91997E2548

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2548/97 by Jesús Cabezón Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (24 July 1997)

Subject: Prospects held out by the extraordinary European Council on employment

Is it to be hoped that the extraordinary European Council on employment will achieve greater progress than the Essen or Madrid European Councils?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2547/97, E-2548/97 and E-2549/97 given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (3 October 1997)

The inclusion of an employment title in the Treaty of Amsterdam places employment as a priority issue for the Union on an equal footing with monetary and fiscal objectives. While primary responsibility for employment policy remains with each Member State, employment is now considered as an issue of common concern, which requires a coordination of policies at European level.

The new Treaty also requires that employment be taken into account in all Community policies. This means that there will be an explicit assessment of the employment impact in the design and implementation of all policy actions.

The convening of an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in November 1997 indicates the degree of commitment of the Member States to immediate implementation of the provisions of the new Treaty. The meeting is expected to focus on three issues: first an assessment of the employment situation and progress made in the implementation of the European employment strategy, second, an examination of the manner in which each Member State intends to implement the provisions of the Treaty, and identification of national best practice in combatting unemployment and marginalization, and third, the definition of operational targets for national employment policies of the initial guidelines on employment which the Commission will propose to Member States.

Once ratified by all the Member States article 5 of the employment title will allow the Council to adopt incentive measures to encourage cooperation between Member States, and support their action through initiatives aimed at developing exchanges of experience and best practice.

The conclusions of the Presidency as well as the resolution on growth and employment adopted at Amsterdam contain a political commitment for an early implementation of these provisions. The Commission will do everything that is necessary to make this possible.