1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/43 
— create a system providing for the 'integrated' use of a 
number of Community instruments at the same time 
in order to tackle problems which could not be 
solved satisfactorily by the use of a single EEC 
financial instrument, 
— set out different levels of EEC financial participation 
for the various regions, these levels being geared to 
the level of development of the region concerned, 
— determine the level of participation of EEC financial 
instruments solely on the basis of the costs of the 
proposed projects. 
This overall plan for tackling the problems of 
enlargement should be worked out as the negotiations 
with the acceding countries progress and should come 
into effect gradually as Greece, Portugal and Spain join 
the Community. 
This overall plan would provide the Community with a 
set of instruments which would match up to the special 
'enlargement fund', which the Committee does not 
support; such a plan would be sufficiently flexible and 
effective to enable the adjustment problems 
consequential on enlargement to be tackled, whether these problems affect areas and sectors of the existing 
Community or the acceding countries. 
One of the logical consequences of drawing up this 
overall plan of action to deal with the issues arising from 
enlargement should be an increase in the funds available 
to the EEC financial instruments to enable them to meet 
the new circumstances. The Economic and Social 
Committee considers it very important in this respect to 
make a detailed calculation of the appropriations needed 
so that the general public in the Community of Twelve 
knows what price has to be paid for the political and 
economic benefits to be derived from enlargement. 
The Economic and Social Committee realizes that any 
further quantification of the effects of enlargement, 
particularly with regard to employment, production as 
well as the size and structure of the Community budget, 
is problematic and can at best be only approximate. The 
Economic and Social Committee would nevertheless 
welcome Commission attempts to make a rough 
assessment of the effects of enlargement as soon as entry 
conditions have been negotiated in detail and are clear to 
all. This could form the basis for possible corrective 
measures (e.g. in the agricultural sector), and provide 
guidelines for medium-term action. 
Done at Brussels, 28 June 1979. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Raffaele VANNI 
Opinion on the development of the social situation in the Community in 1978 
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 27 April 1979 the Commission referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 169th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 27 and 28 June 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
No C 247/44 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 10. 79 
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 made by the Commission of 
the European Communities on 27 April 1979 for an 
opinion, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 
28 November 1978 instructing the Section for Social 
Questions to draw up an opinion and a report on the 
matter, 
Having regard to the opinion issued by the Section for 
Social Questions at its meeting held on 7 June 1979, 
Having regard to the report submitted by the rapporteur, 
Mr Piga, 
Having regard to its discussions at its 169th plenary 
session held on 27 and 28 June 1979 (meeting of 28 June 
1979), 
Whereas the employment situation in the Community as 
a whole has not shown any signs of improvement, and in 
some cases has even got worse than it was in 1977; 
whereas the short- and medium-term outlook remains 
disquieting; 
Whereas the consultation policy — a policy whose 
importance has been emphasized on several occasions — 
has not yet led to any really concrete results, witness 
most recently the outcome of the Tripartite Conference 
in the autumn of 1978 and of the Standing Committee on 
Employment of May 1979; 
Whereas the entry into force of the European monetary 
system makes it even more necessary to achieve a genuine 
convergence of national economic policies and a proper 
development of the Community's social policy, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by 62 votes to seven with 14 abstentions: 
1. CHAPTER I 
The social situation in 1978 
1.1. There was no improvement in the employment 
situation even though this was regarded as a 'priority 
objective' by the Community institutions: 
— The unemployment total rose from 6 043 000 at the 
end of 1977 to 6 143 000 at the end of 1978 and from 5 771 000 at the end of April 1978 to 
5 938 000 at the end of April 1979. The actual 
pattern was mixed, with a fall in Denmark, Great 
Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg and Germany and an 
increase in the other four Member States. 
— Manpower shedding continued in ailing industries 
(steel, textiles, shipbuilding and basic chemicals). 
— Youth unemployment showed a slight upward trend 
in almost all the Member States; at the end of 1978 
the unemployment rate among those under 25 was 
9 • 4 % as compared with the overall unemployment 
rate of 5-5%. 
— Female unemployment has risen more than overall 
unemployment partly because recession has hit 
sectors with a predominantly female labour force, 
partly because women workers are, for various 
reasons, more affected by business cycle fluctuations 
and partly because more women have come on to the 
labour market. 
— Unemployment has also become a problem for 
executives. 
According to the Commission 'the high average 
unemployment level in the Community covers situations 
which vary greatly from region to region and with the 
category of persons involved'. 
1.1.1. At the same time, as the Commission points 
out, the gap has widened between the characteristics of 
jobs offered and what job-seekers can offer. Labour 
shortages have made themselves particularly felt in some 
small and medium-sized enterprises, and in certain 
manual and highly skilled occupations. The Commission 
has calculated that 15 % of job vacancies are unfilled (*). 
To be more exact, at the end of December 1978 there 
were 222 300 unfilled vacancies in Germany, 5 100 in 
Belgium, 1 500 in Denmark, 71 200 in France, 60 400 in 
the Netherlands and 220 500 in the United Kingdom (2). 
1.2. Between January 1978 and March 1979 the 
social situation of some regions and social groups 
improved while that of others deteriorated. As a result 
regional and sectoral imbalances were aggravated. 
1.2.1. The living and working conditions of persons 
in gainful employment have remained generally 
stationary. Over the past few years real wage levels have 
not risen at the same rate in all the Member States; 
improvements in social security have sometimes been 
i1) Commission communication of 22 May 1979 to the 
Standing Committee on Employment. 
(2) Source: Eurostat monthly statistical digest on 
unemployment, December 1978. 
1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/45 
held back by financial problems, which now present 
themselves in all countries. According to the 
Commission, however, the 'rise in labour costs has been 
held down to about 7%, as against 8-5% in 1977 and 
17-5% in 1975 (*)'. 
1.3. The development of the social situation in 1978 
was influenced by the following factors: 
(a) a rate of economic development which was less 
dynamic than expected (especially in industry) with 
productivity practically unchanged and a slowdown 
in world trade; 
(b) national budgetary policies which, until the autumn, 
were primarily directed at checking inflation (down 
from 9% in 1977 to 7% for the Community as a 
whole); 
(c) legislation and recommendations in most Member 
States to control the rate of increase of incomes; 
(d) the high cost and low volume of investments in 
productive sectors, particularly in the industries with 
a large labour input; 
(e) an acceleration of industrial restructuring due to 
increased competition on world markets — with the 
consequent reduction of the labour force being only 
partially offset by industrial redevelopment; 
(f) the arrival of those born during the post-war baby 
boom on the labour market. 
1.3.1. In this connection the Community has failed to 
take effective steps with respect to unification of national 
employment markets or adjustment of vocational 
training to match new production requirements, 
especially as far as women and young workers are 
concerned. 
2. CHAPTER II 
Guidelines for an overall strategy 
2.1. As far as the Commission is concerned 'the 
improvement of the employment situation remains the 
prime objective of the Community' in 1979 
(paragraph 38 of the Commission programme for 1979). 
(') Commission communication of 10 October 1978 to the 
fourth Tripartite Conference. The European Council in Paris, for its part, said among 
other things: 
'The continuation of the efforts made to improve 
economic structures is an essential factor for 
increasing employment. These efforts will have to be 
supplemented by specific measures designed to help to 
reduce unemployment.' 
The same Council underlined further: 
'The importance of a coordinated contribution by the 
various Community financial instruments to the 
intensification of the fight against unemployment.' 
2.2. The Committee values these commitments 
because it regards the present rate of unemployment as 
unacceptable. Moreover it values them all the more 
because the unemployment is to a large extent structural 
in kind. The Committee also agrees with the Commission 
that 'a society which was unable to satisfy the desire for 
work of a large part of the active population, in 
particular young people and women, would seriously 
compromise its economic and social equilibrium'. It is 
therefore all the more disturbing to find the OECD 
predicting that in 1979 more than 19 million people will 
be out of work in its 24 member countries, compared 
with approximately 18 million in 1978. 
2.3. In the closing months of 1978 the Community 
institutions made the fight against unemployment part 
and parcel of an overall strategy, which was explained at 
length in the Commission's communication to the 
fourth Tripartite Conference. This strategy has a 
threefold objective: growth, stability and jobs. 
2.4. Such a strategy could be effective provided that: 
— it is recognized that the three objectives of growth, 
stability and jobs are interdependent. In other words 
none of them should be given greater or less 
emphasis than the others, 
— both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of 
growth are taken into account, whether in correcting 
regional and sectoral imbalances, creating new jobs 
or improving the quality of life, 
— monetary stability and the resultant containing of 
inflation are used to expand trade and investments 
and maintain real incomes, 
No C 247/46 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 10. 79 
— priority is given to creating new jobs (without 
sacrificing productivity) so as to get back to full 
employment as rapidly as possible. 
2.5. The Committee must point out that although an 
overall strategy was adopted and considerable success 
was achieved in the Community on the inflation front in 
1978, there was only limited success as regards growth 
and none at all in tackling unemployment. 
2.5.1. To put things right the Committee feels that: 
— Member States' economic and social policies should 
be brought closer together, 
— there should be a more constructive inter-trade and 
sectoral dialogue at Community level between the 
two sides of industry on economic and social 
questions, 
— all Community policies should be geared to attaining 
the objectives of the overall strategy; in particular, 
operational guidelines should be laid down to ensure 
that Community financial instruments are 
coordinated more effectively and that common 
resources are distributed on a more equitable basis. 
2.6. The Committee is aware of the fact that unless 
adequate corrective measures are taken, market forces 
may in certain cases aggravate the employment situation 
in the Community, at least in the short and medium 
term. This is because of: 
— the new international division of labour, which is 
characterized by the development of processing 
industries in recently industrialized countries, 
countries dependent on commodity exports and in 
countries with low labour costs, 
— technological progress, which may in all sectors lead 
to a reduction in labour inputs per unit of production 
or per quantity of services supplied, 
— the greater profitability of capital investment in some 
non-member countries. 
2.6.1. The Committee therefore considers that 
although the market's role as a fundamental regulator of 
economic activity should be preserved, it cannot be the 
sole arbiter of economic activity. This is partly because 
the market is increasingly influenced by economic and 
social groupings as well as by government decisions that 
determine the supply of and demand for goods, labour 
and capital. 2.6.2. The Committee holds the view that in order to 
be effective and acceptable in our pluralistic societies the 
measures needed to improve the functioning of the 
market must fit in with the overall strategy, and must be 
the subject of discussions between national and 
Community authorities and the two sides of industry. 
3. CHAPTER III 
The Community's social policy 
3.1. As a result of the introduction of the EMS and the 
pledge by Member State Governments to bring their 
economic policies closer together, economic 
developments in the Member States ought to come 
increasingly under the influence of common aims and 
strategies. Furthermore because of the inseparable link 
between economic policy and social policy, 
developments on the social front will also be increasingly 
affected by both Community policy and the extent to 
which Member State Governments can achieve a 
successful convergence in their economic policies. 
3.1.1. Given this new situation, the Committee is 
aware that the social objective laid down in the Treaty — 
namely promotion of 'improved working conditions and 
an improved standard of living for workers, so as to 
make possible their harmonization while the 
improvement is being maintained' — can only be achieved 
if the Community's social policy is developed as a 
framework for national social policies. If this fails to 
happen then the social objectives laid down in the Treaty 
may be endangered and the support of the workers for 
economic and monetary union - the aim underlying the 
EMS and the convergence of national economies — might 
well be undermined. 
3.1.2. Unless there is a proper development of the 
Community's social policy some Member States may 
find it difficult to accept EMS constraints on public 
expenditure, labour costs and trade balances, since these 
constraints might prevent living and working conditions 
from being raised to the higher levels prevailing in other 
Member States. 
3.1.3. Although it is true that the Treaty does not 
explicitly provide for a 'common social policy', it is 
equally true that Article 235 provides an opportunity, 
when taken together with Title III of the Treaty, to adopt 
additional measures to achieve the aims of Treaty 
Articles 2 and 117. 
1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/47 
3.2. In the view of the Committee the main lines of the 
Community's social policy should be drawn up after 
close consultations between the two sides of industry and 
the Community institutions, and with the help of: 
— the European Parliament which, after the elections 
by direct suffrage will be better able to act as an 
effective spokesman for the general needs of the 
peoples of Europe, be these needs political or social 
or even a reflection of regional interests, 
— the Economic and Social Committee which, as an 
official rallying point and fulcrum for all economic 
and social interest groups in the nine Member States, 
can faithfully represent the legitimate aspirations of 
different groups and sectors and reach a consensus 
compatible with the general interests of the 
Community, 
— the Standing Committee on Employment which 
provides a forum for regular and direct discussions 
and consultations with the Community institutions, 
— the Tripartite Conference, since it is firmly believed 
that the Council will take the necessary measures to 
improve its working methods in accordance with the 
wishes expressed by the European Council in Paris. 
3.2.1. Only free negotiations at all levels between the 
two sides of industry can give concrete expression to the 
social programme drawn up with the help of Community 
consultations. 
3.2.2. The Committee considers that such 
consultations should also be set in motion and developed 
at Community level. In fact the European Council in 
Paris has called upon the two sides of industry to 'take 
the appropriate steps to develop their dialogue at 
Community level, where appropriate on a sectoral basis'. 
The Committee hopes that this invitation will be warmly 
welcomed by all concerned and is convinced that freely 
negotiated agreement between the two sides of industry 
is vital if consultations are to get off the ground and the 
Community's social policy is to make progress. 
3.2.3. While respecting the principles of the Treaty 
and the autonomy of the two sides of industry, the 
Committee is a firm advocate of joint sectoral meetings. 
It should be noted that joint meetings are meaningful 
only if they are called with the consent of both sides of 
industry and deal with topics involving specific sectors. 
Such meetings could be used initially for the purpose of 
studying the economic conditions of production and the 
social and employment prospects in individual branches 
of industry. The meetings could also be used to work out any subsequent measures that were called for. However, 
such activities at sectoral level must not run counter to 
the Community's overall strategy. 
3.2.4. The social report and the annual programme 
should be drawn up in such a way that they provide a 
useful basis for discussions whenever consultations and 
negotiations are held at Community level. The content of 
the social report and the annual programme should be 
improved — and documentation, analyses and proposals 
should all be directed towards a gradual and balanced 
realization of the overall strategy. In particular the 
Committee repeats its invitation to the Commission to 
produce a more carefully thought-out, more condensed 
digest of the reports coming in from national sources so 
that it can then give a smoother, more systematic and less 
diffuse account of the basic characteristics of social 
development throughout the EEC. It will then be possible 
to carry out a more in-depth examination of the 
underlying causes of social development and gain 
valuable insight into possible future trends. 
4. CHAPTER IV 
European Social Fund and budgetary policy 
4.1. The European Council meeting in Paris asked the 
Commission to continue its efforts to 'improve the 
effectiveness of the European Social Fund's action by 
directing its assistance more selectively in order to meet 
the current employment difficulties better'. The Council 
also underlined 'the importance of a coordinated 
contribution by the various Community financial 
instruments to the intensification of the fight against 
unemployment'. 
4.1.1. The Committee approves the fact that the 
European Council attached importance to 'selective' 
Social Fund measures, and coordination of Community 
financial instruments, and the Committee trusts that the 
Commission and Council of Social Affairs Ministers will 
react swiftly to the European Council's request. 
However, the Commission's ESF guidelines for 1980 to 
1982 do not seem to provide an adequate basis for 
determining 'selectivity' criteria. 
4.1.2. The Committee would also draw attention to 
the fact that, in the view of the Commission, a large 
number of projects regarded as worthwhile failed to 
receive financial support from the Social Fund in 1978 
due to a shortage of available financial resources. In fact 
'total applications in 1978 came to almost twice as much 
as the Fund's resources'. The Social Fund continues to 
receive a mere 5 % or so of the Community budget. 
No C 247/48 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 10. 79 
4.2. The effectiveness of the various financial 
instruments available to the Community and their 
capacity to influence the coordination of the policies of 
Member States will be limited unless there are structural 
changes to the Community budget. The Social Fund, 
Regional Fund and EAGGF Guidance Section together 
received only 12% from the budget in 1978, and a bare 
11 % in the draft estimates for 1979. 
4.2.1. The Committee would therefore repeat the two 
requests made to the Community institutions a year ago, 
namely that: 
(1) the Social Fund should receive more money in order 
to be able to play a bigger role in the creation of new 
jobs; 
(2) the two sides of industry should be asked to make a 
general assessment of the Community's budgetary 
policy; this would help to keep it more in line with 
the needs of society (a). 
The Committee is confident that the budgetary 
authorities will look favourably on these two requests. 
4.2.2. According to the Commission 'Social Fund 
measures should be stepped up considerably, especially 
when direct action is required to create jobs, in particular 
for the young'. In the same document the Commission 
declares that 'a certain amount of re-ordering of 
budgetary objectives to give a higher priority to the 
redistribution objective is both desirable and possible'. 
The Committee supports these guidelines and trusts that 
they will be adopted by the budgetary authorities, 
bearing in mind that the Social Fund should play a more 
incisive role in bringing about a socio-economic climate 
more conducive to investments in productive sectors and 
to the creation of attitudes that encourage new jobs, 
especially for young people. 
5. CHAPTER V 
Wage agreements and social security policies 
5.1. The Committee is firmly convinced that rates and 
levels of workers' pay can only be decided through 
agreements between the two sides of industry. But the 
Committee also holds the view that — like the other 
economic aggregates which influence growth and 
determine its direction — the amount of the national cake 
which is to be earmarked for (a), total wages and (b), 
social security cannot constitute independent variables in 
(^ OJ No C 283, 27. 11. 1978, p. 16. today's society. The apportionment of national income 
should take account of the requirements of growth and 
stability. 
5.1.1. In the light of the new departure taken by the 
Community's economic and monetary policy, the bid to 
reconcile these factors cannot take place only at national 
level but must be the subject of general discussion at 
Community level. 
5.1.2. For some years now, the Council and the 
Commission havebeen in the habit ofmakingjudgements 
and proposals about the dynamics of wages and about 
the social expenditure of the individual Member States. 
The Committee points out that discussion of such 
matters should be tackled with both economic and social 
needs in mind and that there should be systematic 
consultation with the two sides of industry so as to 
ensure their agreement. 
5.1.3. It would be unrealistic and perhaps not even 
desirable to consider having wage negotiations and 
collective bargaining at Community level. 
5.1.4. It would be useful to have meetings between 
labour and management at Community level. The 
particular aim of this would be to: 
— eliminate all remaining discrimination between men 
and women, and between indigenous and non-native 
labour, 
— help provide more jobs for women and young 
people, 
— upgrade manual work, bearing in mind that labour 
shortages are most in evidence in this field, 
— ensure that even the least-protected workers have 
guaranteed minimum standards of living and 
working conditions; this would help to eliminate the 
pockets of poverty which still subsist in certain EEC 
regions, 
— come to general and sectoral outline-agreements. 
5.2. The Committee eagerly awaits the initiatives 
which the Commission has promised will enable a 
detailed appraisal to take place at Community level of 
the economic and social impact of the funding of social 
security (paragraph 208 of the social report). It feels that 
the Commission should promote a wide-ranging debate 
with the governments and the two sides of industry, 
especially since there is no instrument at Community 
level for consulting on social security except in so far as 
migrant workers are concerned. 
1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/49 
5.2.1. The Committee undertakes to contribute 
towards this appraisal. It agrees that this is a matter of no 
small urgency, as the social security ministers of the 
Member States of the Council of Europe pointed out at 
the Strasbourg Conference on 6 and 7 March 1979. 
6. CHAPTER VI 
Measures to help employment 
6.1. The ongoing process of economic policy 
convergence, the entry into force of the EMS, the 
beginning of common industrial policies for certain 
sectors and the free circulation of labour — which latter 
has already been with us for some time — are all factors 
indicating an urgent need for an active Community 
policy towards jobs. The Committee notes that the 
Commission itself calls for 'much more resolute 
Community action' to tackle employment problems. 
6.1.1. Such a policy should involve: 
(a) the setting-up of a real Community labour market 
with all that this implies, such as: 
— the coordination of national job markets, 
— the convergence of vocational training policies, 
— the mutual recognition of occupational 
qualifications, 
— the introduction of more effective instruments 
for matching job applications and vacancies at 
Community level, 
— a more dynamic role for Community 
employment bodies, which should increasingly 
reflect real economic and social conditions at all 
levels, including the service trades; 
(b) the enactment at Community level of structural and 
cyclical measures to reduce unemployment, 
especially among young people, women, emigrants 
and the handicapped. 
6.2. As far as structural measures are concerned, the 
Section would re-echo what it said last year, when it 
agreed with the European Council of Copenhagen that 
'the most effective means of tackling the problem of 
unemployment is to create new jobs by intervening 
vigorously as regards the economy, employment and 
investments'. 6.2.1. In the Committee's view this should involve: 
(a) relaunching and supporting a policy of development 
to ensure the creation of new and stable jobs, 
particularly in regions where unemployment is 
highest, by utilizing available human and capital 
resources in the best way possible; 
(b) identification and better utilization of the 
employment opportunities offered by agriculture and 
the service industries, bearing in mind that in the 
present international competitive situation it is 
unrealistic to think about an overall increase in jobs 
in industry; 
(c) developing, by means of an appropriate Community 
policy, advanced technology industries (electronics, 
aerospace, etc.) and industries connected with 
alternative energy sources; 
(d) enacting concrete measures to help smaller businesses 
(which employ two-thirds of the Community's 
labour force), with special priority being given to 
problems of funding; 
(e) providing greater public and private investments for 
combating pollution and waste and improving the 
quality of life, and upgrading the social services, with 
the necessary labour being properly trained and 
recruited primarily from among women and the 
young. 
6.3. As far as short-term measures are concerned, the 
Committee vigorously supports the following, which 
have already been spelt out by the Commission 
(paragraphs 39, 41 and 43 of the 1979 programme): 
(a) 'the promotion of a better distribution of available 
work in keeping with the requirements of 
productivity and competitiveness'; while reserving 
the right to state its views on the relevant 
Commission proposals the Committee shares the 
Commission's view on these problems, namely that 
'an approach coordinated at Community level is 
essential so as to reduce the negative effects on ability 
to compete and on economic convergence'; 
(b) 'social measures associated with industrial 
restructuring'; the Committee wants more effective 
Community intervention in order first of all to 
guarantee alternative jobs where job elimination is 
unavoidable, and to retrain workers; 
(c) coordination of national policies concerning 
immigration form non-EEC countries. 
No C 247/50 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 10. 79 
The Committee would also ask the Commission to 
prepare measures to tackle the growing phenomenon of 
'moonlighting' and calls on the Council to speedily adopt 
the draft Directive on illegal migration. 
The Committee would finally stress the need to match 
the EEC's vocational training policy (qualitatively and 
quantitatively) with current job requirements and labour 
market trends. 
6.4. In addition to the problem of creating new jobs 
and redistributing available work better, there is a need 
to monitor the employment situation and job prospects 
in individual firms, especially those which offer the best 
prospects for creating new jobs. This need has become 
more acute because of the production restructuring which many firms are facing or will have to face to an 
increasing extent. 
6.4.1. The Committee realizes that such monitoring is 
of interest not only to employers but also to 
wage-earners. It is therefore understandable that workers 
should be provided with adequate information on 
employment prospects in their firms. 
6.4.2. The Committee feels that such information 
should neither call into question the employer's 
managerial responsibility nor have a prejudicial impact 
on firms. And the relevant arrangements should take 
account of the situation and traditions of individual 
firms and countries. The Committee is pleased at the 
results achieved in some countries and awaits with 
interest the Commission's proposal concerning 
information on groups of companies. 
Done at Brussels, 28 June 1979. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Raffaele VANNI 
ANNEX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
I. The following amendments were rejected during the debate: 
Paragraph 2.5.1, second indent 
Delete 'inter-trade and sectoral'. 
Voting 
For: 19; against: 42; abstentions: 1. 
Delete paragraph 5.1.3. 
Reasons 
It is true that Member States at present generally have their own collective bargaining machinery, 
especially for the negotiation of wages. However, a move towards Community-wide discussions and 
agreements on such things as working hours cannot be ruled out. 
Voting 
For: 36; against: 47; abstentions: 4. 
II. The following passages of the Section's opinion were amended: 
1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/51 
Paragraph 2.5.1, second indent 
'— There should be a more constructive inter-trade and sectoral dialogue in the appropriate forums 
at Community level between the two sides of industry on economic and social questions.' 
Paragraph 3.1 
'3.1. As a result of the introduction of the EMS and the Community's pledge to bring the 
economic policies of the Member States closer together, economic developments in the Member 
States will come increasingly under the influence of the Community's policy. And because of the 
inseparable link between economic policy and social policy, developments on the social front will 
also be increasingly affected by Community policy.' 
Paragraph 3.2 
A third indent is added. 
Paragraph 3.2.1 
'3.2.1. Only free negotiations at all levels between the two sides of industry can give concrete 
expression to the social programme drawn up with the help of Community consultations.' 
Paragraph 3.2.2 
'3.2.2. The Section considers that such negotiations . . .' 
Paragraph 3.2.3 
A sentence added after the first sentence. 
Paragraph 5.1.4 
Delete the word 'however' from the first line. 
Paragraph 5.1.4 
A final indent is added. 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision setting up a second joint programme of 
exchanges of young workers within the Community 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 81 of 28 March 1979, page 16. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 21 March 1979 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community.