eunbil · GT0N1312 · 2006-05-31 00:00:00 — THE EUROPEAN UNION , 19 2006 OC 377 INTRODUCTORY NOTE from : (Part 1) to : COUNCIL (EPSCO) No prev. doc. : 8949/06 SOC 206 ECOFIN 151 OC 354 No. : 5853/06 SOC 42 ECOFIN 27 - COM(2006) 32 final Subject : Proposal for a Council Decision on Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States Consultation deadline for and : 29.05.2006 I. INTRODUCTION In the context of its Annual Report, the Commission presented on 25 January 2006 a proposal for a Council Decision on " employment policies, on the basis of Article 128(2) of the Treaty. In accordance with that article, the Council is required to consult Parliament, the Economic and , on the draft Employment Guidelines. Parliament adopted its opinion on . presented its opinion on . The Economic and adopted its opinion on 17 2006. During its meeting of 24 February 2006, decided not to present any opinion on the proposal. At its meeting of 17 2006, the Permanent Representatives" Committee examined the proposal and reached an agreement on the text, which is set out in the . is consequently invited to confirm political agreement on the text of the Decision with a view to its adoption as an "A" item at a subsequent Council, after its legal and linguistic finalisation. Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing Community, and in particular Article 128 (2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission , Having regard to the opinion of Parliament , Having regard to the opinion of Economic and , Having regard to the opinion of , (1) The reform of the Strategy in 2005 has placed the emphasis on growth and jobs. The Employment Guidelines of Employment Strategy and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines have been adopted as an integrated package , whereby Employment Strategy has the leading role in the implementation of the employment and labour market objectives of the Strategy. (2) The Union must mobilise all appropriate national and Community resources - including cohesion policy - in the strategy"s three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) so as better to tap into their synergies in a general context of sustainable development. (3) The Employment Guidelines and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines should be fully reviewed only every three years, while in the intermediate years until 2008 their updating should remain strictly limited to ensure the degree of stability that is necessary for effective implementation. (4) The examination of the Member States" National Reform Programmes contained in the Commission"s Annual Progress Report and in the Joint Employment Report shows that Member States should continue to make every effort to address the priority areas of - attracting and retaining more people in employment, increasing labour supply and modernising social protection systems, - improving adaptability of workers and enterprises, and - increasing investment in human capital through better education and skills. (5) /24 2006 stressed the central role of employment policies in the framework of the agenda and the necessity of increasing employment opportunities for priority categories, within a life-cycle approach. In this connection, it approved Pact for Gender Equality that should further heighten the profile of gender mainstreaming and give impetus to improving the perspectives and opportunities of women on a broad scale. (6) The removal of obstacles to mobility for workers, as elaborated by the Treaties, including the Treaties of accession, should strengthen the functioning of the internal market and enhance its growth and employment potential. (7) In the light of both the Commissions examination of the National Reform Programmes and Council conclusions, the focus should now be on effective and timely implementation, paying special attention to the agreed quantitative targets as laid down in the 2005-2008 guidelines, and in line with the conclusions of Council. (8) Member States should take the Employment Guidelines into account when programming their use of Community funding, in particular of . (9) In view of the integrated nature of the guideline package, Member States should fully implement the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: The guidelines for Member States" employment policies as set out in the annex to Council Decision 2005/600/EC of 12 2005 on Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States are maintained for 2006 and shall be taken into account by the Member States in their employment policies. This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at ., OJ C , , p. . OJ C , , p. . OJ C , , p. . OJ L 205, p. 21 (Employment Guidelines) and p. 28 (Broad Economic Policy Guidelines) OJ L 205, (Employment Guidelines), Recital 4 9471/06 MH/vk DGG II EN 9471/06 MH/vk DG G II EN