Legal provisions of COM(2004)239-3 - Implementation of Member States' employment policies - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2004)239-3 - Implementation of Member States' employment policies. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2004)239  |
| date | October 14, 2004 |
| 29.10.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | L 326/47 |
COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION
of 14 October 2004
on the implementation of Member States' employment policies
(2004/741/EC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 128(4) thereof,
Having regard to the Commission recommendation,
Having regard to the opinion of the Employment Committee,
Whereas:
| (1) | The European Employment Strategy has the leading role in the implementation of the employment and labour market objectives of the Lisbon strategy. The successful implementation of the Lisbon agenda calls for the employment policies of Member States to foster, in a balanced manner, the three complementary and mutually supportive objectives of full employment, quality and productivity at work, and social cohesion and inclusion. The achievement of these objectives requires further structural reforms concentrating on 10 key specific priorities and improved governance. |
| (2) | The reform of the European Employment Strategy in 2003 has placed the emphasis on medium-term orientation and on the importance of implementation of the full range of policies recommended in the Employment Guidelines. The Employment Guidelines should therefore be fully reviewed only every three years, while in the intermediate years their updating should remain strictly limited. |
| (3) | The Council adopted without change the Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States in 2004 by Decision 2004/740/EC (1). |
| (4) | The Council adopted a recommendation on the implementation of Member States' employment policies on 22 July 2003 (2). The examination of the Member States' National Action Plans for employment contained in the Joint Employment Report 2003-2004 shows that Member States and the social partners have given limited responses to these Council recommendations. |
| (5) | The European Employment Taskforce recommended that the EU should address more forceful recommendations to the Member States. Priority should be given to increasing adaptability of workers and enterprises; attracting more people to enter and remain on the labour market, making work a real option for all; investing more and more effectively in human capital and lifelong learning; and ensuring effective implementation of reforms through better governance. The Council and the Commission share this assessment and have integrated the policy messages of the Employment Taskforce report in the Joint Employment Report. |
| (6) | The analysis of the implementation of the Guidelines and 2003 Council recommendations in the Joint Employment Report and the general and country-specific policy messages in the Employment Taskforce report provide the basis for the formulation of the EU recommendations for national employment policies in 2004. |
| (7) | The Employment Guidelines apply to the new Member States since accession. All of the new Member States have reported over the last few years on the implementation of Joint Assessment Papers (JAP) which refer to the Employment Guidelines. To successfully pursue the on-going restructuring of their economies, most new Member States, together with the social partners, need to further develop their efforts to modernise their employment policies. A new balance between flexibility and security, increased participation in employment and investment in human capital through lifelong learning are essential, as is the need to improve the health of the workforce. Social partnership, and significant improvements in the administrative capacity of public authorities are still crucial in most new Member States to achieve full implementation and efficient use of European Social Fund support, a major tool for investing in human capital and lifelong learning. |
| (8) | The country-specific messages contained in the report of the European Employment Taskforce are fully consistent with the examination of the JAP implementation reports, and may serve as guidance for the implementation of the Employment Guidelines in the new Member States, |
HEREBY RECOMMENDS that the Member States should take the actions specifically referring to them, which are set out in the Annex. This recommendation replaces the Council Recommendation of 22 July 2003.