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Directorate-General for Education and Cult ure

European employment andsocial policy:a policy for people

Euro ean Commission



This booklet is published in all the official EU languages of the European Union:Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Port uguese, Spanish and Swedish.

European CommissionDirectorate-General for Education and CultureInformation Unit, rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200, B-1049 Brussels

Manuscript completed in May 2000.

Cover: EKA.

Luxembourg: Off ice for Off icial Publications of the European Communities, 2000

ISBN 92-828-8271-3

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

©European Communities, 2000Reproduction is authorised.

Printed in Belgium

PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER



European employment

social policy:a policy for people



Contents

The European Union, jobs and social policy

More and better jobs for everyone: the Europea

Employment Strategy

Europe investing in people: the European Socia

Opportunities, security, protection and rights: E

policy for employees and the self-employed

The future of social protection in the European

Equal opportunities and equal rights: EU policy

equality between women and men

Fighting discrimination and exclusion

The way forward: European employment and so

policy beyond 2000

Further reading



The aim of European employmentand social policy is to promote adecent quality of life and standard ofliving for all in an active, inclusiveand healthy society. To date, it hashelped improve the lives of millionsof EU citizens, including the unem-

ployed, the elderly, people with disa-bilities, the socially excluded, peoplefacing discrimination on the labourmarket and many others besides.

Thanks to what has become known asthe ‘European social model’, peoplein the EU are not left to the mercy ofmarket forces. On the contrary, they

have access to one of the strongestsocial safety nets in the world. This isbecause the European Union firmlybelieves that while strong competi-tion between companies is necessaryto improve productivity and growth,strong solidarity between citizens isequally vital to create a stable socie-ty and widely shared prosperity.

How does the European Unionput its employment and

social policy into practice?

The EU does not deal with Europeanemployment and social policy on itsown, nor does it bear sole responsibi-lity for it. Social policy is a core res-ponsibility of the Member States. Inaccordance with the principle of sub-sidiarity, Europe deals only with mat-

ters where an EU solut ion makes

The European Union, jobs and social

The purpose of European integration according to the Treaties: ‘The Community [thits task […] to promote throughout the Community a harmonious, balanced and sment of economic activities a high level of employment and of social protection

Noma

unesoccomthethe



more sense. So far, the EU has laiddown only minimum standards andminimum rights. Member States cantherefore adopt rules and regulationswhich go further than Europeansocial provisions.

Solving Europe’s social problemsrequires the combined input of asmany players as possible, which iswhy European employment andsocial policy is operated both inconjunction with the Member Statesand in cooperation with associations

and non-governmental organisations(NGOs). In the mid-1990s, theseorganisations together formed the‘Platform of European Social NGOs’,which contributes opinions and ideasto European social policy. NGOs arealso competent and important part-ners of the EU in implementing socialpolicy measures, and they constitute

a vital link between the EU and itscitizens through these contacts,which are often referred to as ‘civildialogue’. The tasks of employmentand social policy include furtherdevelopment of civil dialogue, andalso of ‘social dialogue’, i.e. negotia-tions between the social partners atEuropean level.

What is the roof the social p

The social part

unions and the etions. Their Europnisations play acontributing, in liprocedures, to thstance of Europesocial policy. In Employers’ Confthe European

Confederat ion European CentrePublic Part icipatiwork together on

The Agreement o1992 turned temployers’ organlist advisers to thtions. However,Amsterdam Treat joint decision-social partners agreements, thethem to the Eurotransformation iEmployees’ and tions have thuimportance in

social policy. Theyners — an essenpolicy is to meeeconomic and Europe.

European employment and social p



Greece

Portugal

Spain

Italy

FranceLuxembourg

Belgium

United Kingdom

Ireland

Poland

Slovakia

Hung

Sl

FinlandSweden

Austria

Denmark

Germany

Netherlands

Estonia

Latvia

Lithuania

Czech Republic




What about the impactof EU enlargement?

The European Union is negotiatingon enlargement with 12 countries

that have requested EU membership(most of the central and eastEuropean countries). The accession ofnew Member States to the EuropeanUnion constitutes a challenge, notonly in economic terms, but alsofrom the social policy viewpoint, asthe standard of living in most candi-date countries is below the EU aver-

age. Concerned EU cit izens mightwell ask what will happen to thesocial coherence of the EU when itconsists of far more Member Statesthan the present 15. Especially inthose Member States which share aborder with a candidate country,

which, they feel,on social systemthere are few groted fears, since tpre-accession

approximation obefore accession

The candidate cgressively implemding social policyto be allowed to ping the candmodernise the

though ‘acceswhich include ssupport from theexperience and grammes, on edfor example, havparticipants fromThe EU’s pre-acthus benefiting

future Member Sthe long-term posocial stability as

What does thTreaty mean fand social pol

The Amsterdam agreed upon ininto force in Mamajor turning pemployment anAmsterdam, theGovernment add

The Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 strengthened

the European effort to create new jobs.



the very first time, declared employ-ment policy to be a commonEuropean task.

The Treaty also introduced a numberof new tasks for European social poli-cy. For example, the EU can now takeaction to combat discrimination or tohelp excluded people find their wayinto society, thus reflecting its com-mitment to an integrated society.

The Amsterdam Treaty is also signifi-cant in that it has made employment

and social policy truly EU-wide.During the 1990s most EU socialpolicy measures were based on theAgreement on Social Policy appen-ded as a protocol to the 1992 EUTreaty and on the CommunityCharter of Fundamental Social Rightsof Workers adopted by the Heads ofState or Government in 1989. The

fundamental rights for workers pro-claimed by the governments includedsafety and health protection at work,training, and equal treatment formen and women. Whereas theCharter was not a legally bindingdocument, the Agreement on SocialPolicy ensured that the EU was ableto take action in the social fields

covered by the Charter. However, theUnited Kingdom signed neither theCharter nor the Agreement on SocialPolicy. As a result , some EU legisla-tion in the social policy field wasapplicable in only 14 of the 15Member States. The Amsterdam

1990s and applied retrospectively tothe United Kingdom.

What is the Social Action

Programme?In 1993 the Commission launched awide-ranging consultation on thefuture of European social policy. Thepurpose of the exercise —which wasdriven forward by the Green andWhite Papers on social policy in 1993and 1994 —was to develop a broad-ly-based, innovative and forward-looking approach to European socialpolicy. The result was the medium-term Social Action Programme,

1995-97.

Building on the achievements of thefirst programme and the fresh impe-tus provided by the employment pro-

cess and the Treaty of Amsterdam,the Social Action Programme 1998-2000 set out a new framework forthe development of European socialpolicy. Its key aims were to promotean inclusive society and to equipindividuals for the changing world ofwork in an era of globalisation andrapid technological change. It drew

together key lines of action underthree main headings: jobs, skills andmobility, the changing world of workand an inclusive society. This frame-work for action on the social policyfront was implemented in tandemwith the European Employment



At the dawn of the 21st century, highunemployment is the most seriouseconomic and social problem fornearly all Member States. One inevery 10 EU citizens is looking forwork in vain. The employment rate inEurope is 61 %, i.e. nearly 10 percen-

tage points below the US and Japan.Although millions of new jobs havebeen created in the EU, millions ofpeople are still unable to find work.And more than half of all jobseekershave been unemployed for over ayear. On top of the net shortage of jobs, some population groups havespecial difficulties on the labour

market: the long-term unemployed,

young people, people with disaethnic minoritiesrate for women 20 % below thedisabled people some 30 %

European averagis therefore not more jobs are crealso to provide on the labour mation groups whicbeen at a disadva

It became clear

that economic gr

M ore and better jobs for everyone:the European Employment Strategy


EU

Agriculture Industry Services Non-

3.0 % 17.8 % 39.7 % 39.5

USA



sufficient to solve the structuralproblems affecting EU labour mar-kets. The European Commission’sWhite Paper Growth, competitive- ness, employment provoked intense

discussion f rom 1993 onwards onhow the EU could ensure sustainable jobs and better opportunities fordisadvantaged jobseekers. Out of thisdiscussion emerged the ‘EuropeanEmployment Strategy’ as enshrinedin the Amsterdam Treaty. At the 1997Luxembourg summit, the EuropeanHeads of State or Government adop-

ted the first ever set of ‘employmentguidelines’, with the aim of develo-ping a more active labour marketpolicy than in the past. Instead ofconcentrating purely on income sup-port for the unemployed, preventivemeasures were to be the order of theday, with the emphasis on theemployability of jobseekers, entre-

preneurship, the adaptability of busi-nesses and employees to economicand technological change, and equalopportunities for women and menand for people with disabilities.



Entrepreneurship

If new jobs are to important to makebusinesses. The intecountries is therefeasier to set up a nebecome self-employ

• identifying existithe creation medium-sized bmaking any neces

• reducing the tax aburden on labourregard to low-paid

• looking at how mcreated in the socthe voluntary asector.

Employability

This refers to the skil ls of jobseekers.Training, further t raining, retrainingand good careers advice are themeans by which governments canensure that jobseekers have the skillsand expertise needed by the labourmarket. The targets are that:

• all young people should be offeredtraining, retraining, employmentor a practical traineeship beforethey have been unemployed forsix months;

• unemployed adults should beoffered a new start, more specifi-cally through further training andcareer guidance, before they havebeen unemployed for 12 months;

• at least one in f ive unemployedpeople should have an opportuni-ty to undertake retraining or fur-ther training;

• the school drop-out rate should bereduced, and an apprenticeshipsystem should be created or theexisting system improved.

Member State governments canachieve these goals only ifemployers’ and employees’ organisa-tions enter into agreements toincrease the number of traineeships,apprenticeships retraining opportu-




Equal opportunities

The EU Member States at

cular importance to enswomen and men have eqopportunities and to impintegration of people witties into the labour mahave therefore decided to

• adopt measures to enmore women can take ument and gain access tand occupations previonated by men;

• improve the availabilitycare facilities and nursinfor the elderly to makfor women to take up oemployment;

• progressively remove which make it difficult fand men to return to wbreak (e.g. for bringindren);

• devote special attentidifficulties experiencedbled people in finding a

Adaptability

Businesses and employees are under

pressure to adapt. They are facedwith new technologies and chan-ging market conditions. This adapta-tion should be facilitated by:

• developing strategies for modernand flexible work organisation to-gether with the social partners;

• looking at whether today’sextremely diverse forms ofemployment necessit ate newtypes of employment contract;

• int roducing, where possible,incentives for individual and in-company further training.



How does the EuropeanEmployment Strategy workin practice?

Employment policy objectives are not just slogans. The governments of theMember States have adopted verydetailed policies under four keypillars —see the illustration.

The pillars of the EuropeanEmployment Strategy do not just

provide guidance to the MemberStates; they also form an integralpart of all EU policies. In this waythey are pursued simultaneously atregional, national and Europeanlevels. As part of the EuropeanEmployment Strategy, Member

2. Each country action plan whichguidelines are toin the way best try; this process

wide range of employers, local rities.

3. The Commissi jointly examine plan and preseDecember Eurosummit). The Co

sents a recommof the Employmthe following yea

On a proposal frothe European Cappropriate, issumendations to tindividual Memb

words, it can rmeasures to helpemployment poliway, the EU is employment polpolicy and by sStates’ policies.

Immediately afte

ment summit action was decid‘growth and empfinancial supposmall and mediu(SMEs). The aim oto facilitate acces

Small companies are essential for creating

new jobs.


E K A



The European Social Fund (ESF) is theEU’s financial instrument for inves-ting in people. Since 1957, the ESFhas used a joint-funding principle toadd to what Member States do toimprove people’s job prospects andhelp develop their skills.

The European Social Fund channelsEuropean money into helpingMember States meet the goals theyhave agreed together to create moreand better jobs. Its mission is to helpprevent and fight unemployment, tomake Europe’s workforce and com-panies better equipped to face new

challenges, and to prevent peoplelosing touch with the labour market.

• It helps develop the skills of people,especially those who face particu-lar difficulties in finding a job,staying in work, or returning towork after an absence.

• It supports Member States in their

efforts to put new active policiesand systems in place to fight theunderlying causes of unemploy-ment and to improve skills.

• It tailors this support t o the speci-fic requirements of regions facing

Although Europe has created jobs, ithas had little effect on the numberof people out of work. It is recog-nised that the skills gap is a majorfactor here: the need for people todevelop the right skills to get jobs,and for companies to develop theright expertise to create growth and jobs, particularly in new sectors.

The year 2000 will mark the begin-ning of a new seven-year period forthe European Social Fund, in whichits own potential is to be fully inte-

Europe investing in people:the European Social Fund

TheFuninitpeoa jo



Financial Instrument for FisheriesGuidance (FIFG) and the EuropeanRegional Development Fund (ERDF).Their common mission is to reducethe differences in living standards

between the peoples and the regionsof the EU.

Together, the four Funds will usenearly EUR 195 billion over theseven-year period 2000-06 to meetthree objectives:

• Objective 1: promoting the deve-

lopment of regions whose develop-ment is lagging behind. Over twothirds of the Structural Fundsmoney is to go to those regionswhose GDP per head is below 75 %of the EU average. There are suchregions in nine EU countries, andthey include the most remoteregions of the EU (the French over-

seas depart ments, the Azores,Madeira and the Canary Islands).Objective 1 also assists in the spar-sely populated regions of NorthernSweden and Finland.

• Objective 2: support ing the econo-mic and social conversion of fourtypes of areas with specific diffi-

culties: those facing problemsadjusting to change in the indus-trial and service areas, decliningrural areas, urban areas in difficul-ty, and depressed areas heavilydependent on fisheries.

What can the

The ESF focuses port individual pcome more empbe used to help istructures to makitself work better

The ESF can pachieving a widobjectives to hedevelop their joskills of people w

who are lookingStates and regiEU have dif feredifferent structuwhich policy fieldhow to make besfor the things thmost, although tgive particular

development anties, and to the noperations are rolopment plans.

The ESF programplans into actionyears. The policyto dovetail with

employment whadhere to in European Employ

What type of financed by th

One of the main tasks of social policy today

is to reduce the unemployment rate

in Europe.




social exclusion, especially withregard to their chances on the jobmarket;

• improvement of general education

and vocational training, with theaim of lifelong learning and acqui-sition of the skills needed by thelabour market;

• promotion of employee adaptabili-ty, entrepreneurship and workforceskills in the fields of research,science and technology;

• fostering of self -employment andemployabilit y of women, and mea-sures to combat gender inequali-ties on the labour market.

The focus of ESF assistance will be onprojects which assist skills acquisitionand enhancement . However, ESF

financing may also be granted to in-stitutions working on improvementsto training and further training, onmodel projects, or in fields such asawareness development. To be eli-gible for funding, projects mustensure equal opportunities for menand women, incorporate localemployment initiatives, and take

account of modern information andcommunication technologies.

How does ESF money reachthose who need it?

Member State programmes is a mat-ter for the national authoritieswithin the country. When citizensbenefit from ESF support, it is typi-cally through participation in specific

training or other activities organisedin their local area. They are managedby a whole range of provider organi-sations from both the public and pri-vate sectors, such as education andtraining institutions, voluntary orga-nisations, trade unions and workscouncils, professional associationsand individual companies. Project

promoters who wish to apply for ESFassistance should contact theirnational employment ministry forinformation.

What does the EQUALCommunity Initiative cover?

EQUAL is the part of the European

Social Fund reserved for interna-tional operations —the CommunityInitiative. For 2000-06 it has replacedthe previous ADAPT and Employmentinitiatives, of which the latterencompassed four strands: Now,Horizon, Youthstart and Integra.EQUAL supports measures to combatany form of unequal treatment and

EQgrofreqof d—eandtheopp



discrimination on the labour marketincluding discrimination on thegrounds of sex, ethnic origin, age,disability, sexual orientation or limi-ted qualifications.

EQUAL also emphasises the transna-tional approach; to qualify for fun-ding, projects must involve partnersfrom at least two Member States andtake a new, innovative approach. Thesubstance should be in line with oneof the four pillars of the EmploymentStrategy and be based on so-called

‘development partnerships’ involvingassociations and organisations in thepublic and private sectors. The ulti-mate goal is to ensure labour marketaccess for all.

How can citizens acquireinternational skills?

Improving people’s skills has longbeen one of the EU’s social concerns.This is not limited to the work of theEuropean Social Fund, but is alsopursued as an integral part of severalother European Union measures. Ineducation, two programmes, Socratesand Leonardo da Vinci, have success-

fully promoteddimension in univand in vocQualif ications likexperience in o

vital for the futuredesigned to openning opportunitiehome and abroaships, exchangeremoval of red recognition of qucountries. Over ataken advantage

to pursue their pein a European co

Also, the EU supptechnological dpriority to actionnew technologieseveryday life, European cit izen

the skills to plaknowledge-based

The Leonardo da Vinci and Socrates

programmes are examples of European Union efforts to offer

young people experience abroad.




The normal working day of manyemployees and self -employed peoplein the European Union has changedrapidly during the 1990s. Businessesnow have computers, ISDN lines and

mobile telephones. Internet trading,online banking and e-mail communi-cations are increasingly becoming thenorm, especially among youngeremployees and entrepreneurs.However, Europe is still laggingbehind the USA here. Some 500 000 jobs in the EU information and com-munication technology sector cannot

be filled because there are notenough qualified people. The skillsgap jeopardises the EU’s economicdevelopment, not to mention thesuccess of individual businesses. Evenfirms which have introduced thelatest technology do not automati-cally see an improvement in theirflexibility, whereas the marketsincreasingly demand rapid reactionsto changing consumer requirements.In order to remain competitive, manyfirms need to change the way theyorganise their work. Production,administration, work processes andmanagement structures are being put

are currently being examined by the

European Commission together withthe social partners. The Commissionhas called on the social partners toenter into framework agreements onthe reorganisation of work, agree-ments which include reconcilingemployees’ needs for security withemployers’ needs for maximum flexi-bility. The EU is thus advocating part-

nership-based solutions whereverpossible, for instance the introduc-tion of alternative working timemodels or new types of contract.

What rights do European

Opportunities, security, protectionand rights: EU policy for employees

and the self- employed

To themutecmastru

E K A



minimum level of employee protec-tion throughout Europe. Today thereare European minimum requirementsin the fields of working time, protec-tion of young people at work, im-

pending collect ive redundancies,transfers of undertaking ownershipand employer insolvency. Theseemployees’ rights serve an importantsocial purpose, namely to ensure thateconomic competition in the EU doesnot adversely affect the level ofemployee protection.

fixed-term empimportant outcomments is that andiscriminate agaworking part-tim

contract. The Euparental leave csuccess for the that it was precment between thsations. The direcwomen and mparental leave whadopted. It also g

to return to the slent job.

Despit e the exisemployee rights, varies from oneanother. Governmcollective agreetime introduce p

further than the requirements. Buwhen workers emny in one Membwork in another fic period of timeted a directive onkers, which stiplabour law of the

work is carried o

What about inconsultation ation rights for

European employees’ rights include the following.

• Young people are not allowed to work until they are 15years old. They are not allowed to work overtime untilthey are 18.

• Adult employees must have 11 hours rest between wor-king days (there are exceptions for certain occupation

groups).

• Employees have the right to a contract which stipulatestheir pay, holiday entit lement and period of notice.

• Special health and safety measures must be taken forpregnant women and mothers who are breastfeeding orhave recently given birth. Women may not be dismissedfor the sole reason that they have a child, are pregnant or

take maternity leave.




and participation. In 1994, after col-lecting the social partners’ opinions,it was decided at EU level to regu-late information and consultationthroughout Europe.

Firms and groups employing at least150 people in each of two EU coun-tries and a total of more than 1 000employees are now required toestablish a European works council iftheir workforce so requests. Thedirective concerned does not containany detailed rules on the powers or

obligations of the European workscouncil, but leaves it to employees’representatives and management tonegotiate the details. The concept ofvoluntary agreements has provedsuccessful, and by 1999, some 600multinational companies in the EUalready had a European workscouncil.

What does the EU do forhealth and safety at work?

The objective of the EU’s policy inthis field over the years has been toreduce to a minimum both workaccidents and occupational diseases.Since 1978 and the first EU pro-

gramme of action on health andsafety at work, widespread acceptan-ce of the role of the European Union,has replaced total dependence onnational legislation. Modern EUworkplace legislation is based nowa-

and contains general principlesconcerning the prevention of occu-pational risks, the protection of safe-ty and health, the elimination of riskand accident factors, information,

consultation and training of workersand their representatives. It is appli-cable to all sectors of activity.

A series of directives, based on thisframework directive, have been suc-cessively introduced and they nowconstitute a solid body of legislation

covering the maximum number ofrisk situations with the minimumnumber of regulations.

They cover matters as varied andtechnical as the use of individualprotective equipment, work with

EUminsta

E K A



ting and sustaining a flexible andproductive workforce. Better stan-dards of health and safety at worksupported by laws and by a work cul-ture which seeks to avoid accidents

rather than accept them as inevitablebring enormous economic as well ashuman benefits.

To provide a more structuredapproach to information supply the

EU set up the European Agency forHealth and Safety at Work in Bilbaoin 1995. It will now play a central

role in collecting and disseminatinginformation, and in providing techni-cal and scientific assistance to the

Commission and the Member States.

What about employeesworking in another country?

Freedom of movement for workershas been a fundamental right sincethe establishment of the EuropeanCommunity in 1957 —the predeces-sor of the present EU. Five millionEuropeans now take advantage of itas a matter of course, by working in

another Member State. The Treatyexplains what freedom of movement

actually means.

Freedom of movtional weight in cinternal market, poses of a comallow both good

culate freely. Themeans that citizeanywhere in the EU has enshrinmovement in spelations, so em

employed personMember State fosons may be ac

families, and uncan, subject to cto another Memb

a job. The Treatymoving within thted reasons maydisadvantage, thto concern itselftion to protect m

frontier workers. Member State mpension if he or different countriesocial insurance sible? European

clear answers totions.

Nevertheless, EUencounter dif ficuto freedom of mowhich rears its time is the recog

and universitExtract from Article 39 of the EC Treaty:




freedom of movement. To this end ithas set up the ‘Europe direct’ infor-mation centre, which can be contac-ted by freephone in any EU country(see the end of this brochure) or on

the Internet: citizens.eu.int.

How can I find a job inanother EU country?

Citizens who want to investigate the

European job market can obtain helpfrom EURES, the European job place-

ment agency. EURES was founded inthe mid-1990s by the EuropeanCommission and the employmentauthorities of all the Member States

plus Norway and Iceland. The initialaim was to exchange information on jobs, train ‘euroadvisers’ and set updatabases. The euroadvisers, of whomthere are now more than 500, consti-

tute the specific network contactpoints in the employment authori-ties. They exchange information witheach other on job vacancies, job-seekers, the labour market situation,and living and working conditions inthe various countries. They have par-

ticularly close links in Europe’s borderregions. The Commission has set up

two databases to support euro-advisers, into which all this informa-tion is fed. In the meantime not onlythe euroadvisers, but also an increa-

sing number of employment offices,have access to these systems.

to take advantage of their right tofree movement and in so doingcontributes to the development of a

European labour market.

FrebetcoubeEU



Social protection systems play amajor role in Europe. They provideindividual citizens with security andcontribute to political and social sta-bility and economic success. Benefitsinclude treatment in the event of ill-ness and after work accidents, andincome after retirement or in theevent of unemployment. Without

social protection in the form of taxand insurance benefits, four out of10 EU households would be living inrelative poverty (i.e. with less than50 % of average income at their dis-posal). As it is, the figure is around17%

despite this increEU is towards older workers, oage of 55. The shly society cannonext generation. in the 21st centu

elderly people ththe EU. Howeveof social protectpardised not juchange, but by tlevel of unemploEU countries are the task of refoprotection systemfinancially viablefficient.

What role doewith regard toprotection sys

The organisationsystems is the s

the Member Sta1990s, the EU Cso-called ‘convdesigned to approximation opolicies and systrecommendation

The future of social protectionin the European Union

The number of elderly persons will increase sharply over the next

few decades.


E K A



with the Employment Strategy.Member States want to reach a situa-tion in which they make an activecontribution to consolidating theemployability of their citizens. The

European Commission is holding jointmeetings with employers’ andemployees’ organisations, govern-ments, experts and NGOs in order todiscuss and analyse how this can beachieved and which strategies couldbe adopted for the redesign of socialsystems. The Commission is proposinga comprehensive strategy to moder-

nise social protection, also taking fullaccount of the interests of olderpeople. Regardless of how muchimportance is attached to reformingsocial protection systems, it is alsoessential to protect pensions andmaintain a high standard of healthcare. To support the Member States,the Commission has set up MISSOC,the mutual information system onsocial protection in the EuropeanUnion, which collects, analyses andpublishes data on social protectionpolicies in all Member States. Itsreports are also freely accessible onthe Internet, at:europa.eu.int/comm/ employment_social/soc-prot/ missoc99/english/f _main.htm .

What is the EU doing forolder people?

In the context of overall Europeanemployment and social policy the

early age, although the associatedhope that they will be replaced byyoung employees is, seemingly, notbeing fulfilled. The trend towardsearly retirement has certainly not led

to any measurable growth in the EU’saverage employment rate.

The European Commission is keen todevelop models, in conjunction withthe social partners and non-govern-mental organisations, for a step-by-step transition from work to retire-ment, combined with realistic pros-

pects for an old age that is worthliving. EU research policy plays a parthere, by funding medical and socialprojects concerned with old age.Older people are entitled not to suf-fer unjustified discrimination ordisadvantage: as part of its non-discrimination policy, the EU’s aimis to prevent objectively unjusti-

fied discrimination against olderemployees.



Women’s rights and gender equathe fundamentalmodern democopportunity is e

Treaty as a maearly as the 1970itself to equal taking on a pionefor the EU’s equcy was the provrequiring womegranted equal pHowever, this

equality led to onin practice. As a efforts of the pasequality of oppobeen achieved. Eaverage still earnmen, and wometo have insecuretionships than be

rungs of the catheir partnershipmain burden ohousework. In ostill work to be implement equpractice.


Equal opportunities and equal rightsEU policy for equality between

women and men



Theequwo

European equal opportunities rights in brief:

* Men and women are entitled to equal pay for equal work and for work ofEuropean Commission has published guidelines as to what, in practice, shouequal work.

* Women must be given the same opportunit ies as men with regard to accestraining, ongoing training, career development and employment. The wordingments must therefore be gender-neutral.

* Social security schemes (occupational and statutory) must provide equal benefitand men.

leave also grant rights to workingfathers, in that throughout the EUboth parents are entitled to at leastthree months’ parental leave when achild is born or adopted. Fathers have

the same right as mothers to time offwork if they have to take care of afamily member who is ill or has hadan accident.

What are European equalopportunities rights?

In order to combat discrimination

based on sex, the EU first of all adop-ted European legislation to ensureequality in the context of employ-ment, training, working conditionsand social security.



In the mid-1990s a number of prob-lems arose with the enforcement ofthese rights. For example, victims ofdiscrimination normally had to provein court both the existence and

nature of discrimination. Further-more, the European Court of Justicehanded down two clear judgments tothe effect that various arrangementswith gender quotas (positive discri-mination) were contrary to Europeanequal opportunities legislation.Consequently, during the 1990s, theEU amended it s legislation and adop-

ted a directive reversing the burdenof proof. Now the onus is normallyon the defendant to prove that theplaintiff has not been unlawfully dis-criminated against on the grounds ofsex. Positive discrimination is nowallowed under the AmsterdamTreaty;

so promotion ruwomen in the evcations with menwith European la

What is the mpurpose of ma

Discrimination agalways manifesthidden behind rules. For exampport throughout tis used predom

Decisions conchanges or faresinvolve gendeHowever, in praffect the everydequality of opporseriously, it mustacross-the-boardcal decision-ma

aware of t his. Tpursuing a new aconsolidate equmainstreaming. taking account oties in all policieThe Amsterdamrefers to mainsobligation.

At EU level, already brought into the objectiveof EU programmning and youthensure that wom

Supporting female entrepreneurs is a

priority for the EU.


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get a raw deal under the measuresthey finance. In individual cases, suchas the multiannual programme forsmall and medium-sized enterprises,the EU has even introduced quotas.

At least one project out of everythree financed under this programmemust benefit female entrepreneurs.The EU is also striving to ensure thatfemale experts make up at least 40 %of the members of advisory commit-tees and other specialist bodies.Equal opportunities have been madean integral part not only of the

European Employment Strategy, butalso of the EU foreign and develop-ment policy, for example.

Polit ical awareness and correspon-ding legislation are, it is true,extremely important in ensuring

equal opportunities for men andwomen; but to achieve a substantialeffect on the many forms of discri-mination against women, the EU alsosees a need for specif ic programmes

and measures. Women are the mainvictims of violence in the family andsexual harassment at work. And it iswomen who are traded like chattelsfor prostitution. The EU is involved inthe war against these forms of mal-treatment and humiliation of womenthrough its Daphne and STOP pro-grammes. Daphne supports measures

to combat violence against children,young people and women, while theSTOP programme helps MemberStates to coordinate their measuresto prevent trade in human beingsand sexual exploitation.



In democracies, in other words in allEU Member States, equality beforethe law is not disputed. But in every-day life many people suffer discrimi-nation for no objective reason. Acoloured person may be unable tofind a flat, or a disabled person maybe unable to find a job despite anexcellent education. Discriminationhas many faces, and they are all stillto be found throughout the EU. In anEU survey in 1997, 33 % of the EUcitizens questioned felt that theyoften or occasionally regarded them-selves as racist. Xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of discri-mination infringe the basic rights of

the individuals concerned.

For many years the EU institutionshave used declarations, informationcampaigns and other tools, particu-larly measures designed to enhancepublic awareness, to fight discrimi-nation. But the EU has been unableto go any further due to lack of a

legal base. This led to discussion as towhether the European Union needs abill of rights, and how respect forhuman rights can be enshrined in theTreaty. Although the AmsterdamTreaty has not provided the EU with a

d f f d l i h i h

specific legislatnational governresponsible for zens against discin order to undetal rights and freeEuropean Union account of the movement, the the EU enlargemoving towardstrategy to comThe basis for thiAmsterdam Treat

In 1999 the Eutabled a number

for specific mea13 with a view totudes underlyingfirst aspect of effective protectiproposals contagramme againsttwo framework to ensure a com

standard throughfight against racicrimination at wothe importance athe principle of For example, th

d h h


Fighting discrimination and exclusio

Article 13 of the ECTreaty states thatthe EU may take

action to ‘combatdiscrimination

based on sex, racial

or ethnic origin,religion or belief,disability, age or

sexual orientation’.



How does the EU promotesocial inclusion?

Anti-discrimination policy is closelylinked to the fight against social

exclusion. The main victims of pover-ty and unemployment in the EU arethose population groups which areoften targets of derision, rejection ordiscrimination. They include womenof different ethnic origin, olderpeople and the disabled. Since the1980s the EU has been committed tohelping people on the fringe of

society and will, in future, do itsutmost to integrate the excluded.Regardless of the EU’s economic suc-cess and despite the exemplarynature of some of the MemberStates’ social protection systems, thenumber of people falling though thenet has been increasing throughoutthe EU since the 1980s. Such people

are dependent on State minimumincome or on charity. Unemploy-ment, alcohol and drug abuse, discri-mination as a result of physical ormental disability, and the decline inthe role of the family can all lead toexclusion from society.

In t he past the EU has implemented a

wide range of specif ic measures.Povert y programmes have helpedpromote the integration of disadvan-taged people, and the Helios pro-gramme helped Member States andnon-governmental organisations totread new ground in their efforts to

Like equal opportunities for womenand men, the needs of the disabledmust form an integral part of all EUpolicies. So the EU is taking accountof the fact that every 10th EU citizenof working age has a physical ormental disabil it y. The EuropeanSocial Fund and the EuropeanEmployment Strategy are playing anincreasingly important role inshaping a comprehensive integrationpolicy. In addition, the EU intends topromote the integration of disadvan-taged people through specific pro-grammes and projects. For example,it has proposed an action programmefor the integration of refugees and,

on the basis of a new Article in theAmsterdam Treaty, will adopt con-crete measures to combat socialexclusion.

Thedison,oriorigou

E

K A



The outcome of t he EU summit ofMarch 2000 in Lisbon on economicreform, employment and social cohe-sion confirmed the commitment to anew economic and social agenda forthe year 2000 and beyond. Europemust move forward in the know-ledge-based economy and create an‘e-europe’. The Heads of State orGovernment agreed on a new strate-gic goal for the EU for the next de-cade: to become the most competiti-ve and dynamic knowledge-basedeconomy in the world, capable ofsustaining economic growth withmore and better jobs and greatersocial cohesion. They agreed that

there shall be an EU summit eachspring to examine economic andsocial questions and to ensure overallcoherence and effective monitoringof progress.

In Lisbon the EU Member States pro-mised each other to increase sub-stantially their investment in educa-

tion and to strengthen their coopera-tion to ensure that the possibilitiesoffered by modern communicationservices would be accessible to all.They also put strong emphasis on themodernisation of the European social

The Lisbon sumthe idea that theadopt a new SoThis framework successor of tProgramme 199mission will be tcircle’ by betteemployment, socinclusion, sociaopportunities ation. It will also European Sociapolicy, in particustrategy.

It is hoped that

which emphasiseving force for a pmore and bettersive society, wilthe EU’s efforts ment, prosperity all its citizens.


The way forward: European employmand social policy beyond 2000

The EU promotes employment and social

protection for all citizens in the future

knowledge-based society.



Further reading

Documents, news and publications on the subjects dealt with in this brochurecan be found on the website of the European Commission’s Directorate-Generalfor Employment and Social Affairs:europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/index_en.htm

ESmail is a free, regular e-mail news service from the European Commission onemployment and social affairs. It is currently available in English, French andGerman. If you would like to be on the mailing-list, simply send an e-mail to:

empl- esmail@ cec.eu.int

Looking for information on freedom of movement? Consult the Europe Directpage on the Internet:citizens.eu.int

Looking for a job in another EU country? Visit EURES at:europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/eures



European Commission

European employment and social policy: a policy for people

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

2000 - 31 pp. - 16.2 x 22.9 cm

ISBN 92-828-8271-3

The past decade has seen a growing understanding in the European Unionof the central role of employment and social policy. The EuropeanEmployment Strategy, launched in 1997, is firmly under way, with theambitious aim of providing European citizens with more and better jobs.

The European social model spans many areas: f rom education and trainingto employment; from welfare and social protection to dialogue between

Other information on the European Union



EUROPEAN COMMISSION

REPRESENTATIONS

Representation in Ireland 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2

Tel. (01) 662 51 13

Representation in the United Kingdom Jean Monnet House, 8 Storey’s Gate,

London SW1P 3AT

Tel. (0171) 973 19 92

www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Wales 4 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF1 9SG

Tel. (01222) 37 16 31

Representat ion in Scotland 9 Alva Street, Edinburgh EH2 4PH

Tel. (0131) 225 20 58

Representation in Northern Ireland

Windsor House, 9/15 Bedford Street,

Belfast BT2 7EG

Tel. (01232) 24 07 08

Information services in the USA

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Washington DC 20037

Tel. (202) 862 95 00

305 East 47th Street, 3 Dag

Hammarskjöld Plaza,

New York, NY 10017

Tel. (212) 371 38 04

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

OFFICES

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43 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2

Tel. (01) 605 79 00

Fax: (01) 605 79 99Email: [email protected]

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Fax: (0171) 227 43 02

E-mail: [email protected]

Office in Scotland

9 Alva Street, Edinburgh EH2 4PHTel. (0131) 225 20 58

Fax: (0131) 226 41 05

European Commission and Parliament representations and off ices exist in all the countries of the

European Union. The European Commission also has delegations in other part s of the world.

Information in all the official languages of the European Union is available on the Internet.

It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

By telephone: 0800 58 15 91 (United Kingdom).

1800 55 31 88 (Ireland)

Information and publications in English on the European Union can be obtained from:



The past decade has seen a growingunderstanding in the European Union ofthe central role of employment andsocial policy. The European EmploymentStrategy, launched in 1997, is firmlyunder way, with the ambitious aim of

providing European citizens with moreand better jobs.

The European social model spans manyareas: from education and training toemployment; from welfare and socialprotection to dialogue between tradeunions and employers; from health andsafety at work to the fight against

racism and discrimination.

Across the EU, employment and social policy reflect the conviction that weneed strong competition between companies to improve productivity andgrowth, but that we also need strong solidarity between citizens to improvethe conditions which generate a cohesive and inclusive society.

This brochure provides an insight into what the European Union is doing tohelp promote employment, prosperity and social justice for all its citizens.

OFFICEFOROFFICIAL PUBLICATIONSOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

L-2985 Luxembourg

EN

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Social Policy PDF

Documents

Transcript of Social Policy PDF