Council Resolution

of 3 June 2002

on skills and mobility

(2002/C 162/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to:

(1) the Treaty establishing the European Community;

(2) the Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Members States meeting within the Council of 14 December 2000 concerning an action plan for mobility;

(3) the Communication from the Commission to the Council of 28 February 2001, "New European labour markets, open to all, with access for all";

(4) the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 20 June 2001, on "A mobility strategy for the European research area", and to the Council Resolution of 10 December 2001 concerning the reinforcement of this strategy;

(5) the Recommendation of the European Parliament and the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers, and the action plan on mobility endorsed by the Nice European Council;

(6) the Communication from the Commission of 21 November 2001, "Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality";

(7) the report of the high-level task force on skills and mobility of December 2001;

(8) the Communication from the Commission of 13 February 2002, "Commission's action plan for skills and mobility";

(9) the framework for action for the lifelong development of skills and qualifications of 28 February 2002, adopted in the context of the social dialogue by the European social partners (CES, UNICE and CEEP);

(10) the Joint Report from the Commission and the Council of 7 March 2002: "Increasing labour force participation and promoting active ageing";

(11) the Presidency conclusions of the European Councils of Tampere, Lisbon, Feira, Nice, Stockholm, Laeken and Barcelona; and

Whereas:

(1) The encouragement of a knowledge-based society is an essential condition for competition and growth, and the realisation of full employment was recognised as a strategic goal by the Lisbon European Council in March 2000;

(2) The achievement of this goal requires a sustainable economic growth across the Union, by improving the structural framework for enhanced employment and social cohesion, thus including an integrated and coherent approach between economic and employment policies, by promoting lifelong education and training as indispensable means of enhancing employability and adaptability, and by reducing skills gaps and promoting occupational and geographical mobility between sectors and regions, thus increasing the productive potential of our economies;

(3) It is important to stress the strong link between raising skills and mobility and promoting higher levels of labour force participation, in line with the Joint Report from the Commission and the Council "Increasing labour force participation and promoting active ageing";

(4) The development of occupational and geographical mobility would be facilitated by improving the adaptation of the education and training systems to the labour market needs, paying special attention to the area of information and communication technologies, foreign languages and developing a framework for recognition of qualifications and competences obtained through education, training and experience;

(5) The development of geographical mobility in and between the Member States, would also be facilitated by removing the obstacles that still exist, at different levels, such as administrative, cultural and legal obstacles, including those that affect family circumstances, as well as others in the areas of taxation, pensions and social security;

(6) A transparent and integrated information system in the labour market is a fundamental tool in order to help all actors (public authorities, undertakings, the social partners and individuals) to develop efficient and coordinated actions, within a favourable framework, for improving skills and mobility and for overcoming the existing difficulties both in access to and in the quality of information on mobility;

(7) The future enlargement of the European Union which will also be relevant in respect of labour mobility within the Union,

1. Welcomes the report of the high-level task force on skills and mobility, created at the initiative of the Commission, in accordance with the conclusions of the Stockholm European Council;

2. Welcomes the action plan for skills and mobility adopted by the Commission;

3. Underlines that, in order to achieve the employment targets set by the Lisbon and Stockholm European Councils, and the strategic goal for 2010, investments in human capital are required;

4. Emphasises the fact that, to reach this objective, it is necessary to:

- facilitate mobility through providing improved access to the employment services and developing the existing European databases on jobs and learning opportunities,

- enhance the importance of lifelong learning as a basic component of the European social model, for example by encouraging social partners' agreements, in accordance with national traditions and practices, on innovations in lifelong learning, taking advantage of the complementary elements between lifelong learning and adaptability, through flexible working time arrangements and alternation between training and employment,

- promote active labour market programmes targeted to the special needs of disadvantaged groups and individuals who experience particular difficulties in acquiring relevant skills and in gaining access to, and remaining in, the labour market, in oder to improve their employability;

5. Emphasises that lifelong learning is a cornerstone of the European employment strategy and must remain a key priority for the future employment guidelines;

6. Highlights that:

- in order to fight social exclusion and improve competitivity and adaptability, it is essential to improve and adapt qualifications to the needs of the labour market, enhance opportunities for lifelong learning, as well as support the development of skills,

- a knowledge-based society implies a substantial increase in investment in human resources in order to equip individuals with skills to enter, remain and progress in work. This will enhance their employabiltiy and encourage greater mobility,

- the strategies in the area of training must be coordinated and articulate the shared responsibility of public authorities, undertaking, social partners and individuals, with relevant contribution from the civil society;

7. Makes it clear that it is necessary to continue to make progress in the improvement of quality and mobility of human resources in the European Union, and to offer opportunities of employment and training to individuals by making available the necessary means and resources, especially in electronic communication, in order to improve ongoing and quality information about the existence of available jobs and about training where it can be obtained;

8. Underlines the need to encourage the modernisation of labour markets and the occupational and geographic mobility of workers by offering possibilities to skills enhancement and by eliminating existing barriers within European labour markets;

9. Notes that it was agreed at the Stockholm European Council, and further developed at the Barcelona European Council, that the Commission will work with national administrations, public employment services and other competent entities, in oder to create a one-stop European job mobility information website making available information on employment mobility and training and employment opportunities existing in the European Union, which should be fully operational at the latest by the end of 2003;

10. Understands that the evaluation of progress in improving occupational and geographical mobility and the transparency of information concerning the labour market should be undertaken in a comparative manner within the context of the European employment strategy;

11. Notes the relevant activities already underway in a number of fora at EU level, in particular in the field of education, and stresses the need for complementarity between them.

INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

1. promote, in close cooperation with the Council and the Member States, increased cooperation in education and training based on the issues of transparency and quality assurance, in order to develop a framework for recognition of qualifications (ECTS, diploma and certificate supplements, European CV), building on the achievements of the Bologna process and promoting similar action in the area of vocational training. Such cooperation should ensure the active involvement of the social partners, the vocational education and training institutions, and the other relevant stakeholders;

2. analyse the interaction between migration, employment and social policy at European level, bearing in mind the situation in national labour markets;

3. present a proposal for a European health insurance card;

4. present proposals for the modernisation of the EURES system, keeping in mind the necessity of permanent updating, the incorporation of new technologies, thus reinforcing its role as a provider of personalised services for the labour market in Europe, so as to ensure that all relevant information and personal services reach all job seekers, employers and other interested persons;

5. speed up procedures in order to have, in collaboration with the Member States, in particular with the public employment services, a one-stop European job mobility information website;

6. develop an information campaign on mobility possibilities offered by the internal market and the European labour markets;

7. examine the establishment of a mechanism with the purpose of analysing obstacles to geographical mobility with which workers are confronted, reinforcing the consultative role of the competent committees;

8. assess the implementation of the action plan on skills and mobility within the framework of the annual report from the Commission to the spring European Council.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES:

within the framework of European Employment Strategy, to:

1. develop skills for the new labour market in the context of lifelong learning, in particular in the areas of ICT skills;

2. promote effective access of adults, whether in employment or job seekers, to further vocational training through the development of an appropriate framework, in consultation with the social partners;

3. encourage the recognition and validation of skills, qualifications and work experience;

4. equip young people with the basic skills relevant to the labour market and needed to participate in lifelong learning;

5. promote initiatives for workers, including a strong component of training, to enter, remain and progress in the labour market;

6. support the development of EU statistics to monitor geographic mobility and skills gaps. In this context, the development of a job vacancy survey at EU level would be particularly relevant to monitor tensions on the labour market in respect of skills;

7. increase, where appropriate, the transferability of social security rights, including pensions, across the European Union.

INVITES THE SOCIAL PARTNERS TO:

1. develop the initiatives agreed in the "framework for action for the lifelong development of skills and qualifications" within the social dialogue, and welcomed by the Barcelona European Council, and to report annually on progress made to the Social Summit prior to the spring European Council;

2. conclude agreements, where appropriate, in accordance with their national traditions and practices, on lifelong learning and qualifications to facilitate adaptability and innovation of businesses and their employees, in a manner compatible with Council Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68;

3. develop initiatives for workers, including a strong component of training, to enable them to enter, remain and progress in the labour market, in accordance with their national traditions and practices;

4. participate in information campaigns on mobility in order to improve the image of the sectors and occupations with labour shortages, and promote the access of workers to them.