NoC40/88 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
2.6.Article8(2):Referenceshouldbemadetothe
exitingruleswhichrequireinfectedpigstobetrans­
portedinclosed,sealedvehicles.
2.7.Article9(4)(a):Thedeadlineshouldbetightened
up.Amendtoread:'Theseholdingsshallbevisitedby
aveterinaryofficialassoonaspossible,withinseven
daysatthelatest.'
2.8.Article9(4)(f)(i):Itmustbeclearlystatedwho
isresponsiblefortheprescribedinspections,e.g.the
competentveterinaryauthority.
2.9.Article14:Addthefollowing:'Breedinganimalsforexportshouldpreferablybe
vaccinatedinthecountryofpurchase.TheStanding
VeterinaryCommitteemayhowevergrantdispen­
sationsinspecialcases.'
2.10.Article14(1)(b):Thelaboratoriesindicated
mustbeapprovedbytheveterinaryauthorities .
3.Specificcomments(amendmenttoDirective72/462/
EEC)
3.1.NewArticle6(6):Whyaretherequirementsin
respectofmeatandpigsfromnon-ECcountriesmore
lenient?Non-ECimportsshouldbesubjecttothesame
rulesasECproducts.
DoneatBrussels,28November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRecommendation onChildcare(2)
(92/C40/21)
On10September1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon14November1991.
TheRapporteurwasMrsGuillaume.
Atits291stplenarysession(meetingof28November1991)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajorityvotewithoneabstention.
TheCommitteefullyendorsestheRecommendation on
Childcareasameansofincreasingequalityofoppor­
tunitybetweenwomenandmeninemployment .
1.Generalcomments
1.1.TheCommitteebelievesthattheadequatepro­
visionofgoodqualitychildcareisanessentialprerequi­siteforachievinggreaterequalityofopportunity
betweenwomenandmeninemployment .'Goodquality
childcare'mustmeanthatwhichisconducivetothe
welfareanddevelopmentofthechild.Throughoutthe
MemberStateswomencurrentlybeartheprincipal
responsibilityforthecareandupbringingofchildren,
withseriouslong-termconsequencesfortheirposition
inthelabourmarketrelativetomen,intermsofthe
likelihoodoftheirbeinginemployment,theiroccu­
pationalstatusandtheirlifetimeearnings. (!)OJNoC242,17.9.1991,p.3.

17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/89
1.2.TheCommitteebelievesthattherestrictionof
women'semploymentopportunitiesbecauseofalack
ofadequatechildcareprovisionresultsinaserious
underutiiization ofwomen'sskillsandabilities,with
detrimentalconsequencestoindividualwomen,their
familiesandtonationaleconomies.Betterchildcare
provisionwouldenableskilledandexperienced
employeestoremaininemployment .Inequalities
betweenlevelsofchildcareprovisionbetweenMember
Statesmayalsorestrictmobilityoflabourwithinthe
ECafter1992.1.7.TheCommitteeendorsestheRecommen­
dation'sbroadapproachtochildcare,encompassing
boththeprovisionofservicesandtheprovisionofleave
andflexibleworkingarrangementstoenableparents
tofulfiltheirwishtocarefortheirchildrenthemselves .
1.8.TheCommitteewishestoemphasizethat,
becauseofthemismatchbetweenworkinghoursand
schoolhours,anincreaseingoodqualityout-of-school
provisionisasimportantasincreasinggoodquality
pre-schoolprovision,intermsofimprovingwomen's
opportunitiesinthelabourmarket.Childrenwhohave
tobeleftunsupervisedoutsideschoolhoursareatrisk
inavarietyofwaysandanxietyaboutout-of-school
arrangementsplacesworkingparentsunderconsider­
ablestress.
1.9.TheCommittee welcomestheRecommen­
dation'semphasisonthenecessityfor,anddesirability
of,adiversityofformsofprovisionofpre-schooland
out-of-schoolcare.Thevarietyofcurrentarrangements
forchildcareintheMemberStateshasbeendocument­
ed,ascomprehensively asexistingsoursesofinfor­
mationallow,bytheECChildcarenetwork(2).
1.10.TheCommitteeseestheissueofthequalityof
childcareservicesasoffundamentalimportance,ifan
expansionofservicesistoincreasewomen'saccessto
employment .Thequestionofqualityofserviceshas
alreadybeenthesubjectofaseminaroftheECChild­
careNetwork(3),asaresultofwhichitwasrec­
ommendedthatfurtherworkshouldbeundertakenin
thisarea.Itwasalsorecommended thatwherestructur­
alfundsareusedforfundingchildcareservicesor
relatedprojectsinpursuitofthefund'sobjectives,qual­
ityshouldbeanessentialcriterion.TheCommittee
supportsboththeseproposals.1.3.Demographicpressures,aswellaswomen'sown
wishandneedtoundertakepaidwork,haveresulted
inanincreaseinmothers'employmentduringthe1980s,
buttheiropportunitieswithinthelabourmarketare
seriouslyrestrictedbythelackofadequatechildcare
facilities.Twodemographictrendsindicatethatthere
islikelytobeincreasingpressureonwomenwithchil­
drentoundertakepaidemployment .Thefirstisthe
fallinthebirthrate,whichhashappenedtovarying
extentsinallMemberStates,andisresultinginlabour
shortages,albeittemporarilyoffsetbythecurrentecon­
omicrecession.Thesecondistheincreaseinmarital
breakdownandtheincreaseinthenumberoffamilies
headedbyloneparents,theoverwhelmingmajorityof
whomarelonemothers.
1.4.WhiletheCommitteebelievesthatparents
shouldbefreetochoosewhethertocarefortheir
childrenthemselvesathomeorenterpaidemployment,
thecurrentlackofchildcareprovisionissuchasto
createsubstantialobstaclestowomenre-enteringpaid
employmentafterhavingachildandchoiceistherefore
weightedagainstmaternalemployment .TheCom­
mitteewishestorecorditsrecognitionofthevalueto
childrenandparentsofparentalcareduringtheearly
yearsofachild'slife,andrestateitscommitmentto
theprovisionofappropriateleavearrangements ,in
orderthatparentstakingabreakfromemploymentfor
thispurposedonotsufferanydetrimentinthelabour
marketf1).2.Specificcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewishestoamendArticle2.1to
read'careforchildrenuptoatleasttheageof10while
parents...'.
1.5.Thereisclearevidencefromavarietyofsources
thatinallMemberStatesthedemandforchildcare
provision,initsbroadestsense,includingbothservices
andleaveprovisionsubstantiallyexceedssupply.2.2.Article3(a)
2.2.1.TheCommitteeendorsestheconditionsspeci­
fiedasarequirementforensuringequalaccesstoall
1.6.Thereisasubstantialbodyofresearchevidence
toshowthatgoodqualitygroupcareforyoungchildren
providesthemwithpositiveeducationalandsocial
advantagesanditisthereforebeneficialtochildrenas
wellasincreasingwomen'semploymentandtraining
opportunities .(2)See,forexample,Moss,Peter(1988),ChildcareandEquality
ofOpportunity,Brussels,CommissionoftheEuropeanCom­
munities;Moss,Peter(1990),'ChildcareintheEuropean
Communities 1985-1990',WomenofEuropeSupplement
No31,Brussels,CommissionoftheEuropeanCommunities .
(3)EuropeanCommissionChildcareNetwork,1990,Qualityin
ChildcareServices:ReportonanECChildcareTechnical
Seminar,Brussels,CommissionoftheEuropeanCommuni­
ties. (*)OJNoC206,6.8.1984,point2.5.

NoC40/90 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
2.6.Article5(b) parents,andinparticulartheapproachtochildcare
whichseescareandeducationasjointfunctionsof
anyprovison.Itbelievesthattheneedsofchildrenof
migrantandethnicminorityfamiliesshouldbegiven
explicitconsiderationinArticle3(a),butinawaywhich
doesnotleadtofurtherisolationofminoritygroups.2.6.1.TheCommitteerecognizesthattheemploy­
mentconditionsofworkersinchildcareservicesmake
anessentialcontributiontothequalityoftheservice.
Itthereforebelievesthatitisveryimportantthat,
wherenecessary,employmentconditionsinchildcare
occupationsareimprovedandthatthestatusofthese
occupationsisraised,therebygivingrecognitiontothe
socialimportanceofthework.Childcareoccupations
arecurrentlypredominantly female,andtendtobe
regardedasrelativelyunskilled.2.3.Article3(b)
2.7.Article62.3.1.TheCommitteewouldliketoseegreater
emphasisgiventotheneedforacomprehensive and
coherentnationalpolicyforserviceprovision.While
flexibilityanddiversityaretobeencouraged,anoverall
nationalperspectiveandnationalstructuresareneeded
inordertoensurecoherenceofservicesandregional
equality.2.7.1.TheCommitteeemphasizestheimportanceof
ensuringthatmeasuresdesignedtofacilitateworking
parentscaringfortheirownchildrenareinpractice
accessibletomenaswellastowomen.TheCommittee
recognizestheimportanceofincreasedparticipationby
menincaringfortheirchildrenandseesthisprimarily
asaculturalproblemwhichwillberesolvedbyedu­
cationandchangingattitudes,helpedperhapsbythe
removaloffinancialdisincentives .2.4.Article3(e)
2.8.Article7
2.8.1.TheCommitteewishestoseeaddedatthe
end:2.4.1.TheCommitteefullysupportstheRecommen­
dation'sinsistenceontheessentialroleofpublicfund­
ingintheprovisionofchildcareservices.Childcareis
necessarilyhighlylabourintensive,particularlyforthe
youngestage-groupsofchildren.Itis,therefore,expens­
iveifchildcareworkersreceivealevelofremuneration
commensurate whiththeimportanceoftheworkthey
aredoing,withtheresultthatitisbeyondthemeansof
mostindividualemployees.PublicfundinginMember
Statescurrentlytakesavarietyofforms,includingboth
taxreliefforchildcareanddirectpublicsubsidyof
provision.WhileinsomeMemberStatesworkplace
nurseriesmayhavearoletoplay,thisisclearlyonly
anoptionforlargerenterprises.Forthemajorityof
employeeswhoworkinsmallandmedium-sized
enterprises,otherformsofprovisionneedtobe
developed.Loneparentsandindividualsundertaking
vocationaleducationortraining/re-trainingpriorto
takingupemployment,areparticularlydisadvantaged
wherethelevelofpublicfundingforprovisionislow.'TheCommission'sreportonthemeasurestaken
shallbepassedtotheEconomicandSocialCom­
mitteeandtotheEuropeanParliament.'
2.9.ThereportsoftheECChildcareNetwork,
whichhaveprovidedawealthofextremelyvaluable
informationonthesituationinMemberStates,make
itclearthattherearemajorgapsintheinformation
availableintheMemberStatesonchildcareservices
andtheiruse.TheCommitteewouldliketoseethe
additionofanArticleasfollows:
2.5.TheCommitteewouldliketoaddtoArticle3:'Itisrecommended thatMemberStatestakeaction
toimprovetheinformationavailableonchildcare
provision,bothpublicandprivate,andtheuseof
servicesbychildrenandparents.'
2.9.1.TheCommitteewouldalsoliketoseeques­
tionsonchildcarearrangementsandtheuseofchildcare
facilitiesintroducedintotheEuropeanLabourForce
Surveytofacilitatetheregulargatheringofinformation
onthissubjectacrossallMemberStates.'(f)examinethequestionofqualityofservicesboth
withinpublicandprivate(market)provision,with
theobjectiveofdefiningaminimumstandardof
care,coveringissuessuchasstaffingratios,training
requirementsforchildcareworkersandhealthand
safetystandards.Theimplementation andmonitor­
ingofthesestandardsshouldbetheresponsibility
ofpublicauthorities.'

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).