European Social Policy articles from October 2008

European Social Policy archives from October 2008

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : MEMBER STATES ENDORSE IMMIGRATION PACT.(ropean Pact on Immigration and Asylum)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Voting unanimously, on 25 September, the member states' ministers for immigration adopted a final version of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, which will serve as the foundation for a common European policy in this area. After...

HEALTH : MEPS DISCUSS DIRECTIVE ON PATIENT MOBILITY.(members of parliament)
October 13, 2008... Patients are centre stage' was one of the main slogans in the European Parliament's debate of 25 September on patient mobility in the Union. The objective - high quality health care for all EU citizens - received support across the...

ASYLUM : AMBITIONS FOCUS ON FUTURE EU SUPPORT OFFICE.(European Union's Common Asylum Policy)
October 13, 2008... In their drive to develop a Common Asylum Policy capable of putting an end to the vast differences in treatment of asylum applications from one member state to the next, the 27 EU member states will limit their ambitions for now to the future...

INTEGRATION : BARROT CLARIFIES POSITION ON DATA COLLECTION ON ROMA.(Jacques Barrot )(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Jacques Barrot set the record straight on the debate over the collection of data on Roma in Italy. The first European Roma summit, held on 16 September in Brussels, was an event for the ten...

PUBLIC HEALTH : BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ON HEALTH CARE COOPERATION.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... France, Spain and Hungary decided, on 9 September in Angers (France), to step up their cooperation in the field of health care following an informal meeting of health ministers, whose agenda included the management of health crises and the...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : CHILD PROTECTION AT HEART OF MEP REPORTS.
October 13, 2008... Children under the age of twelve should be exempt from digital fingerprinting in the preparation of biometric passports, considers a report by Carlos Coelho (EPP-ED, Portugal), adopted on 15 September by the European Parliament's Civil...

IMMIGRATION : COMMISSION AND EP ARGUE FOR STRENGTHENING FRONTEX.(European Pact on Immigration and Asylum)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... With their scheduled adoption of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, at the European Council on 15-16 October in Brussels, the 27 EU member states will agree to bolster the means available to Frontex, the EU agency tasked with...

EMPLOYMENT : COMMISSION BACKS COUNCIL POSITION ON WORKING TIME.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The European Commission "supports the common position" agreed upon by the Council regarding the proposal for a Working Time Directive(1). Aware that the common position differs in some respects from its amended proposal, the Commission...

SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION : COMMISSION CHALLENGES ITALY'S IMMIGRATION PACKAGE.(European Commission)
October 13, 2008... The European Commission cautioned Berlusconi's Italy, on 23 September, that several elements of its new immigration and security policy pose compatibility problems with Community law. This is particularly true of a decree already being...

MULTILINGUALISM : COMMISSIONER ORBAN PUSHES FOR NEW EU LANGUAGE STRATEGY.(Leonard Orban and the European Union)
October 13, 2008... Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban presented, on 18 September, a new strategy for multilingualism for an EU with 23 official languages and more than 60 spoken languages. Orban's policy document calls for more use to be made of existing...

YOUTH POLICY : COMMISSION LAUNCHES ONLINE CONSULTATION.(European Commission)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The prime goal of a new online consultation launched by the European Commission is to set new objectives for the Union's youth policy for the coming years. Through questions like What are the ten main challenges?' and What policies should the...

INTEGRATION : COMMISSION MUDDIES MESSAGE OF FIRST ROMA SUMMIT.(Italy)(Conference news)
October 13, 2008... It was the controversy over the inventory of Travellers in Italy that served as a key topic for the first European summit on the Roma, organised by the European Commission on 16 September in Brussels. The conference's message in favour of the...

SOCIAL POLICY : COMMISSION PROPOSES FULLY PAID 18-WEEK MATERNITY LEAVE.(Employment Commission)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... "An answer to demographic developments" is how Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla has described the European Commission's social package, in reference to the Union's slowly greying' population. The EU executive adopted the package, which...

PUBLIC HEALTH : COMMISSION TURNS TO SHOWBIZ TO BOLSTER DRUG FIGHT.
October 13, 2008... The European Commission wants to make the fight against drugs in the EU more visible by "enrolling" music and film personalities, particularly those "liked by the young". Without quoting names at this stage, EU Justice, Liberty and Security...

DECLARATION ON COMBATING TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... In a written declaration, announced on 22 September by its president, the European Parliament calls on member states to recognise the fight against child trafficking as a priority objective in their national child protection policies. The...

LABOUR MARKETS : ECONOMIC CRISIS SLOWS EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN UNION.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Following the pronounced downturn in economic activity since 2007 - due to the financial crisis and increasing energy prices - growth in employment in the EU slowed to 1.3% in the second quarter (from 1.5% in the first quarter and 1.8% in the...

TEMPORARY WORK : EP COMMITTEE APPROVES COUNCIL'S COMMON POSITION.(European Parliament)
October 13, 2008... Without amendments, the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs approved by an overwhelming majority the Council's common position on temporary work conditions, on 6 October. The rapporteur of the draft recommendation...

EP ON SOCIAL NETWORKING.(European Parliament)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... While the European Commission is encouraging self-regulation by social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook (see page 10), the European Parliament proposed, in its first-reading vote on 24 September on the telecoms package, to extend...

IMMIGRATION : EU BLUE CARD SCHEME NEARING COMPLETION.(European Union)
October 13, 2008... EU ministers responsible for immigration were very close to an agreement, on 25 September, on the draft EU blue card' directive which is supposed to attract highly qualified immigrant workers to Europe to compete with the USA's green card. The...

IMMIGRATION : EU PLANS TO BOOST CONTROL OF ILLEGAL VISA OVERSTAYS.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Over and above border control, the EU is discussing the question of immigrants who enter the EU with a visa but who then stay on after it expires. The aim is to step up controls of entries and exits, within the framework of the European Pact on...

AUTOMOBILES : EU PROBES TRAINING AID TO FORD ROMANIA.
October 13, 2008... State aid of 57 million (about RON2 billion) that Romania plans to grant to a 2008-2012 training programme destined for staff at the Ford Motors car factory in Craiova, in the south-west of Romania, could be used to fund initiatives that Ford...

EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The European Commission has announced the launch of a new campaign to inform EU citizens about their rights, as defined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (right to vote and to stand as a candidate at municipal and European elections,...

EMPLOYMENT : EUROPEAN JOB DAYS: 500 EVENTS IN 250 CITIES.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... About 2.2% of the citizens of EU member states are currently working in a member state other than their home country. This proportion is rather low, especially compared to the 3.8% share of non-EU nationals working in the EU. In order to...

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE : EU TACKLES GOLDEN HANDSHAKES'.
October 13, 2008... In conclusions adopted by the Ecofin Council on 7 October, the ministers particularly tackle golden handshakes' by warning that directors cannot demand "undue earnings" in the form of severance pay and that these earnings should be linked to...

FAMILY POLICY : FAMILY PACKAGE' TO BOOST EU ECONOMY.(European Union)
October 13, 2008... The European Commission is due to adopt a family package' of proposals to promote a "better balance" between work, private life and family life for Europeans, on 3 October. It also plans to adopt on the same day a communication to promote the...

EMPLOYMENT : FIGHT AGAINST UNDECLARED WORK NEEDS MORE EFFORT, MEPS AGREE.
October 13, 2008... Undeclared work - which accounts for 20% of GDP in certain member states - undermines the European social model and creates distortions on the internal market. It is also the main factor behind social dumping, notes an own-initiative report by...

FREE MOVEMENT OF LABOUR : FORUM ADDRESSES CONTROVERSIES REGARDING POSTING OF WORKERS.
October 13, 2008... How to balance economic freedoms with social rights, especially in times of financial crisis? This was the main subject of a forum on workers' rights and economic freedoms, held in Brussels on 9 October. The participating ministers, experts and...

EMPLOYMENT : GLOBALISATION FUND GRANTS 35 MN EURO TO ITALY'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY.(European Globalisation Adjustment Fund )(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Aid totalling 35,158,075 is to be granted to almost six thousand workers in the textile sector under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). On 18 September, the European Commission approved four applications for EGF assistance from...

LABOUR COSTS : HOURLY COSTS RISE 2.7% IN EU.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Total hourly labour costs in the eurozone rose by 2.7% in nominal terms in the year up to the second quarter of 2008, compared with 3.5% for the previous quarter. In the EU, the annual rise was 3.4% up to the second quarter of 2008, compared...

SOCIAL COUNCIL : IS DISCRIMINATION AN EU OR NATIONAL MATTER?(European Union)
October 13, 2008... Aapublic policy debate at the Council of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, on 2 October in Luxemburg, has revealed that there is still a long way to go before agreement can be reached on the proposed directive on equal...

UNEMPLOYMENT : JOBLESS RATE RISES TO 7.5% IN EUROZONE.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The eurozone's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.5% in August 2008, compared with 7.4% in July 2008 and 7.4% in August 2007. In the EU, the unemployment rate was 6.9% in August 2008, unchanged compared with July (7.1% in August...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : MEMBER STATES ADOPT IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM PACT.(European Pact on Immigration and Asylum)
October 13, 2008... The European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, negotiated by the French EU Presidency, get over the hurdle of the Council of justice and home affairs ministers, on 25 September in Brussels, which focused exclusively on immigration issues. The...

PUBLIC HEALTH : MEPS DISCUSS DIRECTIVE ON PATIENT MOBILITY.
October 13, 2008... Patients are centre stage' was one of the main slogans in the European Parliament's debate of 25 September on patient mobility in the Union. The objective - high quality health care for all EU citizens - received support across the...

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS : MEPS REACT TO ECJ VIKING AND LAVAL RULINGS.
October 13, 2008... Is the freedom to provide services one of the key principles of the EU? Should this be balanced against the Union's fundamental rights standards and social objectives? Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social...

SOCIAL INCLUSION : MEPS SUPPORT HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ERADICATING POVERTY.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... A holistic approach to eradicating poverty, which seeks to ensure adequate incomes, quality jobs and better access to social services, should be developed at European level, argues an own-initiative report by Gabriele Zimmer (GUE-NGL, Germany)...

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL COUNCIL : MINISTERS TO AGREE AMENDMENTS TO WORKS COUNCIL DIRECTIVE.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... During their Council meeting in Luxembourg, on 2 October, the EU's employment and social affairs ministers attempted to iron out their remaining differences on the proposed amendments to Directive 94.45/EC establishing the European works...

PUBLIC HEALTH : PARLIAMENT TAKES UP FIGHT AGAINST OBESITY.
October 13, 2008... Recalling that already 22 million children are overweight in the EU, that a further 1.3 million are projected to join their ranks by 2010, and that obesity already accounts for at least 6% of the Union's health spending, the European Parliament...

FAMILY POLICY : PRESIDENCY AIMS TO PROMOTE CHILD CARE SERVICES.
October 13, 2008... The first part of the informal meeting of the EU's 27 family ministers, held on 18 September in Paris, focused on child care. According to French Secretary of State for Families, Nadine Morano, who chaired the meeting, this is a key element of...

EUROPEAN WORKS COUNCILS : PRESIDENCY SEEKS POLITICAL AGREEMENT BY YEAR'S END.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The financial crisis makes even more important the proposal for a directive on the establishment of European works councils, said Vladimir Spidla, commissioner for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, at the Employment...

SOCIETAS EUROPAEA : REVISION OF DIRECTIVE ON SE WORKERS SET FOR 2009.
October 13, 2008... The revision of the directive on the involvement of workers in a European company (Societas Europaea, SE) (1), initially set for this year, will have to await 2009. The text has been in force since 2007 and few companies have been set up under...

STUDENT CAMPAIGN FOR EUROPEAN ELECTIONS.(Y Vote 2009)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The European Students' Forum (AEGEE) kicked off on 14 September its Y Vote 2009 campaign at the opening of its week-long Youth Agenda 2009 convention, being held in Vienna, Austria. In 2004, the interest of Austrian voters in the European...

EMPLOYMENT : STUDY: EU CREATED MORE AND BETTER JOBS IN PAST DECADE.(European Union)(Report)
October 13, 2008... The majority of EU member states have created more and better jobs, during the 1995-2006 decade, especially in the EU15. The European employment strategy has paid off, says the European Restructuring Monitor's (ERM) 2008 annual report from the...

IMMIGRATION : THREE INITIATIVES TO ENSURE MORE EFFECTIVE EU MIGRATION POLICY.(European Union)
October 13, 2008... The European Commission tabled, on 8 October, three initiatives meant to serve as the cornerstone of a common migration policy in Europe. The three documents aim respectively to strengthen "the global approach to migration," improve...

ECONOMIC POLICY : TRADE UNIONS ADVOCATE SMART GROWTH STRATEGY.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... In order to address the economic slowdown, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) calls on member states to set up a smart European growth and investment initiative'. A resolution by ETUC's Executive Committee, addressed to finance...

VEHICLE EMISSIONS : TRADE UNIONS DEFEND APPLICATION OF CO2 STANDARDS IN 2012.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) regrets the vote by the European Parliament's Industry Committee, which weakens the proposals aimed at forcing automotive manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions from new passenger cars. The ETUC is...

EU/ICELAND : TRADE UNIONS URGE REYKJAVIK TO APPLY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP.(European Union)
October 13, 2008... The financial turmoil has prompted renewed calls from Icelandic trade unions for the country to join the EU and adopt the euro. Faced with a deteriorating situation in the banking sector, the collapsing value of the Icelandic currency and...

TV SPOT PROMOTES TOLERANCE.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... In the context of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, the European Commission, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) are launching a joint TV spot highlighting tolerance and...

VLADIMIR SPIDLA URGES BETTER JOBS.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... According to Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, there are still too many people worldwide who have an insecure job, with low pay and dangerous working conditions. Addressing a meeting marking the World Day for Decent Work, he called for...

WOMEN'S LOBBY TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN.(European Women's Lobby)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The European Women's Lobby's (EWL) 50-50 campaign No democracy without gender equality' will be launched on 16 September in Brussels. Its goal is to increase the presence of women in high-level posts in European politics and to encourage them...