European Social Policy articles from October 2007

European Social Policy archives from October 2007

UNEMPLOYMENT : EU JOBLESS RATE FALLS TO 6.7% IN AUGUST.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... In the eurozone, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.9% in August 2007, unchanged compared to July. In the EU27, the unemployment rate was 6.7% in August 2007, compared with 6.8% in July. It was 7.8% in August 2006, said...

IGC 2007 / JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : A COMPROMISE MEANT NOT TO BE USED? AN aINSIDE VIEW.(Intergovernmental Conference)(Conference news)
October 17, 2007... Room 20.45, Council of the European Union, just after 3pm, 3 October. The legal experts of the 27 member states applaud one another, in the presence of the Portuguese ambassador, who has come to congratulate them, 'on behalf of the presidency',...

EDUCATION : ACTION PLAN HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF ADULT EDUCATION.
October 17, 2007... According to an action plan presented by the European Commission on 27 September, member states should increase their efforts to improve standards in adult education. A major focus of the action plan is to improve the quality of staff...

ASYLUM/REFUGEES : ADVOCATE-GENERAL REJECTS COUNCIL'S TAKE ON SAFE COUNTRY' LISTS.(Poiares Maduro)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Important elements of a Council directive on the treatment of asylum seekers should be annulled, according to an advocate-general of the EU Court of Justice, because they run counter to the provisions of the EC Treaty. Advocate-General...

SECONDMENT OF WORKERS : ADVOCATE-GENERAL SUPPORTS STRENGTHENED SOCIAL PROTECTION.(Yves Bot)
October 17, 2007... The application of the Directive on the secondment of workers and social dumping continue to make waves at the EU Court of Justice. After the Viking-Laval cases in Germany, another Advocate-General, Yves Bot, is supporting a change in case law...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : BORDER CHECKS LIKELY TO BE LIFTED BY CHRISTMAS, SAYS COUNCIL.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... A new target date has been set for the lifting of land and sea border checks between current Schengen countries and the EU9 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia), a representative of the...

CALLS FOR STUDY CONTRACT PROPOSALS.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission's DG Employment has launched several calls for proposals concerning study contracts on The role of the public employment services related to flexicurity in the European labour market' (VT/2007/061);'Workers' mobility'...

SUPPLEMENTARY PENSIONS : COMMISSION AMPUTATES ITS OWN PROPOSAL.(European Commission )
October 17, 2007... The European Commission presented on 9 October an amended draft directive on the sensitive issue of supplementary pension rights. Only two of the original three strands of the initial proposal are still intact: the setting of minimum...

WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE : COMMISSION CONTINUES QUEST FOR A BALANCED COMPROMISE.(European Commission)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission will present at the end of 2007 a report on compliance with the current Working Time Directive(1). After evaluation of the compliance report and of complaints, infringement procedures will be initiated if necessary,...

WORK CONTRACTS : COMMISSION DRAFTING COMMUNICATION ON AIRCRAFT PERSONNEL.(European Commission)
October 17, 2007... Under the leadership of Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, the European Commission is preparing a text which would "specify and clarify labour legislation applicable to aircraft personnel," according to a Commission source. Its publication...

EMPLOYMENT : COMMISSION LAUNCHES EU JOB DAYS 2007.(European Commission's job fair)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission launched, on 24 September, the European Job Days 2007', an EU-wide initiative which brought together job seekers and recruiters. The event, which ran to 29 September, aimed to raise awareness of the opportunities to...

ILLEGAL WORK : CONSTRUCTION SECTOR TABLES SIX PROPOSALS.(proposed measures to prevent employment of undeclared workers )
October 17, 2007... At its General Assembly meeting in Murcia (Spain), the European Builders' Confederation (EBC) adopted a position of principles on illegal work. The EBC supports "to a great extent" the proposal for a directive on sanctions against employers of...

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION : COUNCIL BACKS MALTESE PUSH FOR GREATER SUPPORT.(European Union backs Malta's recourse in illegal immigration)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Several conclusions were adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council, on 18 September, setting out measures to further strengthen the EU's southern maritime border. The conclusions were drawn up following a request by Malta. The...

HEALTH : COUNCIL PUTS HEALTH PROGRAMME BACK ON TRACK.(European Union Council)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... On 9 October, the EU Council formally adopted the Health Programme for 2007-2013, following a compromise negotiated with the European Parliament. To recall, the EP had finally accepted the budget desired by the 27 member states - 365.6 million,...

SOCIAL SECURITY : DECISIONS ON FRENCH AND GREEK PENSION SCHEMES.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission has authorised the aid planned by France for the reform of the arrangements for financing the retirement pensions of civil servants working for La Poste. The authorisation is subject to conditions to ensure that La Poste...

DISABLED CITIZENS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... On 4 October, delegations of disabled persons from over 30 European countries demonstrated in Brussels to demand the adoption by the European Union of non-discrimination legislation in favour of the disabled. The initiative formed part of the...

IGC 2007 : DRAFT REFORM TREATY MARKS IMPORTANT SHIFT IN UK OPT-OUT REGIME.
October 17, 2007... In a vital breakthrough towards the signing off of a new EU Treaty, the legal experts of the EU27 have agreed solutions to the British demands on Justice and Home Affairs questions. The solutions found by the experts are complex. "That is...

EAPN APPEAL ON FLEXICURITY.(European Anti-Poverty Network)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... At a time when the common principles on flexicurity to be adopted by the Employment and Social Policy Council are undergoing preparation, the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is asking ministers to place the fight against poverty and social...

ECJ CONDEMNS GREECE.(European Union Court of Justice)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... On 13 September, the EU Court of Justice condemned Greece for having failed to transpose Directive 2002/14 of 11 March 2002 establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the European Community (C-381/06). (NGV)

IMMIGRATION : ECJ: MEMBER STATES CANNOT INTRODUCE NEW ADMISSION RESTRICTIONS.(Court of Justice of the European Communities)
October 17, 2007... The EU Court of Justice decided, on 20 September, that British legislation on immigration (Immigration Rules 1994) violates Community rules because it introduces "new restrictions on the exercise of freedom of establishment" for Turkish...

EIB LOAN FOR SOCIAL HOUSING IN FRANCE.(European Investment Bank)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... On 19 September, the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted a 500 million loan to France for the France Social Housing' programme which aims to finance on highly favourable terms the investments of social landlords in the building and...

EP REPORT ON DISCRIMINATION.(European Parliament)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... In an own-initiative report by the Dutch Greens MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg, the European Parliament believes that progress must still be made in order to correctly implement the anti-discrimination directive of 29 June 2000. A certain number of...

ETUC ON TREATY'S SOCIAL DIMENSION.(European Trade Union Confederation)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The EU's amending treaty, still under negotiation, must show that social progress is essential for the EU's future, said the Secretary-General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monks. Addressing an assembly of trade union...

FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS : EU LESS DEMANDING THAN US IN SOCIAL MATTERS.(European Union and the United States)
October 17, 2007... The EU is showing itself to be less demanding than the United States in social matters relating to its bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with emerging countries. According to confidential documents concerning negotiations with South Korea,...

HEALTH : EUROPEANS NEGLECT PROSTATE CANCER TESTS.
October 17, 2007... Though they are generally aware of the importance of medical check-ups, Europeans tend to neglect to undergo colorectal cancer and prostate tests, reveals a Eurobarometer study published on 14 September, European Prostate Awareness Day....

EUROPEAN TEAMSTERS TO RALLY IN BRUSSELS.(truck drivers' protest against planned overhaul in rules of road transport )(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Some 150 long-distance truck drivers from 12 European countries will be demonstrating in Brussels on 15 October against the European Commission's possible overhaul of rules on access to the road transport market and in favour of the development...

HEALTH SERVICES/SOCIAL SECURITY : FIRST DRAFT DIRECTIVE UNVEILED IN INTER-SERVICE CONSULTATION.
October 17, 2007... It has finally arrived. A draft directive on "safe, high-quality and efficient cross-border health care" has been put into inter-service consultation (prior to the political discussion in the college of commissioners). This text, which...

IMMIGRATION : FRATTINI GIVES DETAILS ON BLUE CARD' FOR HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS.(Franco Frattini)
October 17, 2007... The creation of a blue EU labour card' for highly-skilled migrants will be put forward by the European Commission, in October, when it presents two new legislative proposals relating to legal migration. The intention is that the card...

INFORMATION SOCIETY : ICTS MUST BE ADAPTED TO THE ELDERLY'S NEEDS.(information and communication technologies)
October 17, 2007... So that the elderly can own them, information and communication technologies (ICTs) must firstly be affordable. This is the line taken by MEP Neena Gill (PES, UK), rapporteur on the R&D project aiming to improve the quality of life of old age...

INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR BRITISH PENSIONERS IN FRANCE.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... In recent weeks, a controversy has erupted in the British and French media. A British diplomat, Charles Mochan (incidentally, the father of one of the European Commission's spokespersons), who took an early retirement at the age of 59, and who...

IGC 2007 / JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : IRELAND TO STICK WITH THE UK ON JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS OPT-OUTS.
October 17, 2007... The Irish government has decided that it wants to continue to possess the same opt-out rights as the United Kingdom in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), under the EU's new reform (amending) treaty. The decision was taken at a...

IMMIGRATION : IS IMMIGRATION AN ANSWER TO DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN EUROPE?
October 17, 2007... At a public hearing on The integration of economic migrant workers', members of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament discussed, on 8 October, whether immigration is the answer to demographic change in Europe....

EDUCATION : LACK OF PROGRESS REVEALED ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING TARGETS.
October 17, 2007... Member states are making insufficient progress towards meeting the five key targets they have set themselves to improve the performance of their education and training systems. A new report, published by the European Commission on 2...

ICT FOR THE ELDERLY : MEMBER STATES GIVE CONDITIONAL NOD TO AAL PROGRAMME.(European Union's Ambient Assisted Living program)
October 17, 2007... All in all, the EU's 27 member states support the draft decision concerning the Community's involvement in an R&D programme aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly through recourse to new information and communication technologies...

MEPS ADOPT DECLARATION ON DYS'CRIMINATION.(Members of the European Parliament proposes the adoption of a charter for developmentally disabled children)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Parliament adopted, on 11 October, a declaration calling for increased awareness of dys'crimination and the social exclusion of children suffering from the dys' disorders. Every year, more than 10% of children are affected,...

SOCIAL INCLUSION : MEPS SAY FIGHTING POVERTY MUST BE THE PRIORITY.(Members of the European Parliament)
October 17, 2007... In an own-initiative report on Social protection and social inclusion', adopted 9 October (32 votes in favour, one against), the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament welcomes the forthcoming proposal from the...

HEALTH : MEPS SEEK BAN ON SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES WITHIN TWO YEARS.
October 17, 2007... MEPs have called on member states to introduce, within two years, an unrestricted smoking ban in all enclosed workplaces, as well as in all enclosed public buildings and transport. The own-initiative report, drafted by Karl-Heinz Florenz...

GENDER EQUALITY : MEPS SET OUT TO HIGHLIGHT GENDER ISSUES.(Members of the European Parliament)
October 17, 2007... The European Parliament adopted, on 27 September, a report on equality between women and men in the EU in 2007 which takes as its starting point the fourth annual European Commission report on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy...

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AGENCY : MEPS SLAM SLOW APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR FIRST DIRECTOR.(Members of the European Parliament)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The failure of the European Commission to thus far present its shortlist of candidates for director of the EU's new Fundamental Rights Agency was criticised in the European Parliament, on 3 October. Speaking in the EP's Justice and Civil...

IMMIGRATION : MEPS WANT WIDER REMIT FOR FRONTEX.(Members of the European Parliament)
October 17, 2007... The need for EU member states to cooperate better in the way they tackle illegal immigration, and for the Union to attract more highly skilled legal migrants, were two of the main issues addressed by MEPs in a set of reports adopted on 26...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : MINISTERS GIVE CAUTIOUS BACKING TO EU-WIDE CHILD ABDUCTION ALERTS.
October 17, 2007... EU justice ministers have given their backing to the development of an EU child abduction alert system, as part of several measures agreed at their informal meeting in Lisbon on 1-2 October. Speaking during a press conference, Portuguese...

GENDER EQUALITY : MINISTERS SAY STEREOTYPES HAVE TO BE OVERCOME.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The EU ministers in charge of gender equality tried to work out ways of boosting women's employability and entrepreneurial spirit, at an informal meeting in Lisbon on 4 October, with Portuguese State Minister Pedro Silva Pereira chairing their...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : MINISTERS TO TACKLE CHILD PROTECTION AND E-JUSTICE.(electronic networking of information)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The examination of possible measures to improve the protection of children, and to further develop e-justice systems in the EU, were two of the main issues addressed at an informal meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers on 1-2...

EMPLOYMENT POLICY : MINISTERS WARN ON FLEXICURITY.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The EU's 27 member states are, on the whole, in favour of the principles proposed by the European Commission for the development of flexicurity(1) insofar as certain precautions are taken. In draft conclusions, adopted by the Ecofin Council of...

GLOBALISATION FUND : MOBILE PHONE COMPANIES TO RECEIVE FUND ASSISTANCE.(BenQ and Perlos Oy)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission approved on 27 September two new applications for assistance under the European Globalisation Fund (EGF) - from Germany and Finland. They concern redundancies in two companies in the mobile phone sector: BenQ in Germany...

MOBILITY A PRIORITY FOR EUROPE'S SCIENTISTS.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Strong opinions have emerged from Europe's scientific community in response to a recent online consultation, by the European Commission, on the future of the European Research Area. One of the main points stressed, according to a preliminary...

EMPLOYMENT LAW : MUST SEAMEN BE INTEGRATED INTO SOCIAL DIRECTIVES?
October 17, 2007... Making the European maritime sector more appealing for job-seekers without weakening its competitiveness is the goal of the consultation of social partners that the European Commission launched on 10 October. The profession currently employs...

HEALTH : NOT ENOUGH EUROPEANS ARE PROTECTED AGAINST FLU, STUDY FINDS.
October 17, 2007... The number of high-risk' individuals being vaccinated against the flu in Europe is far below the targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), concludes a study carried out in 11 European countries in 2006-2007. It was financed by the...

WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE : OMBUDSMAN SCOLDS COMMISSION FOR "INACTION".(Nikiforos Diamandouros reports European Commission's neglect of Working Time Directive)
October 17, 2007... The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, sent a special report to the European Parliament on 17 September, criticising the European Commission for not dealing with a complaint concerning the EU's Working Time Directive. The ombudsman...

SOCIAL POLICY : PARLIAMENT: LISBON STRATEGY MUST BE ALIGNED WITH SOCIAL REALITY.
October 17, 2007... In view of globalisation and a changing social reality in Europe, MEPs debated, on 9 October, in the presence of Commissioners Joaquin Almunia and Vladimir pidla, the European Commission's interim report on the Lisbon Strategy ( The European...

FLEXICURITY : PES GROUP SPELLS OUT SEVEN COMMON PRINCIPLES.(Party of European Socialists)
October 17, 2007... The Socialist Group (PES) in the European Parliament presented its own priorities in terms of flexicurity during a debate in Brussels on 20 September, bringing together European Commissioner for Social Affairs, Vladimir Spidla, the...

PES ON CHILD CARE FACILITIES.(Party of European Socialists)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Under-investment in child care facilities is harmful not only to economic and social inclusion, but also to children's upbringing. The Party of European Socialists (PES), represented in the Committee of the Regions, took advantage of the Open...

SOCIAL FUND IN POLAND.
October 17, 2007... The European Commission approved, on 27 September, the operational programme of the European Social Fund in Poland for the coming seven years. Entitled Human capital', it will allow Poland to benefit from 9.7 million (PLN37 million), the...

SOCIAL FUNDS 2007-2013.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Social Fund's (ESF) Polish Operational Programme for 2007-2013 is one of 90 programmes awaiting approval by the end of the year (out of 117 ESF programmes in total). Around twenty programmes have already been approved, and several...

SOCIAL SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : SPIDLA OUTLINES FUTURE COMMUNICATION.(Vladimir Spidla)
October 17, 2007... The reflection is continuing at the European Commission on social services of general interest (SSGI). Following the results of the consultation involving member states and interested parties, and those of a study by university experts (which...

STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN BELGIUM.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission approved, on 2 October, Belgium's National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), which identifies the country's priorities in terms of the 2007-2013 Cohesion Policy. Funding totalling 2.258 billion will be provided by...

STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN BULGARIA.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The European Commission approved, on 27 September, Bulgaria's first of seven operational programmes under the Cohesion Policy and the Structural Funds for 2007-2013. The total budget for the programme is 1.16 billion, with 988 million coming...

STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN LITHUANIA.(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Lithuania's programmes in relation to Cohesion Policy and Structural Funds 2007-2013 were launched on 27 September with the signature of two operational programmes. Promotion of cohesion' will receive investment of nearly 2.6 billion...

UNIONS DEFEND WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN TURKEY.(International Trade Union Confederation and the European Trade Union Confederation oppose Novamed)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) have condemned the violation of the rights of women workers at the company Novamed in the Antalya Free Trade Zone located in Turkey. "The...

HEALTH AT WORK : UNIONS GO ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS.(European Trade Union Confederation push for reform of health policy)
October 17, 2007... "Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) today plague more than one in three European workers from all sectors," declared John Monks, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), as he opened a conference sponsored jointly by the...

EU/MOLDOVA : VISA FACILITATION AND READMISSION AGREEMENTS SIGNED.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Concluding eight months of negotiations, the European Union signed on 10 October visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Moldova, which aim at making people-to-people contacts easier and improving the management of illegal migration...

VOTE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DELAYED.(European Commission)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... Indications are that MEPs will delay completing their first reading on major European Commission proposals on the treatment of illegal immigrants, in order to give more time for negotiations with Council. The European Parliament was scheduled...

HEALTH SERVICES : WHAT IS THE DRAFT DIRECTIVE HIDING?
October 17, 2007... The draft directive on medical care has a series of laudable goals: respond to patients' rights, clarify and codify the abundant case law, organise a better quality of medical care on a European level, give rights to patients who cross borders...

PARENTAL LEAVE : WOMEN HAVE RIGHT TO SHORTEN CHILD CARE LEAVE, ECJ RULES.(European Court of Justice)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... A woman who benefits from child care leave must be able to ask to shorten its length if it deprives her of certain rights. This was the EU Court of Justice's decision on 20 September (Kiiski judgement, C-116/06). Directive 76/207 of 9 February...

YOUR FIRST JOB ABROAD'.(2007 European Job Days)(Brief article)
October 17, 2007... As part of the 2007 European Job Days events, the European Commission has launched a new initiative to offer young Europeans a first taste of working abroad. Your first job abroad' will enable 50 selected candidates to take up a job placement...