Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled Social Policy Agenda"

(2001/C 144/16)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled Social Policy Agenda (COM(2000) 379 final);

having regard to the decision taken by the Council on 26 July 2000, under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee of the Regions on the matter;

having regard to the decision taken by its president, on 3 August 2000, to direct Commission 5 for Social Policy, Public Health, Consumer Protection, Research and Tourism to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to the draft opinion adopted by Commission 5 on 23 October 2000 (rapporteurs: Ms Buron (F - PSE), Mr Pella (I - PPE) (CdR 300/2000 rev. 1),

adopted the following opinion unanimously at its 36th plenary session on 13 and 14 December 2000 (meeting of 13 December).

The Committee of the Regions

1. Warmly welcomes the publication of a new Social Agenda for the years 2000-2005; appreciates the comprehensive nature of the Agenda drawn up by the Commission, especially regarding the objectives; highlights the need to set out the Agenda's priorities more clearly, as the objectives, though thoroughly worthy, appear numerous and are often only sketched out in general terms.

2. Is glad that as part of the process begun in Lisbon, recognition has finally been given to the close links between economic policy, employment policy and social policy and that social policy has been given its rightful place; stresses, however, that social policy cannot be limited to its role in the production process, and urges the Commission, when it finalises its specific social policy programmes, not to neglect other areas of social policy in favour of aspects that have more immediate economic implications.

3. Welcomes the Commission's desire to ground the Social Agenda's objectives and measures in respect for the principle of subsidiarity, while stressing that this agenda does not seek to harmonise the social policies that are the responsibility of the Member States, but to set common goals and improve coordination.

4. Appreciates the Commission's recognition of the role of regional and local authorities as major players in implementing the Agenda; once again emphasises the fact that this requires the active involvement of these authorities at an earlier stage in the process of framing policies and programmes; the Committee is prepared to play its full role in the open method of coordination developed in Lisbon, and is disappointed not to have been involved in preparing the Social Agenda.

5. Welcomes with interest the Employment and Social Policy Council's intention to adopt structural indicators for employment and social cohesion, to serve as a basis for synthesis reports to be presented to the European Council spring meetings decided on at Lisbon; recalls, however, that to give a true picture of the social and regional cohesion situation in the European Union, the indicators must be applied to the appropriate regional level.

6. Stresses that within the sphere of responsibility of the Treaty and with respect for subsidiarity, legislation is still an essential means of protecting the fundamental rights and quality of life of workers and the public. As regards workers' relations, the Committee emphasises the importance of social dialogue between the two sides of industry as the basis of legislation at European level.

Regarding the various objectives presented by the Commission and its proposals for action

7. Full employment and quality of work

7.1. Agrees with the Commission that the most suitable ways must be found to exploit and realise Europe's employment potential, which, as the Agenda states, is very high. Recognises, in particular, the need for action to realise the potential of the socially excluded.

7.2. Reasserts the conclusions of its opinion of 21 September 2000, on the Communication "Acting locally for employment".

7.3. With regard to the development of the services sector and the social economy, believes that proposals should be made in accordance with the definitions applied in the various Member States, and measures taken to facilitate the exchange of good practice.

7.4. Asks the Commission to consult it and the associations representing the local and regional authorities when it drafts the communications on local development planned for 2000 and 2000.

7.5. Shares the Commission's desire to give special attention to innovation and the good practice resulting from the Community initiatives Equal, Interreg III, Leader + and Urban; stresses the fact that the local and regional authorities play a leading part here and that these initiatives may give an insight into the necessary development of the Structural Funds, and especially the ESF, after 2006.

7.6. Highlights the role that local and regional authorities can play in job creation and improving access to employment, quality and duration of employment, and working conditions (see Committee opinions on modernising the organisation of work, older people, anti-discrimination, social inclusion, etc.); endorses the Commission's intention to publish a communication on the social aspects of the procedures for awarding public contracts, on which representatives of regional and local authorities should be consulted at a formative stage.

7.7. Fully supports the bid to step up the development of the learning society, and hopes that the principle of life-long learning, and measures to promote training for old and young alike, will become reality, on the basis of best practice drawn from local initiatives in particular.

7.8. Emphasises the need to imbue Europeans with knowledge of the new technologies, especially the new information systems, from the youngest possible age; this should be done in close collaboration with the local and regional authorities, as they can best ensure that the measures reach everyone, including the more disadvantaged social groups; the aim should be to facilitate access not only to employment but also to culture and to active citizenship, and to ensure their participation in the democratic process.

7.9. Recommends making maximum use of the experience of border region authorities to ensure worker mobility in all areas of daily life.

7.10. Reiterates the need to guarantee the protection of workers employed in new forms of employment, and calls on the Commission to conduct a study of the social consequences of these forms of work and to suggest appropriate measures.

8. Quality of social protection

8.1. Refers to its opinion on the modernisation of social protection,

- supporting the four broad objectives endorsed by the Council (quality of work - security of pension schemes - social integration - healthcare), and

- stressing the frequent role of the regional and local authorities in funding and managing a wide range of social services for the public.

8.2. Warmly welcomes the establishment of a Social Protection Committee, and once more states its intention to set up a working group to maintain permanent contact with this committee.

8.3. Believes that it is extremely important to mainstream the objective of social inclusion in all European policies, and in all relevant COR opinions.

8.4. Welcomes the method proposed in the action programme, set out in (COM(2000) 368 final) and approved by the Employment and Social Policy Council on 17 October 2000, to achieve the objective of social inclusion, through the translation of European guidelines into national and regional action plans, setting specific targets and adopting measures that take into account national and regional differences.

8.5. Having given the Commission's Communication "Acting locally for employment" a positive response, believes that the same approach, based on analysis, examples of best practice and broad consultation, should be extended to other relevant areas of social protection, such as the fight against exclusion and all forms of discrimination, and gender equality.

9. Promoting quality in industrial relations

Points out that the local and regional authorities, themselves employers, have a role to play in this area.

10. Preparing for enlargement

Mentions the regular contact it has established with local and regional authorities in the applicant countries and stresses the importance of involving them in consultations and action programmes in the field of employment and social protection, in order to ensure that the public in these countries are ready for membership. In particular, calls upon the Commission to assess and monitor the social situation and the implementation of the social acquis in applicant countries, while regularly monitoring the application of instruments under Article 13 and gender equality action programmes.

Conclusion

11. Reiterates its belief that if Europe is to move closer to its public and become more democratic and transparent, local and regional authorities and civil society must be more closely involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of economic, social and employment policies.

Asks to be involved in the annual spring summit, decided on in Lisbon, which is to take stock of the coordination of these policies.

Brussels, 13 December 2000.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos Chabert