16. 2. 76 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities No C 35/31 
4.3. In  its  opinion  on  waste  disposal,  the 
Committee  has  already  emphasized  the  need  for 
preventive  rather  than  curative  action  (x). This 
opinion  urged  the Member  States  to promote  the use 
of non-polluting  materials  and  materials  which  can 
be re-used  or recycled.  The  Committee  welcomes  the 
research  into  the  durability  of consumer  goods,  and 
would  like  the  Commission  to look  into  ways  of 
stimulating  the  markets  in recycled  paper  and  other 
recycled  products. 
4.4. The  following  problems  should  receive  special 
attention: 
4.4.1.  Noise  (particularly  in urban  areas)  near  roads, 
at the work  place  and  in recreation  areas; 
4.4.2.  Alternatives  to the wholesale  use  of pesticides 
and fertilizers  in agriculture; 
4.4.3.  The  environmental  repercussions  of more 
extensive  use of nuclear  energy; 4.4.4.  The  effects  of: (a) the  spread  of pollutants; 
(b) the  decentralization  of plants  causing 
pollution. 
4.4.5.  The  potential  economic  repercussions  of anti-
pollution  measures  (location  of  industry, 
competitiveness,  etc.);  the  methods  of cost/ 
benefit  analysis  (including  social  costs). 
5. Community  investment  in research  will  not  be 
fully  effective  unless  sufficient  effort  is devoted  to an 
information  campaign  directed  at scientific  circles, 
the press,  the  general  public  and  organizations 
affected  by environmental  legislation. 
6. The  Committee  notes  with  satisfaction  that  the 
Commission  is beginning  to establish  contacts  with 
conservationists,  employers'  and  trade  associations, 
trade  unions,  consumer  organizations  and  other 
bodies  concerned  with  environmental  protection. 
The Committee  hopes  that  the  Commission  will 
maintain  and  develop  these  contacts. 
Done  at Brussels,  27 November  1975. 
The Chairman 
of the  Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE 
(!) OJ No C 16, 23. 1. 1975. 
Opinon  on the programme  of the  European  Foundation  for the Improvement  of Living 
and Working  Conditions 
The text  referred  to the  Committee  has  not  yet  been  published  in the Official  Journal 
of the European  Communities. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 16 July  1975,  the  Commission  referred  the  abovementioned  programme  to the 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Article  198  of the  Treaty 
establishing  the  European  Economic  Community. 
No C 35/32 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities 16. 2. 76 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the  above  matter  at its 
135th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 26 and  27 November  1975. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Economic  Community,  and  in particular 
Article  198  thereof, 
Having  regard  to the request  for an opinion  made  by 
the Commission  of the European  Communities  on 16 
July 1975,  in pursuance  of Article  12  of the 
Regulation  setting  up a European  Foundation  for the 
Improvement  of Living  and Working  Conditions, 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by its Bureau  on 
23 September  1975,  instructing  the  Section  for 
Protection  of the  Environment,  Public  Health  and 
Consumer  Affairs  to draw  up an opinion  and  a 
report  on the matter, 
Having  regard  to the opinion  issued  by the Section 
for Protection  of the  Environment,  Public  Health 
and Consumer  Affairs  at its  meeting  on  11 
November  1975,  and  the  oral  report  made  by the 
Rapporteur,  Mr de Grave, 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 135th  plenary 
session,  held  on 26 and  27 November  1975  (meeting 
of 27 November), 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
by 35 votes  to 24, with  34 abstentions: 
1. The  programme  of the  Foundation  covers  not 
only working  conditions  but also  living  conditions  in 
general.  It therefore  concerns  all Community  citizens. 
Any attempt  to  improve  living  and  working 
conditions  involves  considering  all aspects  of life 
(work,  leisure,  travel,  housing,  the environment,  and 
so on),  and  working  out  what  the  obstacles  to 
improvement  are and  how  they  are to be overcome. 
2. Investment  in research  by the Foundation  will 
not be  fully  effective  unless  sufficient  effort  is 
devoted  to an information  campaign  directed  at scientific  circles,  the  press,  the  public  and 
organizations  affected  by  legislation  on  the 
environment.  But  the Foundation  will  not be able  to 
achieve  its  objectives  fully  unless  it cooperates 
closely  with  other  Community  bodies  dealing  with 
similar  technical,  social  and  economic  problems 
(primarily  the  Economic  and  Social  Committee, 
sectoral  consultative  committees,  etc.).  The 
Foundation  should  carry  out research  in close  liaison 
with  such  bodies,  and  in accordance  with  the 
necessary  scale  of priorities.  In  this  way  the 
Foundation  will  avoid  the risk  of dissipating  human 
and financial  resources,  and  will  be in a better 
position  to achieve  its goals. 
3. The  five  kinds  of action  indicated  by  the 
Council  Regulation  should  perhaps  be reformulated, 
so as to avoid  duplication  of work  and  dissipation  of 
effort  over  too wide  a field. 
The basic  guidelines  should  be: 
— studies  made  with  a view  to improvement  and 
progress.  These  will  involve  analysis  of the 
existing  situation,  the  aims  to be pursued  in 
improving  it and  how  this  improvement  is to be 
brought  about, 
— studies  which  are not based  on any  preconceived 
ideas  and  which  do not  rule  out  any  particular 
hypothesis  or methodology  a priori, 
— methods  must  be available  for assessing  the social 
relevance  of the studies.  The  relative  importance 
of the  critical  problems  in society  (or sectors  of 
society)  could  determine  the order  of priority  of 
the studies.  There  would  not  then  be any  risk  of 
the Foundation  becoming  bureaucratic  and 
getting  out of touch  with  reality, 
— the  Foundation  should  monitor  developments 
and collect  as much  information  as possible 
through  direct  contacts  with  either  the individual 
groups  concerned  or  the  organizations 
16. 2. 76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 35/33 
representing  them.  The  Committee  notes  in this 
connection  that  the  Council  has  adopted  only 
some  of the suggestions  made  in the Committee 
opinion  on  the  communication  from  the 
Commission  to the Council  on the creation  of a 
European  Foundation  for  the  Improvement  of 
Living  and  Working  Conditions  (x). The 
Committee  reiterates  the views  expressed  in that 
opinion  and  calls  on the  Commission  to make 
use of the  first  opportunity  to submit  proposals 
to the  Council  for  making  the  management 
bodies  more  representative. 
The Committee  considers  that  the  studies  should 
concentrate  on: 
3.1. Working  conditions 
— work  and  the working  environment  (how  work  is 
organized,  working  conditions  in practice), 
— work  and  the  social  environment  (infrastructure, 
participation  and  conflicts,  social  structures  and 
how they  are used,  participation  and  conflicts  in 
society), 
— work  and  the  political  environment  (structures 
and relationships  at different  levels,  various 
forms  of political  participation,  local  action 
committees,  conflict  and  participation  in 
undertakings), 
— work  and  the  scientific  environment  (promotion 
and guidance  of research  in this  area:  medicine, 
humanization  of systems  of production,  etc.), 
— problems  peculiar  to  certain  categories  of 
workers,  such  as migrants,  women,  and  the 
young. 
3.1.1.  As  regards  working  conditions,  the 
Foundation's  activities  should  be focused  primarily 
on: 
— the  changing  international  division  of labour  and 
its effects  on the  quantitative  and  qualitative 
aspects  of a European  policy  on employment  and 
education, 
— measures  aimed  at  humanizing  work  and 
industrial  democracy, 
— workers'  safety  and health, 
— work  duration  and  patterns  of working  time, 
— the  changeover  from  school  to work, 
(!) OJ No C 109,  19. 9. 1974,  p. 37. — the  problems  of minority  groups  in adjusting  to 
working  life, 
— workers'  aspirations  to run factories  themselves, 
— the  impact  of new  techniques  on employment. 
3.1.2.  Some  examples  of steps  that  would  be 
useful  are given  below: 
— organization  of a seminar  on the  division  of 
labour  and  its implications,  with  experts  from 
various  sectors  taking  part, 
— a comparative  study  of:  (i) social,  staff  and 
recruitment  policy;  (ii)  information  and 
communications;  (iii)  working  conditions  in 
comparable  undertakings  with  and  without  a 
system  of worker  participation  in management, 
— preparing  and  distributing  papers  on attempts  to 
humanize  work  and  make  it more  democratic, 
— promoting  and  monitoring  experiments  in joint 
consultation. 
3.2. Living  conditions 
3.2.1.  The  Foundation  should  examine  the effects 
of the  uneven  distribution  of  population  and 
economic  activity,  especially  in areas  which  are 
thinly-populated  (or  are  becoming  so)  and  badly 
served  from  the  point  of view  of public  facilities. 
People  have  sometimes  become  disenchanted  with 
rural  life because  of such  things  as the inadequacy  of 
public  transport,  the  absence  or high  cost  of 
electricity,  the remoteness  of schools  and  centres  of 
recreation,  the absence  of television  or piped  water 
and, above  all,  the  absence  of prospects  for 
employment  and  the  total  disregard  for  the  wishes 
of the public  residing  in these  areas. 
3.2.2.  The  study  of the  improvement  of living 
conditions  in the Community  must  be backed  up by 
an in-depth  analysis  of urban  agglomerations.  In the 
majority  of  European  countries'  towns  have 
developed  and  continue  to develop  haphazardly 
round  some  historic  nucleus,  which  is frequently  of 
great  cultural  and  social  value.  Public  authorities  are 
aware  that  towns  are  gradually  grinding  to a halt, 
but they  are still  too  prone  to see the difficulties  in 
terms  of malfunctioning  and  inefficiency  of the 
urban  apparatus. 
3.2.3.  People  are  becoming  increasingly 
dissatisfied  with  urban  life  because  of such  things  as 
bad housing  and  living  conditions,  air  pollution, 
noise  the de-humanizing  of towns  caused  by the way 
they are partitioned  into  zones  reserved  for different 
No C 35/34 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities 16. 2. 76 
purposes,  the  'redevelopment'  of areas  without 
regard  for the wishes  of the public,  haphazard  urban 
development,  the shortage  of recreational  areas,  the 
congestion  of town  centres  through  excessive  use of 
the car and  the  inadequacy  of public  transport,  the 
plight  of young  people  in dormitory  towns,  and  so 
on. All  these  things  need  looking  into  and  precise 
studies  should  be promoted. 
3.2.4.  Specific  analyses  should  be undertaken  with 
a view  to better  identification  of: (i) the causes  of 
deterioration  of the  urban  environment;  (ii)  the 
repercussions  of such  deterioration  on health  and 
living  conditions. 
3.2.5.  Numerous  experiments  have  been  carried 
out or are  planned  with  a view  to making  towns 
more  habitable  (pedestrian  precincts,  opening  of car 
parks,  school  buildings  etc.,  on  Sundays,  open 
spaces).  Although  these  experiments  are  geared  to 
specific  given  circumstances  much  could  be learnt 
from  them. 
3.3. Living  conditions  and  civilization 
3.3.1.  Central  to the  issue  of man's  welfare  is 
man's  way  of life.  This  is a general  problem  of 
civilization  and  cannot  be solved  by any  one  country 
on its own. 
3.3.2.  The  Foundation  should  investigate:  (i) the 
extent  to which  stressful  work  and/or  the lack  of job 
security  causes  a desire  for  'compensation'  in the 
form  of pay  increases;  (ii) how  far it is possible  to 
reduce  or eliminate  job insecurity  and  stress  at work. 
3.3.3.  It  should  also  examine  to what  extent  the 
values  held  up as worthy  by society  enable  people  to 
fulfil  their  potential,  and  whether  existing  structures 
allow  the private  citizen  to participate  in or monitor 
the decisions  which  affect  living  conditions  generally. 
3.3.4.  The  Foundation  should  study  what 
encourages  alienation  from  society,  delinquency, violence,  drug-taking,  feelings  of insecurity,  and 
other  symptoms  of the deep-seated  malaise  which  is 
affecting  the whole  of our society. 
3.3.5.  The  overall  quality  of life  is deteriorating  in 
certain  respects.  The  environment  (countryside, 
beauty  spots,  quality  of water  and  air,  etc.)  is being 
impaired  and  recreation  and  sport  are suffering  from 
commercialization.  Urgent  action  must  be taken  now 
to save  what  is left  and  win  back  some  of what  has 
been  lost. 
3.3.6.  The  Foundation  could  also  study  how  the 
educational  system  and  curricula  can  be brought  into 
line with  the needs  of an evolving  society. 
3.4. The  living  conditions  of certain  groups 
3.4.1.  Section  3.1  (working  conditions)  refers  to 
studies  on the problems  of migrants,  women,  and  the 
young,  as  workers.  These  studies  should  be 
complemented  by a substantial  effort  to increase  the 
information  available  about  members  of  these 
groups,  and  also  others  who  have  their  own  special 
problems  and  may  not  be  employed  workers. 
Housewives,  the  families  of migrant  workers,  the 
aged  and  the  young  are examples  of groups  so far 
largely  neglected  at European  level. 
3.5. Living  conditions  and  participation 
3.5.1.  It  would  also  be interesting  to study  current 
developments  in the  field  of participation  (local 
residents'  associations  in urban  and  rural  areas, 
consumers'  associations,  and so on). 
3.6. Environmental  programme 
3.6.1.  Reference  should  also  be  made  to the 
Committee's  opinion  on the  proposal  for  a Multi-
Annual  Environmental  Research  and  Development 
Programme  of the  European  Community  (indirect 
action):  1976  to 1980.  The  Committee  adopted  this 
opinion  on 27 November  1975. 
Done  at Brussels,  27 November  1975. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE