " uvrer aupres des institutions...

SERVICES D'INTERET GENERAL : TO TRANSLATE (EN) : LE PARLEMENT DEMANDE A LA COMMISSION D'AGIR MAIS RESTE FLOU.
October 10, 2006... Le Parlement europeen a approuve, le 27 septembre, le rapport d'initiative sur les services d'interet general. Malgre une discussion assez vive (voir Europolitique 3157), les principaux groupes politiques se sont finalement ranges, comme un...

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE : ALLIANZ SE OPENS SUPERVISORY BOARD TO WORKERS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Insurance company Allianz, which has opted for the new European company statute, has signed a milestone agreement on worker participation. The company, which has its headquarters in Munich and employs some 160,000 workers in virtually all EU...

EMPLOYMENT/HEALTHCARE SERVICES : BELGIAN EMPLOYERS PROPOSE TAKING IN MORE FOREIGN PATIENTS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The Federation of Belgian Businesses (Federation des entreprises de Belgique - FEB) published a White Paper on International Medical Services on 21 September. It aims, through this initiative, to demonstrate "how excellence in the sector can...

SOCIAL SECURITY : CASE LAW ON HEALTHCARE AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.
October 10, 2006... Reimbursing healthcare received by patients in another EU member state would normally fall under social security regulations. But this does not mean that this question cannot also fall under the freedom to provide services and goods, provided...

CEMR ON WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE.(Council of European Municipalities and Regions)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The Secretary-General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Jeremy Smith, has reacted to the revision of the Working Time Directive, calling for agreement "in favour of Europe's towns and regions". "The Working Time...

COMMISSION CRITICALOF ALCOHOL LOBBY.(European Commission)
October 10, 2006... The European Commission is getting ready to publish its strategy to combat alcohol abuse. On 6 October, it condemned the 'exaggerated' lobbying tactics used by certain producers both at the Commission and the Parliament. The EU executive has...

PUBLIC FINANCES : COMMISSION DRAWS UP NEW LIST OF RISKS LINKED TO AGEING.
October 10, 2006... Eight months after the EcoFin Council adopted a particularly worrying report on the impact of Europe's ageing population on the sustainability of public finances, the European Commission intends to re-open the subject. On 12 October, it adopted...

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES : COMMISSIONER PIDLA'S THREE-PRONGED PLAN TO TACKLE AGEING.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... In view of the debate to take place in the European Commission on 4 October on the subject of changing demographics, the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Vladimir pidla, during a seminar with the Chinese Academy of Social...

IMMIGRATION : COMMISSION GRANTS FINANCIAL AID TO SPAIN, MALTA AND ITALY.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Commission decided on 19 September to co-finance six specific emergency measures for the reception of illegal immigrants in Spain (three projects), Malta (two projects) and Italy (one project) under its ARGO 2005-2006...

HEALTH SERVICES/SOCIAL SECURITY : COMMISSION LAUNCHES CONSULTATION ON EUROPEAN ACTION.
October 10, 2006... As announced, the European Commission, on 26 September, launched a public consultation on how to ensure legal certainty regarding cross-border healthcare under Community law, and to support cooperation between the health systems of the member...

HEALTHCARE SERVICES : COMMISSION MAY LEGISLATE ON HEALTHCARE SERVICES.
October 10, 2006... Launching a consultation on healthcare services on 5 September, the European Commission aims to resolve the conundrum posed by European Court of Justice case law between freedom of movement for patients and the preservation of public finances....

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : COMMISSION PROPOSES TO TAKE DOSSIER FORWARD.
October 10, 2006... Appearing before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 26 September, the president of the European Commission indicated that the issue of Services of General Interest (SGI) will be taken forward with a communication presented before the end...

CONNY REUTER/SOLIDAR.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... SOLIDAR has appointed Conny Reuter new Secretary-General. Reuter, a 52-year-old German activist, will be in post from 1 October 2006. He started his international activities working with SOLIDAR's German member organisation AWO...

STRUCTURAL FUNDS : COUNCIL ADOPTS STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR 2007-2013.
October 10, 2006... The strategic guidelines on the EU's Cohesion Policy for 2007-2013 were definitively adopted by the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg on 6 October. Only the United Kingdom abstained. The next step is to adopt the national priorities - known...

ECONOMIC REDUNDANCY : COURT FINDS IN FAVOUR OF GREEK GOODYEAR EMPLOYEES.
October 10, 2006... The European Court of Justice (ECJ) insisted on 7 September on full application of the Directive of 17 February 1975 in a case concerning Greek Goodyear employees and their former employer, thus confirming established case law (C-187/05 to...

COURT QUESTIONS ON DISABILITY.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Where an employer treats an employee less favourably than other employees and it can be demonstrated that the reason (for this attitude) is that the employee has a handicapped child under his care, does that constitute direct discrimination in...

INVALIDITY PENSIONS : COURT RULES FOR FORMER MOROCCAN COMBATANT.
October 10, 2006... The Association Agreement signed in 1996 by the EC and Morocco rules out host member states "refusing to grant a military invalidity pension to a Moroccan national who served in the army of that state and is resident on its territory, solely on...

WORKING TIME : COURT SAYS UK RULES VIOLATE EU LAW.(United Kingdom, European Union)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The EU Court of Justice condemned the United Kingdom on 7 September for failing to comply with the Working Time Directive of 23 November 1993 (judgment in Case C-484/04). At issue are guidelines published by the UK's Ministry of Trade, leaving...

POSTING OF WORKERS : DIRECTIVE NEEDS CLARIFICATION, MEPS ARGUE.(member of the European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... The Posting of Workers Directive is being badly applied in some member states and is consequently failing to meet its aims, claim members of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee. The own-initiative report by MEP...

SOCIAL EXCLUSION : EAPN CALLS FOR OVERHAUL OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POLICY.(European Anti-Poverty Network)
October 10, 2006... "The shocking official figures of 72 million people living their daily lives in or at risk of poverty shows that the EU has failed in reaching the vision of a social Europe." This is a damning conclusion drawn by delegates attending the...

POVERTY : EAPN PUBLISHES TESTIMONY OF THE UNDERCLASS.(European Anti-Poverty Network)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) has announced the publication of a new booklet entitled Voices from the Poverty Line: Jobs and Unemployment in the EU. Hosted by MEP Proinsias de Rossa (PES, IE), the booklet was launched at the European...

ECJ ON SCHOOL FEES.(European Court of Justice)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The passive free movement of services rules out a national provision whereby the payment of education fees to certain schools in Germany is tax deductible but not payments to schools in another member state. As EU law stands, it is nevertheless...

FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE : ECJ PINPOINTS LOOPHOLE IN SCHENGEN CONVENTION.(European Court of Justice)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Non-EU nationals can effectively stay in the EU for six months through two back-to-back three-month stays with a day separating the visits, the EU Court of Justice has found. The 3 October ruling (Case C-241/05) encourages EU lawmakers to...

ETUC WAGES ARE NOT ENEMY OF STABILITY.(European Trade Union Confederation )
October 10, 2006... The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has urged the European Central Bank (ECB) not to regard wages as posing an increased risk to price stability. In a statement, the ETUC points out that "the ECB is justifying its monetary tightening...

HEALTH : EU25: HIV-AIDS AWARENESS HIGH BUT MISCONCEPTIONS REMAIN.
October 10, 2006... At a 2 October EU-level HIV-AIDS prevention round table, focussing on safer sex for young people, the European Commission released the results of the latest Eurobarometer on HIV-AIDS. Those attending the event included youth organisations,...

HEALTH : EU CALLED ON TO ACT AGAINST OBESITY.(European Union)
October 10, 2006... Respondents to a public consultation are calling on the European Commission to adopt a cross-border, multi-sector approach to tackle the widespread problem of obesity in the EU, particularly among young people. The consultation was launched in...

EMPLOYMENT : EU EMPLOYMENT UP BY 0.3% IN SECOND QUARTER.(Europe)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... According to provisional national accounts estimates released by Eurostat on 14 September, the seasonally adjusted number of persons employed in the eurozone rose by 0.4% (557,000 persons) during the second quarter of 2006. During the same...

LABOUR COST : EU LABOUR COST UP BY 3.1% IN SECOND QUARTER.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Total hourly labour costs in the eurozone rose at an annual rate of 2.4% in nominal terms in the second quarter of 2006, up from 2.2% in the previous quarter. In the EU25, the annual rise was 3.1% in the second quarter of 2006, up from 3% in...

EDUCATION : EU RATINGS SYSTEM TO MAKE QUALIFICATIONS TRANSLATE CROSS-BORDER.(European Union)
October 10, 2006... Proposals for a European Qualifications Framework (EQF), seen as a major plank in the educational dimension of the EU's Lisbon Agenda, have been adopted by the European Commission on 5 September. The EQF will provide for a person's...

ASYLUM : EURODAC REPORT: FEWER ASYLUM APPLICATIONS BUT MORE ILLEGAL ENTRANTS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Figures outlined in a fresh report by Eurodac(1), the EU-wide fingerprint database, reveal that in 2005, the number of asylum applications decreased while the number of registered irregular entrants increased significantly. The third...

EUROPEAN MOBILITY BUS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... "A mobility campaign should be mobile, too." That is the aim of the European Mobility Roadshow, which was launched by the European Commission on 22 September. The Mobility Bus' will tour nine European citiesabetween 22 September and 19...

SOCIAL POLICY : EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL AN ADVANTAGE NOT A BURDEN, SAYS EP.(European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... By adopting the report by Jose Silva Penneda (EPP-ED, Portugal) and Proinsias De Rossa (PES, Ireland) by an overwhelming majority (507 votes for, 113 against and 42 abstentions), the European Parliament wished mainly to emphasise that social...

HEALTH : EUROPE MUST PREPARE FOR OUTBREAK OF DIABETES.(report by the International Diabetes Federation)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Health budgets across Eastern Europe will face crippling increases in healthcare costs if nothing is done to defuse the diabetes epidemic, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) warned in the 2006 edition of the Diabetes Atlas. Economic...

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MONKS, SECRETARY GENERAL OF ETUC : FINANCIAL SPECULATION SERVES NO PURPOSE.(European Trade Union Confederation)(Interview)
October 10, 2006... Invited by the Finnish EU Presidency to make his points in ten minutes in the informal EcoFin Council in Helsinki on 8 September as part of the follow up to the debate on the challenges facing the EU because of globalisation, John Monks,...

GLOBALISATION ADJUSTMENT FUND : FINNISH PRESIDENCY PROPOSES A COMPROMISE.
October 10, 2006... The Finnish Presidency of the EU, on 6 October, presented the Social Questions Working Party with a proposal for aacompromise on the regulation establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). As previously suggested by the...

EMPLOYMENT : FIRST EU-WIDE JOB FAIR PROMISES TO BE A SUCCESS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Vladimir pidla, the EU Commissioner responsible for Employment and Social Affairs, was visibly delighted. Speaking before the European Job Fair held on 29 and 30 September across the EU, he already felt it would be a resounding success. 'We...

SERVICES DIRECTIVE : GEBHARDT'S AMENDMENTS FACE UPHILL BATTLE TO BE ACCEPTED.(Evelyne Gebhardt social policies)
October 10, 2006... As soon as they got their hands on the list of eleven amendments proposed by Evelyne Gebhardt to the Council's common position, the Commission and the Finnish Presidency aired doubts as to the likelihood of their being adopted by the member...

SERVICES DIRECTIVE : GEBHARDT STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT AMENDMENTS.(European Parliament's Evelyne Gebhardt)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... MEP Evelyne Gebhardt (PES, DE), rapporteur on the Services Directive, remained positive as to the acceptance of her technical' amendments following a meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection....

GENDER INSTITUTE.(European Institute for Gender Equality)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers adopted its common position on 18 September on the Gender Institute - or the European Institute for Gender Equality - which will now be passed onto the European Parliament for its second reading. The proposal was...

GREEN PAPER DEFERRED AGAIN.(European Commission)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Commission's Green Paper on the evolution of the labour market, scheduled for the end of September and then the beginning of October, has been deferred once more to an unspecified date. A consensus must be given time to mature on...

MODERNISATION OF LABOUR LAW : GREEN PAPER POSTPONED YET AGAIN.(European Commission)
October 10, 2006... The European Commission has chosen to postpone the publication of its Green Paper on the modernisation of labour law by a few weeks, adding to a growing number of postponements for a dossier, originally announced in 2000, which has been the...

SERVICES DIRECTIVE : HEALTH ASSOCIATIONS CALL FOR "RESTORING SPIRIT OF FIRST READING".(Social Services of General Interest, France)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... SSIG-FR, an organisation representing 14 French social services and general interest health service associations(1) has urged the European Parliament in second reading to restore the spirit of its initial vote in February on the exclusion of...

HEALTHCARE SERVICES: TWO CONSULTATIONS IN ONE?(European Commission's laws concerning overseas treatment )
October 10, 2006... On perusing the consultation launched by the European Commission on healthcare services one can but be struck by the candid if not naive nature of the questions posed. As though nothing existed. As though, since 1971 and regulation 1408...

HOSPITAL RISKS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Vladimir pidla, the EU Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Gender Equality, is expected shortly to launch a consultation of social partners on the protection of health service workers against risks of infection linked...

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Spain, Italy and France expressed their views,ain Helsinki on 10 September, that European solidarity against illegal immigration should be made a priority topic in the next EU summits. 'Common actions include not only common troops but also...

INFORMATION FOR WORKERS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The EU's Court of Justice says that it has received applications from the Commission concerning the failure by three member states to implement EU legislation. Spain and Ireland are accused of failing to transpose or to notify the Commission of...

EDUCATION : INVESTING IN EDUCATION PAYS SOCIAL DIVIDENDS, SAYS COMMISSION.
October 10, 2006... The UK government's finances would stand to benefit to the tune of around [pounds sterling]665 million per year through reduced crime and increased earning potential if an extra 1% of the working population had A levels (exams sat at the end of...

JUKKA TAKALA/OSHA.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Jukka Takala has been appointed as new Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA-Bilbao) as of 18 September. He has worked in the safety and health field for three decades. He joins the agency from the International...

FREEDOM OF ESTABLISHMENT : LUXEMBOURG LANGUAGE TEST FOR LAWYERS RULED ILLEGAL.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Lawyers who move to another EU member state to establish themselves should not be obliged to pass a language test there, the EU Court of Justice has ruled. A 1998 Directive (5/EC) targeted at lawyers specifically precludes this, the ECJ said on...

WORKERS' MOBILITY : MCDONALDS LAUNCHES THE MCPASSPORT' FOR ITS 225,000 EMPLOYEES.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The US fastfood giant, McDonald's, presented its new initiative designed to facilitate the movement of McDonald's employees throughout the Union in Brussels on 12 September.aThe new McPassport' will contain information about employees'...

HEALTH : MEMBER STATES CALLED ON TO UNITE AGAINST POSSIBLE FLU PANDEMIC.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Commission has adopted a communication, due to enter into force in June 2007, on the revised International Health Regulations (IHR). According to the document, the Commission and member states should operate "in close...

IMMIGRATION : MEMBER STATES MUST DO MORE TO INTEGRATE FEMALE IMMIGRANTS.
October 10, 2006... The two-fold discrimination immigrant women suffer based on origin and gender was highlighted in a report adopted on 13 September by the European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee. Drafted by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP-ED, EL), the...

SERVICES DIRECTIVE : MEP ANXIOUS TO PRESERVE FRAGILE COMPROMISE.(Member of the European Parliament Evelyne Gebhardt)
October 10, 2006... No modification or pruning' of the compromise secured by EU member states on 29 May, just a few additions to fine-tune' the text. This, in substance, is the tenor of the 11 amendments tabled by MEP Evelyne Gebhardt (PES, DE), the European...

FREE MOVEMENT OF WORKERS : MEPS AMEND ANNUAL UPDATE OF SOCIAL SECURITY LEGISLATION.(Member of the European Parliament Maria Matsouka)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs has adopted a report by MEP Maria Matsouka (PES, Greece) on a proposal amending Council Regulation EEC 1408/71 on social security schemes for employed persons and members of...

MEPS ON ADVANCED THERAPIES.(members of European Parliament)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Although they agree on the fundamentals, the members of the European Parliament's Committee on Health and the Environment have rejected the report by MEP Miroslav Mikola ik (EPP-ED, SK) on the proposal for a regulation concerning advanced...

EDUCATION : MEPS RAISE THE BAR ON COMMISSION MOBILITY PROPOSALS.(members of European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... Assistance for people planning to study abroad to transfer government loans and grants to their host country is one type of support that will now be added to the proposed European Quality Charter for Mobility, following the European...

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : MEPS REMAIN DIVIDED ON FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE.(members of European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... MEPs remain divided on the need for a horizontal framework Directive on Services of General Interest. Broadly speaking, groups to the right of the political dividea EPP, ALDE, I&D reject the very principle of a horizontal framework...

GLOBALISATION ADJUSTMENT FUND : MEPS SHOW MIXED FEELINGS.(members of European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... During the meeting of the European Parliament's Employment Committee on 12 September, MEPs of all persuasions expressed mixed and often sceptical views on theaEuropean Globalisation Adjustment Fund (GAF), even though some of them favoured the...

DISCRIMINATION : MEPS URGE BETTER INTEGRATION OF DISABLED PEOPLE.(members of European Parliament)
October 10, 2006... The European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted, on 5 October, a report by Elisabeth Lynne (ALDE, UK) on the situation of disabled people in the enlarged EU (40 in favour, three against). In the own-initiative...

GENDER EQUALITY : MINISTERS DISCUSS WAYS TO BOOST ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE.
October 10, 2006... EU ministers responsible for gender equality discussed the situation of women in private sector enterprise decision-making at a meeting on 7 October in Helsinki. The informal equality ministerial meeting was attended by ministers and leading...

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS : MISUSE OF FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS MUST BE EFFECTIVELY PENALISED.
October 10, 2006... The EU Court of Justice has confirmed its approach - based on fine distinctions - to application of Directive 1999/70 and the framework agreement on fixed-term work in the public sector and the crucial question of limits on their renewal...

GENDER EQUALITY : NO JUSTIFICATION NEEDED FOR LENGTH OF SERVICE CRITERIA.(Case overview)
October 10, 2006... Are length of service allowances a factor in pay discrimination between men and women? And, above all, do they need to be justified? This is not a new question. However, the EU Court of Justice, considering a case concerning the British Civil...

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS : NUMBER OF PEOPLE OVER 65 TO DOUBLE BETWEEN 1995 AND 2050.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... In conjunction with the International Day of Older Persons, on 1 October, Eurostat is publishing statistics on the EU population aged over 65, which highlight some of their demographic, economic and social particularities compared to the total...

WORKING TIME : OMBUDSMAN CALLS FOR ACTION REGARDING STAND-BY DUTY.
October 10, 2006... Although the European Court of Justice, in numerous verdicts, has ruled that stand-by duty' should be considered as working time, the European Commission until now has adopted a wait and see' attitude to infringements by member states in...

EU/RUSSIA : ONLY A TRICKLE OF EU STUDENTS MAKING IT TO RUSSIA, SAYS REPORT.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The numbers of Russian students coming to study for higher education qualifications in the European Union are some 20 times greater than those of the EU going to Russia, reveals a survey published by the Finnish Centre for International...

ASYLUM : ONLY SIX MEMBER STATES HAVE IMPLEMENTED ASYLUM DIRECTIVE.
October 10, 2006... By 10 October 2006, only six EU member states had notified the European Commission of implementing measures prior to the entry into force of new EU rules on the qualification and status of persons in need of international protection. The six...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : PARLIAMENT CRITICISES EU JUSTICE PROGRESS.
October 10, 2006... In plenary session on 27 September, the European Parliament held a major debate with the Commission and Council on a common EU immigration policy. Finnish Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamaki stressed the fight against terrorism, human rights...

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : PARLIAMENT DEMANDS LEGISLATION FROM THE COMMISSION.
October 10, 2006... Negotiations between political groups and especially the Party of European Socialists (PES) and the European People's Party (EPP-ED) continued until the last minute in order to settle compromise amendments on the report by Bernhard Rapkay (PES,...

WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S RIGHTS : PARLIAMENT WANTS TO BOOST DAPHNE BUDGET.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Parliament has adopted in first reading a report by Lissy Groner (PES, DE), calling for an increase in financing for the Daphne Programme aimed at combating violence against children, young people and women. The report was adopted...

PENSION POLICY IN EU25.(European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research's report)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (Vienna) has published its second policy brief entitled Pension Policy in EU25 and Its Possible Impact on Elderly Poverty. This policy brief, by Asghar Zaidi, reviews the most recent...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : PNR AND SCHENGEN CLOUD LUXEMBOURG DISCUSSIONS.
October 10, 2006... EU justice and home affairs ministers meeting in Luxembourg were once again reminded of the urgent need to tackle immigration when 20 would-be immigrants drowned whilst attempting to reach the Spanish Canary Islands on 5 October. At the same...

EMPLOYMENT : PROGRESS PROGRAMME CLEARS PARLIAMENT.
October 10, 2006... The European Parliament, on 27 September, approved the Council's common position on the Progress programme - the Community programme for employment and social solidarity, which will enter into force on 1 January 2007. Progress will be awarded a...

EMPLOYMENT/GLOBALISATION FUND : RAPPORTEUR KEEN TO SPEED UP EMERGENCE OF A COMPROMISE.(European Parliament Employment Committee rapporteur Roselyne Bachelot)
October 10, 2006... In the run-up to the final meetings between shadow Employment Committee rapporteurs, and following their first meetings on the issue in July, the European Parliament Employment Committee's central rapporteur Roselyne Bachelot (EPP-ED, FR) has...

CHEMICALS : REACH MUST ALSO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF WORKERS, UNIONS ARGUE.(Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals)
October 10, 2006... The draft Regulation establishing a European system for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) might also serve to give workers better health protection. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which hosted a...

RHEUMATISM.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Rheumatic illnesses should be given more attention by political decision-makers, said participants at the 9th European Health Forum held in Gastein (Austria). Their argument is that an illness should not have to be life-threatening before it is...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : SCHENGEN INFORMATION SYSTEM ENLARGEMENT DRAWS CLOSER.
October 10, 2006... Following the recent negotiations between Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Council Presidency, it now seems apparent that the enlargement of the Schengen Information System (SIS) to the ten new member states may be...

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : SGI ESSENTIAL TO ALL MEMBER STATES, CEEP SAYS.(European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest)
October 10, 2006... The European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP), which held its 17th congress on 7 and 8 September in Bucharest, Romania, has published a declaration, particularly on the EU's...

SLOVAKIA : SLOVAK PM VOWS TO QUELL ETHNIC TENSIONS.(Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... "There is no direct link between individual cases of violent attacks aimed at Hungarians in Slovakia and the right-wing parties, the Slovak National Party in particular, which participate in the government," said Slovak Prime Minister Robert...

MARITIME TRANSPORT : SOCIAL PARTNERS AGREE TO START NEGOTIATIONS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The social partners have agreed to negotiate an agreement on maritime labour standards. They were invited to do so by a European Commission communication adopted on 15 June. The social partners are in this instance the European Transport...

SOCIAL DIALOGUE : SOCIAL PARTNERS IN HOSPITAL SECTOR HOLD FIRST FORMAL MEETING.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM) met jointly,aon 20 September, in the first formal meeting of a European sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the...

SOCIAL POLICY ECLIPSED BY PUTIIN LAHTI.(Lahti European Summit in Finland)(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Social policy and the flexicurity model, which should be major points at the Lahti European Summit in Finland (20 October), with the holding of a special tripartite summit with the social partners, risk being thoroughly eclipsed by other...

EMPLOYER INSOLVENCY : SPAIN FOUND NOT TO BE GIVING ENOUGH GUARANTEES TO FIRED WORKERS.(Brief article)
October 10, 2006... Applying the principle of equality, the European Union Court of Justice ruled on 7 September 2006 that compensation payable on termination of an employment contract under the terms of an amicable settlement between the worker and his employee...

BUSINESS RELOCATIONS : STUDY PUTS PAID TO COMMONLY HELD BELIEFS.
October 10, 2006... A study conducted by Reckon LLP for the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has put paid to some of the commonly accepted ideas on the subject of relocations. The study reveals that only a few sectors are affected and that the new...