17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/91
3.Conclusions
3.1.TheCommitteefullyendorsestheRecommen­
dation,subjecttotheproposedminoramendments .It
welcomestheproposalintheThirdActionProgramme
onEqualOpportunitiesthattheRecommendation
shouldbefollowedbythedevelopmentofaCodeof
GoodPracticeonChildcare .ThereviewofmeasurestakenbyMemberStatestogiveeffecttotheRecommen­
dationwillprovideavaluableopportunitytoconsider
whatfurtheractionataCommunitylevelisnecessary.
TheCommitteewouldliketoseeadequatefunding
madeavailableforfurtherresearchintothesituation
intheMemberStates,sothatthereviewofmeasures
takenisconductedwiththebenefitofadequateinfor­
mation.
DoneatBrussels,28November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRecommendation ontheconvergenceofsocial
protectionobjectivesandpolicies
(92/C40/22)
On12August1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon14November1991.
TheRapporteurwasMrPasquali.
Atits291stplenarysession(meetingof28November1991),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajorityvote,with12abstentions .
1.3.EstablishedCommunitypractice,however,
basedontheprevailingconceptof'SozialVersicherung
undVersorgungssysteme '(socialsecurityandsocial
protectionsystems)istoconsidersocialprotectionsyn­
onymouswithsocialsecurityinthebroadsense(2).1.Introduction
1.1.Understanding oftheterm'socialprotection',
encompassing socialsecurity,isnotuniform:thereis
nosingledefinitioneitherinternationally orwithinthe
Community (1).
1.2.Deeplyrootedanddistinctivehistoricalandcul­
turaltraditions,togetherwithfinancial,economicand
administrative structureswhichvaryfromcountryto
country,havemilitatedagainstthedevelopmentofa
singleapproachtothequestion.1.4.Socialsecurityshouldbeinterpretedas'social
cover'basedontheprincipleofsocialcohesionand
extendedtoanyperson,legallyresidentintheCom­
munity,wheninneedandjustifiablyrequiringprotec­
tionagainstcertainrisks.
(')D.Pieters,IntroductiontotheSocialSecurityLawofthe
MemberStatesoftheEuropeanCommunity (Pub.Bruylant,
Brussels):4...Thereaderwillknowthatevenwithinhisown
systemthereisnogeneralconsensusofopinionwithregard
tothesocialsecurityconcept.' (2)SeeEur.Heft1989,p.306—F.Ruland(inGerman).

NoC40/92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
2.Summaryoftheproposal 1.5.Suchprotection,providedintheeventofsick­
ness,accident,maternity,unemployment ,incapacity
forwork,oldageandfamilyproblems,guaranteesthe
resourcesrequiredtomaintainanadequatestandardof
livinginordertopreventthesocialexclusionofthose
inquestion.
1.6.Socialprotectionisintendedtooffsettherisks
setoutabove,andhasbeenshapedbyvariousinter­
nationalandCommunityagreementsandOpinions(1).2.1.Theproposedrecommendation isbasedona
correctconceptionofsocialprotection,understoodin
itsbroadsenseofsocialsecurity.
2.2.Theproposalisforarecommendation ,based
ontheprincipleofsolidarityandintendedtomeet
theneed—growingwiththerun-uptotheinternal
market—toprovidesocialcoverforpersonslegally
residentinCommunitycountries.1.7.Thusidentified,socialprotectionmaybe
includedamongtheelementsofwhatiskwownas
'socialpolicy',understoodas'thetotalityofmeasures
forimprovingworkingandlivingconditions'(2),set
outinArticles117and118oftheTreatyofRome.
1.8.Aninadequatelegalbasis(3)iscommontothe
areascoveredbysocialpolicy,effectivelegislative
actionbytheCommunityconsequentlyprovingimposs­
ible.2.3.Thelevelofdiversity,whichisafeatureofsocial
protectionsystemsinthevariouscountries,issuchas
topreventtheCommissionintroducingharmonization
measuresatthisstage(8).
2.4.Assumingasubstantialdegreeofsimilarityin
socialprotectionproblemsinthevariouscountries,the
Commissionproposesasuitablyflexibleandprogress­
iveconvergencestrategy,aspartofawideraction
programmeimplementingtheSocialCharter.1.9.WithintheframeworkofcurrentprimaryCom­
munitylaw,thefactthatsocialprotectionisnotdirectly
germanetotheestablishmentoftheSingleMarket—
eventhoughcostsdifferfromMemberStatetoMember
State(4)—haspushedittothemarginsoftheEuropean
integrationprocess.
1.10.Itisthisprevailingassessment(5)which
explainsthewordingofArticles117and100ofthe
TreatyofRome,preservingMemberStates'com­
petenceinthisfield(6)(7).2.5.However,inviewoftheTreaty'sfailureto
provideanadequatelegalbasis,theonlyinstrument
availabletotheCommissionisarecommendation (9).
2.6.Thestrategy,closelyassociatedwitheconomic
policydevelopments intheMemberStates,providesfor
thedefinitionofcommonobjectives,subjectto'regular
follow-upandevaluation'.
2.7.EachMemberState,inthelightoftheevolution
ofitsowneconomicandsocialproblems,shouldensure
anadequatestandardoflivingfortheentirelegally
residentpopulation,providingaidforthosewithinsuf­
ficientresources,inordertoavoidsocialexclusionand
guaranteeessentialhealthcare.(')See,interalia,InternationalLabourOrganization (ILO)Con­
ventionNo102;theCharteroftheFundamentalSocialRights
ofWorkers,adoptedatStrasbourgon9December1989;and
theESCOpinionof22February1989onfundamentalrights.
(2)A.Bleckmann,Europarecht,TeilIII,p.72,Pub.
C.Heymanns .
(3)Interaliaibid,p.730.
(4)SeeH.Deleeck,'Lasécuritésocialefaceàl'Europe'92'Droit
socialNo2,February1991.
(5)Counteredbyanother,identifyingdifferingsocialchargesas
afactorofunfaircompetitionamongcompaniesoperating
intheSingleMarket.
(6)EWGVKommentar,Jansen,1,Grdlfg.,XII/83:Comment(in
German)ontheTreatiesestablishingtheEuropeanCom­
munities:'TheresultofthecompromiseisthatArticle117,
onitsown,doesnotgivetheCommunitycompetence.'
(7)TheonlybindingEECregulationsconcernthoseaspectsof
socialsecuritywhichimpingedirectlyonthecompletionof
theSingleMarket—Regulations (EEC)Nos1408/71,574/72
and1612/68onmigrantworkersandtheirfamilies.Directives
onequalityoftreatmentbetweenwomenandmen,75/117/
EEC,76/207/EEC,79/7/EEC,86/378/EECand86/613/EEC,
areaseparatematter.(8)Insupportofthisargument,seeinteraliaF.Ruland,Eur
Heft4-1989:(inGerman):'...thatsuchaharmonization of
thesocialsecuritysystemisstillneitherdesirablenorattain­
able...'.
(9)Seeinteralia:A.Beckmann,ibid:(inGerman):'...butthe
MemberStatesremainresponsibleforsocialpolicy';
H.Deleeck,ibid:(inFrench):'TheTreatydoesnotprovide
alegalbasisforCommunityinterventioninthefieldof
socialsecurity,exceptwheredirectlyrelatedtoeconomic
integration'.Asseenearlier,however,thelatterpossibilityis
ruledoutbythewordingoftheTreatyofRome'sarticleson
socialpolicy.

17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/93
2.8.Thesesocialbenefitsmustcomplywiththeprin­
ciplesofequalityoftreatmentandfairness.
2.9.Morespecifically,theCommissionproposesthe
adoptionofmeasures,particularlyinthefollowing
areas:sickness,accident,maternity,unemployment ,
incapacityforwork,oldageandthefamily.earnings,whichshallatalleventsnotbelessthanthe
minimumlevelofSocialWelfarebenefitslaiddown
intheMemberStates'.TheRecommendation should
definetheconceptofincapacityforworkmoreclearly.
Thedefinitionshouldcoveracquiredincapacity,aswell
ascongenitalincapacityandexistinginvalidityand
disablement .
4.2.1.Inthiscontext,itwouldbeadvisableto
emphasizetheneedforappropriatesocialprotection
dependingupontheriskinvolved,andtotakeproper
accountoftheneedforprevention . 3.Generalcomments
4.3.Withregardtomaternity,theCommitteefeels
itshouldbemadeclearthatsocialprotectionshould
beinterpretedasapplyingtonecessarytreatmentat
leastbefore,duringandafterbirth,formothers(3).3.1.TheCommissionproposal,basedonamost
realisticoverviewofsocialpolicy,inthelightofthe
Community'sverylimitedscopeandauthorityinthis
area,setsaminimumtarget.
3.2.Adisparitybetweenactualresultsanddeclar­
ationsofprinciple,inmanycasescouchedinvague—if
notcontradictory—terms(1),hasoftencharacterized
theCommunity'sroleinsocialquestions.
3.3.Thelackofproperlegalinstrumentsmeansthat
theCommission candonomorethanmakelimited
proposals,despitetheimportanceofthisarea.The
Committeehasmadeitsviewsabundantlyclearona
numberofoccasions(2).4.4.Inemphasizingtheimportanceofappropriate
measurestoguaranteesocialcoverfortheunemployed,
theEconomicandSocialCommitteewouldalsostress
thatsuchpersonsmustbeabletoreceivevocational
retrainingandshouldalsobecoveredforsicknessand
pensionpurposes.
4.5.ItneedstobemadeclearerthattheSectionon
'Incapacityforwork'isalsomeanttocoverpre-existing
invalidityorhandicap,soastoavoidanyoverlapwith
'Sicknessoraccident'.
4.Specificcomments
4.1.Whileendorsingthedeclaredprinciples,which
seektosetcommonobjectivesinthisfieldforthe
individualMemberStates,theEconomicandSocial
Committeewouldpointtothecontradictionbetween
certainofthestatementsmadeandthelackofspecific
indicationsofhowtoputthemintopractice.
4.2.Incasesofsicknessoraccident(i.e.long-term
incapacityforwork)anallowanceisproposedequalto
alargepartofpreviousearnings.Giventhatalmostall
theMemberStatesalreadyhaveahigherstandardthan
this,itwouldbebettertosay:'toprovideworkerswho
areoffworkbecauseofillnessoraccidentwithan
allowanceinreasonableproportiontotheirprevious4.6.TheCommitteefeelsthattheSectionentitled
'Theelderly'shouldsetaminimumpensionlevelfor
thevariousMemberStates,keptinlinewithearnings
trendsorthecostofliving.
4.6.1.TheCommission'sproposaltoallowpeople
tocontinueworkbeyondtheminimumpensionableage
iftheywishisacceptable,butitmustbeimplemented
witheverysafeguardsoasnottoprejudice,inparticu­
lar,youngpeopleseekingtheirfirstemployment .
4.6.2.TheCommitteeparticularlywelcomesthe
proposalcontainedinthisparagraphtoextendpension
rightstothosewhohavebeenobligedtogiveupwork
totakecareofanelderlypersonorinvalidortobring
upachild.
Thismeasureaccordsdueacknowledgement tothose
whocarryoutausefulsocialfunction,standinginfor
theStateintheprovisionofthenecessarycareand
associatedcosts.
Lastly,acquisitionofretirementpensionrightsshould
beindependentoftheaimof'eliminatingobstaclesto(')Theterminologyusedinthewell-established Community
literatureonthesubjectisinconsistent,usingexpressions
suchassocialpolicy,security,protection,area,dialogue,
cohesion,model,dimension,affairs,platformandbase,to
barelycomprehensible effect.
(2)InparticularOJNoC225,10.9.1990,p.44;OJNoC191,
22.7.1991,p.28;doc.ESC270/89onfundamentalCom­
munitysocialrights;andInformationReportESC225/87on
socialaspectsoftheInternalMarket. (3)OJNoC41,18.2.1991,p.29.

NoC40/94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
5.5.TheEconomicandSocialCommittee,which
attachesgreatimportancetothismatter,callsforthe
necessarychangestobecarriedoutswiftly,infurther­
anceoftheobjectivessetbytheCommissionitself.
5.6.Thenumberofmigrantworkerswillprobably
increaseoncetheinternalmarketiscompletedI1).
5.7.Thepersistenceofcontrastingsocialprotection
systemsmaycontributetowidespreaddistortionof
competition .
5.8.Theundeniablycomplexquestionofsocialpro­
tectionmustbeviewedfromarealisticand,most
importantly,dynamicperspective,inlinewiththepro­
cessofoverallintegrationandwithoutrulingouthar­
monization—inthesenseofcloseralignmentof
nationalschemes.
5.9.Otherwise,wewillseetheemergenceof'islands
ofnationalvariationinaEuropeanlegalareawhichis
otherwiseextensivelyharmonized'(2).
5.10.Thisriskmaybeavertedifsocialprotectionis
seennotasaproblem,a'performancehandicap'for
MemberStates,butasanopportunityforacommit­
menttosolidarityofalltheCommunitycountries.mobility'assuggestedinthetextoftheCommission
proposal.
4.7.Theproposalsundertheheading'Family'
shouldincludemeasurestofurtherchildren'seducation .
4.7.1.Theexpression'mostdisadvantaged families'
shouldbereplacedby'lessadvantagedfamilies'.
4.7.2.Theindentsunderthisheadingcontainanum­
berofphraseswhich,whileinprinciplecorrect,are
excessivelyvagueandareunaccompanied byspecific
indicationsormeasures.
5.Conclusions
5.1.TheEconomicandSocialCommitteeendorses
theproposal.
5.2.Inparticular,itendorsestheoverallstrategy,
basedonaprogressiveprogramme,whichseekstobring
thevariousMemberStatesocialprotectionpoliciesin
linewithasetofcommonobjectives.
5.3.Thestrategyappears,however,tobeaffected
byalackofdynamism,sinceinsufficientaccountis
takenoftherapidevolutionoftheCommunityandof
thenovelandfar-reachingeffectswhichEconomicand
MonetaryUnionandfuturepoliticalintegrationwill
have.
5.4.TheforthcomingamendmentoftheTreaty
shouldgivegreaterprominencetosocialpolicy,andto
socialprotectioninparticular.TheCommunityinsti­
tutionsmustbeequippedwithbroaderlegalpowers
andmoreeffectivemeanswithwhichtoexercisethem.(i)labourmobilityisnothamperedbythedisparateimpact
ofdifferingMemberStatepolicieswithrespecttosocial
policy'(VassoPapandreou).
(2)SeeSozialeSicherheitinderEG,Introduction,p.XVIII,Pub.
C.H.Beck.
DoneatBrussels,28November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN