10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities NoC304/25
OpiniononthepublicsectorinEurope
(93/C304/08)
On24March1992theEconomic andSocialCommittee ,actingunderthefourthparagraph
ofArticle20ofitsRulesofProcedure ,decidedtodrawupanOpiniononthepublicsector
inEurope .
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce ,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsible forpreparing
theCommittee 'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon7July1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrdeKnegt:.
Atits308thPlenarySession (meetingof22September 1993),theEconomic andSocial
Committee adoptedthefollowingOpinionby54votesto22,with10abstentions .
1.Introduction 1.2.Economic system
1.1.Significance oftheinternalmarket1.2.1.Theeconomies oftheMember Statescanbe
described asmarketeconomies inamixedeconomy .
Thisapproachacceptstheneedforcorrections tothe
marketmechanism toachievethemaintaskofthe
economicsystem—betterdevelopment ofthewelfare
ofthewholepopulation .
1.2.2.Inpracticalterms,thismeansthatalongside a
privatesector,thereisapublicsectorwherefactors
otherthanthemarketmechanism operate.
1.2.3.SincetheSecondWorldWarthepublicsector
hastendedtooperateincreasingly inthesocio-econ­
omicfieldaswell.Inadditiontothedevelopment of
aneconomic policy,thishasalsoledinanumberof
casestothesettingupofstate-owned firms.Inthe
meantime ,conditions andattitudesinallECcountries
havechangedconsiderably insomerespects .
1.2..4.State-owned enterprises owetheircreation
(andcontinuance )mainlytothefactthatthefunctions
theyperformareconsidered necessaryforthecommon
good.Themarketisjudgednottoperformthesefunc­
tionsadequately oratall.Thesemayinclude:
—objectives ofpublicinterest,suchasprovisionof
basicgoodsandservices,undersociallyacceptable
conditions ,
—sustainable ,long-term provisionofgoodsandser­
vices,
—initiative formaintenance andrenewaloftheindus­
trialsector,
—givingspecialconsideration totheenvironment and
thesocialaspectsthereof.
1.2.5.Asregardsmaintaining publicenterprises in
operation ,thesameassumptions mustapplyinprin­
cipleandinpracticeasintheprivatesector,where1.1.1.Itisintendedthat,from1January1993
onwards ,theCommunity shoulddevelopfurtherinto
anareawithoutinternalfrontiers inwhichthefree
movement ofpeople,goods,servicesandcapitalis
guaranteed .ThisCommunity mustalsoembracethe
principles ofequalopportunities ,mutualrecognition
ofprofessional qualifications anddiplomasandequal
treatment asregardssocialprotection ,socialsecurity
andeducation .TheEECTreatyleavesoneinnodoubt
aboutthis.
1.1.2.Theaimoftheinternalmarketis,amongother
things,toimproveworkingandlivingconditions by
strengthening theEuropean Community asawhole.
Thatmeanscreatinganeconomically healthyinfra­
structure ,enhancing thequalityofproductsandser­
vicesprovidedanddeveloping qualitative employment
opportunities .Thisisallthemoreimportant asunem­
ployment isnowrising,andisexpectedtoreach11%
.bytheendof1993.
1.1.3.Socialfactorsandotherimportant aspects
suchaseducation ,training,labourmarketpolicyand
opennessinfinancialpolicycanplayanimportant part
inimproving economicconditions .Itisacknowledged
(asstatedintheSutherland Report)thattheCom­
munitymarketcallsforcoordination andcooperation
betweentheMemberStatestoensureproperoperation
oftheinternalmarket,soastoimprovethepositionof
theCommunity asawhole.
1.1.4.Anefficientandeffectivepublicserviceanda
goodsupporting infrastructure areimportant forthe
furtherdevelopment oftheinternalmarket.Thelack
ofaEuropean policyforcoordination andcooperation
betweenthepublicservicesjeopardizes theachievement
ofanactiveinternalmarketandhindersconstructive
measurestoreduceunemployment intheCommunity .

NoC304/26 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities 10.11.93
positiveresultsareoneoftheconditions forbeingable
toholdone'sown.Dueregardshouldbegiventothe
functions mentioned in1.2.4.d)Industrial andcommercial stateenterprises or
enterprises operatedonbehalfofthestateinfields
suchasairandrailwaytransport ,postsandtelecom­
munications ,energyandwatersupply,etc.
1.2.6.Inanumberoffieldsownership structure
variesfromoneMemberStatetoanother,forexample
in:1.2.10.Itwillbeclearthat,inallfouroftheabove
sectors,servicesformanimportant taskatalllevels,
andthatagreaterdegreeofuniformity mustbeaimed
atincarryingitout,inordertobesurethatCommunity
legislation willbeimplemented inthesamewayand
withthesameeffecteverywhere .airlines,
aircraftbuilding,
motorvehicleproduction ,
publicsuppliessuchaswater,gas,electricity ,
telecommunications ,
railways .1.2.11.Thiscallsforclosercooperation thanhith­
ertobetweentheMemberStates'publicservices,since
theremustbemuchmoresystematic exchangeofinfor­
mationwithinashortperiodoftime.Tothatend,
MemberStates'information systemswillhavetobe
madecompatible .
1.2.12.Itistobeexpectedthatmoreandmore
transnational administrations ,suchasEuropol,willbe
setup.Thecreationofafrontier-free areatherefore
callsfortrans-European networksandinfrastructures ,
e.g.inthetransport ,telecommunications ,energyand
vocational trainingsectors(1).TheCommittee stresses
thatthesesupranational andintergovernmental admin­
istrationsshouldbeaccountable tothepublic.1.2.7.Therearealsoconsiderable differences inthe
extenttowhichgovernments ofallMemberStates
provideservicesdirectlyatalllevels,orcontractthese
servicesout.Thestarting-point heremustbethatthe
Community andtheMemberStatesarenotallowedto
discriminate betweentheprivateandpublicsectorsin
applyingthecompetition rules.
2.ThepurposeoftheOpinion1.2.8.Theeconomic andsocialimportance ofthe
publicsectorisillustrated bythefactthatitisestimated
toemployalmost25millionpeople,thatisabout15%
oftheactivepopulation ,inwelfareandpublichealth,
transport ,energyandwatersupplies,postsandtele­
communications ,scienceandeducation ,finance,
environmental protection ,policeandjusticeoradminis­
tration .2.1.TheOpinionisintended ,amongotherthings,
toencourage thedevelopment inallMemberStatesof
anefficient,high-quality provisionofpublicservices .
2.2.Therehassofarbeennosurveyofthepublic
sectorworkers'positionintheEuropean Community
context .Asaresulttherehassofarbeennospecific
consultation between thepublicauthorities as
employers andthepublicsectorunionsatEuropean
Community level.Similarly ,thereisnomentionofa
socialdialogueonEuropean mattersbetweenpublic
sectoremployers andtradeunionsinmostMember
States.1.2.9.Itisrealisedthatconceptssuchasthepublic
sector,publicservicesandcivil/publicservantssome­
timeshavedifferentmeaningsandconnotations inthe
Community languages .Moreprecisedefinitions are
desirableandsometimes evennecessary .However ,the
basicassumption inallECcountries isthatthepublic
sectorisnotanindivisible wholeandcanberoughly
sub-divided intofourareas:
a)Thedepartments ofthecivilservicewhichassistthe
nationalgovernment initsadministrative tasks.The
workofthesedepartments includesadministration ,
adviceandtechnicalsupportonpoliticaldecision­
making,finances,legalmatters,foreignpolicy,
defencepolicy,Europeanaffairs,environment pol­
icyandmanagement ,publichealthandlowcost
housing;
b)Servicesprovidedbythegovernment ,suchashealth,
socialservices,education ,research,welfare,infor­
mation,etc.;2.3.Thisisinsharpcontrasttotheprivatesector,
wherethereisproperlystructured consultation between
employers 'andworkers'organizations .Moreover ,
thereisaproposalforaDirectiveonaEuropeanWorks
Council,involvinginformation ,consultation andacer­
tainformofparticipation byworkers,wherecross­
frontiercooperation betweenenterprises isplanned .It
canbenotedaswellthatincreasingly agreements on
theestablishment ofEuropean WorksCouncilsare
beingconcluded betweenemployers andtradeunions
intransnational companies .
c)Regionalandlocalgovernment ,whichamongother
thingsimplement anumberoftheserviceslisted
undera),b)andd); (')OJNoC14,20.1.1992.

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities NoC304/27
2.4.Thesurveyreferredtoaboveisintendedtohelp
improvethequalityoftheactivitiescarriedoutbythe
publicservicesatMemberStatelevel,inkeepingwith
theproperdevelopment andoperationoftheinternal
market .measurestakenintheframework ofEuropean inte­
grationwillhaveonthepublicsectorandwhatthey
willentailforthepositionofworkers,theprovisionof
servicesandothermattersconnected withtheproper
functioning ofthepublicsector.
3.2.IntheCommunity thereisaneedforalegal
framework throughwhichacquiredandindividual
rightsofworkersareprotected .Thenitisnotjusta
matterofclarifyingquestionsrelatingtotheposition
ofworkers,butalsooftransferring workers'existing
rightsinrelationtopensionsandotherrelevant
arrangements .AtCommunity leveleffortsmustbe
madetoensurebetter,transparent coordination inthis
fieldf1).2.5.However ,aparticularly important problem is
thattherearehardlyanyformalstructuresatEClevel
forconsultation betweenemployers andworkers .No
formalconsultation takesplaceeitherwithregardto
thetransnational activitiesofpublicservices,oras
regardstheeffectsoftheEuropeanintegration process .
Onlyasmallnumberofsectors—suchastherailways
andtelecommunications services—haveaspecific
consultation procedure .
2.6.Itwouldbedesirabletodevelopsuchstructures
forthepublicsectoratEClevel—sinceitisclearthat
theform,workingmethodsandmanagement ofthe
publicsectorintheMemberStatesvaryconsiderably .
Moreover ,theperception ofthepublicsectordiffers
fromoneMemberStatetoanother,andthisisreflected
inthesocialdialogueonthepublicsectoratnational
level.Anessentialprecondition forcreatingconsultative
structures foremployers andworkersandstimulating
socialdialogueisthatthesenationaldifferences should
berecognized andthattheimportance ofthesubsidi­
arityprincipleinCommunity legalprovisions onthe
publicsectorshouldbelaiddown.
2.7.OneoftheaimsoftheOpinionistostimulate
discussion oftheroleofthepublicsectorintheprocess
ofEuropeanintegration .3.3.Everyworker,includingthoseinpublicservice,
musthavetheopportunity tomoveintoajobinanother
MemberState,inaccordance withtheEuropeanCourt
ofJustice'sjudgements onthematter,andwithout
havingtofearanylossofbenefitsarisingfroman
occupational pensionschemealreadyacquired .The
workermustalsohavetheopportunity togoonacquir­
ingsimilarbenefitsinthenewemployment ,inaccord­
ancewiththenon-discrimination principle .
3.4.Highqualitypublicservices,responsive tothe
needsofusers,areaprecondition forachievingthe
strengthening ofeconomic andsocialcohesionwithin
theCommunity envisaged inArticle130aoftheEEC
Treaty.Intherevisedformulation ofthisArticleagreed
atMaastricht ,thisisexpressed inastrongerform.After
all,theeconomic strengthofaregiondependstoa
decisiveextentonefficientpublicsectorworkerswith
adequateresourcesattheirdisposal .
4.Theconsequences forthepositionofworkers2.8.Adialogueonthepublicsectorwouldalsobe
veryconstructive ,andcouldhelptoincreasethe
efficiencyofthissectorastheinternalmarketdevelops .
2.9.Inthelongertermeffortsmustbemadeto
ascertainconvergence ofthosepublicserviceshavinga
complementary supportive roletothebenefitofthe
internalmarket.Initiatives forcooperation andcoordi­
nationbetweenpublicadministrations andenterprises
shouldbeencouraged andextended .
2.10.Inlegislation onthepublicsectoraccountmust,
ofcourse,betakenofthesocialtraditionsanddiffering
administrative formsintheMemberStates,aswell
asthedegreesofautonomy ofthedifferentlevelsof
government .4.1.Ifitisassumedthatwithintenyearsalarge
amountoftheeconomic (andprobablyalsothefiscal
andsocial)legislation applicable bytheMemberStates
willbeCommunity legislation ,thenitisclearthat
nationalauthorities willhavetostartthinkinginCom­
munityterms,i.e.thattheywillhavetotaketheEuro­
peandimension ofproblemsintoaccountincarrying
outtheirpolicies .
4.2.Formanyworkersinthepublicsectortherealis­
ationoftheEuropean SingleMarketwillthereforehave
directconsequences fortheiractivities—forcustoms
officialsandthoseinpostsandtelecommunications .
Theconsequences forthoseintheenergysectorand
elsewhere willbemoreindirect .3.Thepositionofpublicsectorworkers
3.1.Publicsectorworkersareencountering the
effectsofthecompletion oftheEuropeaninternalmar­
ket.Onemusttherefore consider whateffectsthe (i)OJNoC223,31.8.1992,point1.2

NoC304/28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.11.93
workersinthepublicsectorisafundamental premise
andshouldthereforeberegardedasapartofthefuture
SingleMarketinwhichthecitizensofEuropewill
operate .4.3.Thuslegalprovisions oftheCommunity and
ECprogrammes atthenationallevelmustbeconverted
intonationalprovisions bynationalandregionalpublic
bodies.Theeffectiveness ofthisprocessdependson
theextentofpublicsectorworkers'knowledge .For
example,labourinspection officialsorfoodsstandards
inspectors mustbeawareofthecontentoftherelevant
ECstandards andmusthavecomparable powers,so
thatthesestandardscanbeappliedeffectivelythrough­
outtheCommunity .5.3.Thepossibility forcitizensofECMemberStates
tohaveaccesstothepublicservicewillcertainly
increasetheopportunities formigrantworkers,who
inmanycasesarealreadysecondorthirdgeneration
residents ofanotherECMember State.
4.4.Foralargenumberofcustomsagentsthecom­
pletionoftheSingleMarketwillhaveextremeconse­
quences .Thusasurveyhasshownthat63,100ofthe
239,000jobsinthissectorwillbelost.Tolimitthe
individual effectstoaminimum ,therewillbeasocial
assistanceandredeployment planinwhichtheMember
Statesalsohaveanimportantparttoplay(!).5.4.Sinceanumberofpolicyareasareacquiring a
European character ,thepublicauthorities mustalso
adoptanincreasingly Europeanapproach .Throughthe
exchangeofdifferentexperiences attheadministrative
levelintheCommunity ,theinnovative capacityofthe
publicservicecouldalsobeincreased .
4.5.Inthisconnection itisveryimportant toknow
whethersimilarproblemsarelikelytoariseinthepublic
sectoritself,and,ifso,whatsolutions willbeoffered
tocopewiththeseeffects. 6.Qualityofpublicservice
4.6.Withthefurtherdevelopment oftheinternal
market,itmustbeborneinmindthatadaptations will
havetobemadeincertainsectors.AlthoughtheSingle
Marketmaynotleadtoanoverallshrinkageofthe
publicsector,theconvergence criteriawhichMember
Stateshavetofulfilintheframework oftheEconomic
andMonetary Unionmayleadtoadecreaseinpublic
expenditure .6.1.Variousstudieshavebeenpublished bythe
Organization forEconomicCooperation andDevelop­
ment(OECD)ontheconsumer'spositioninthepublic
sector.Inaddition,theEuropeanFoundation forthe
Improvement ofWorkingandLivingConditions (an
ECbody)issettingupaninvestigation ofwaystomake
thepublicservicesmoreaccessibleanduser-friendly .
5.Mobilityofworkersinthepublicsector6.2.Fortheconsumer ,theSingleMarketmustmean
awiderchoiceofqualitygoods,notleastbecause
Community lawwillapply.However ,theconsumer
needstobesurethatthegoodsofferedontheinternal
marketaresafetouse.Thusthepublicserviceshavea
monitoring tasktoperform . 5.1.Asstatedearlier,theCommunity mustbecome
anareawithoutinternalfrontiers inwhichthefree
movement ofgoods,persons,servicesandcapitalis
guaranteed .InsuchaCitizens'Europe,everyonemust
befreetomovearoundintheCommunity ,tostayand
workinthecountryoftheirchoiceortoestablish
themselves there.Thismustalsoapplytocitizenswork­
inginthepublicsector(seeInformation Reportofthe
ESCSub-Committee ontheCitizens'Europe—CES
955/91fin).6.3.Forindustry,theSingleMarketmeansaccessto
allmarketsintheCommunity .Industryisentitledto
expectthatnonewobstacleswillariseinthisrespect.
6.4.Consumers andindustrymustknowhowthe
publicservicesareorganized ,whattheirownrightsare
andwheretodirecttheirenquiries ,iftheyaretomake
optimaluseoftheopportunities available onthe
internalmarket.Thisisundoubtedly ofgreatimport­
ancetosmallandmedium-sized enterprises .5.2.Underthecase-lawoftheEuropean Courtof
Justiceandthe'systematic 'initiativesoftheEuropean
Commission ,theE.CMemberStatesareobligedtoopen
certainservicesinthepublicsectortoapplicants from
otherECMember States.Thefreemovement of
6.5.Forconsumers ,thatmeanssimplification ofpro­
cedures,decentralization andthesetting-upofefficient
andtransparent complaints procedures .Brochures ,
manuals,databases etc.canprovidesupportforthis. (J)OJNoC 19,25.1.1993.

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities NoC304/29
7.Trainingandaccesstopublicservice 6.6.Toconsumers thesuccessful andefficientdeliv­
eryofbothprivateandpublicservicesiswhatcounts.
Improvements inthequalityandstandards ofboth
theproductandthedeliveryarethereforeimportant .
Information abouttheservice,frequencyandreliability
oftheservice,physicalaccesstotheservice,andequal
opportunities intheuseoftheservices,areprominent
wishesofconsumers withregardtopublicservicesin
allCommunity countries .7.1.Itisclearthatthepublicsectorplaysan
importantpartintheexecutionofnationallegislation .
Itisalsoresponsible fortheimplementation ofEC
legislation .Thisresponsibility isvestednotonlyinthe
nationalgovernment ,butalso,toanincreasing extent,
inregionalandlocalauthorities .Theprovisionofa
Committee oftheRegionsincludedintheTreatyon
European Unionisinpartarecognition ofthe
important rolewhichtheseotherlevelsofgovernment
playinimplementing EClegislation .Indeed,thisrole
shouldbestressedevenmorebyincorporating the
conceptofsubsidiarity ,asformulated bytheEuropean
CouncilinEdinburgh ,intotheTreaty.6.7.IntheCommittee 'sview,thesameconsumer
protection rulesmustapplyintheMemberStatesfor
national,regionalandotherpublicenterprises asfor
privatefirms,independently ofwhetherservicesare
provideddirectlyorthroughstateenterprises orfran­
chise-holders f1).
7.2.Theincreasing importance giventotheconcept
ofsubsidiarity showstheneedtoensurethatthepublic
sectorisinapositionbothtocontribute to,andbenefit
from,EClegislation .6.8.Insettingthelevelofthequalityofthepublic
service,factorssuchasthemanagement andorganiza­
tionoftheservice,resourcesandstaffing,trainingof
theworkers,safeworkingconditions andpayand
conditions ofserviceplayanimportant role.
7.3.ItisclearthatatpresentECstandardsaretrans­
posedintonationallegalprovisions inverydivergent
waysinthevariousMemberStates.Theresultcan
bethatinformation onthecontent,significance and
interpretation ofprovisions isnotalwaysidentical .This
canleadtodistortions ofcompetition ,butcanalso
bringdisadvantages fortheconsumeramongothers.6.9.Otherfactorswhichareimportant forthequal­
ityofthepublicservicesarethesocialcontactsbetween
workersinthepublicservicesandtheusers,aswellas
theaccountability anddemocratic controlofpublic
services .
6.10.Theinvolvement ofboththeusersandthe
providers (theworkersandtheirrepresentatives )ofthe
servicesinthediscussions onimproving thequalityof
thepublicservicesiscrucialnotonlywithregardto
thelocalornationallevel,butalsoatEuropean level.7.4.Itcanbeassumedthatchangesarealsooccur­
ringwithinthepublicservice,leadingtoitbeingrunin
adifferentwayfromthatwhichhasprevailedhitherto .
Technical progress,theincreasingly cross-frontier
natureofalllinksandthehigherqualitydemands
whichwillbeplacedonthepublicservicebringits
management intoquestion .'Strategicpolicycontrol'
willthereforehavetobedeveloped asaconceptwithin
thepublicservice.6.11.TheCommission shouldplayaleadingpartin
this,giventheCommunity natureofthequestion .It
shouldstimulatethedebateabouttheroleofthepublic
servicesandtheirqualitybecause,asispointedout
elsewhere ,thesearefactorscontributing tothestrength­
eningoftheeconomies oftheEuropeanCommunity .7.5.Inaneconomywhichisbecoming freerand
morecomprehensive ,thedemandsofthepublicservice
mustbereconciled withthoseofcompetition .
6.12.Cooperation ,coordination anddialogueare
necessarytoreachaconvergence inlevelsofqualityof
thepublicservicestothebenefitofusersandworkers
intheCommunity .TheCommission shouldurgethe
Member Statestotakethemeasures neededtomake
theinternalmarketoperatewellinthisfield,also.7.6.Itisthereforeimportant that,incloseconsul­
tationwiththeMemberStates,andseparately from
specificmeasuresinthecontextofreorganizations ,etc.,
aprogramme forpublicservicesshouldbedeveloped
whichatleast:
—includesmanagement trainingforseniorstaff,
6.13.Itisrealisedthattheformtheservicetakes
intheendisabalancebetweenresources,political —providesforinformation tobegivenonthecontent
objectives,needsoftheusersandthequalityofthe Qfdirectivesandregulationsadopted,andtheway
service,atlocal,regional,nationalandEuropean levels. jnwhichtheseshouldbeconverted intonational
provisions ,
—providesfortheinformation tobegiveninthenine
i1)OJNoC339,31.12.1991,point1.2.2.4. workinglanguagesoftheCommunity ,

NoC304/30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.11.93
publicbodies,asregards,amongotherthings,environ­
mentalprotection policy,transportpolicy,waterways
policy,regionalpolicyandwasteprocessing anddis­
posal.
8.3.Itisalreadybecoming clearthatasaresultof
Europeanintegration thepublicservicewilltakeonnot
onlynewtasksbutalsonew,European ,administrative
structures .TheCommittee thinksthat,forthisreason,
continuous efficiencycontrolswillbenecessary .—coversactivitiesforretraining (includingvocational
retraining )andrefreshercourses,
—includesawide-ranging actionplanforexchanges
ofofficials(aprogramme whichwouldbesimilar
totheMatthaeus andMatthaeus-Tax Programmes
butwouldcoverothervocational groupsaswellas
customsofficials).
7.7.ItcanbeexpectedthattheCommission willalso
makeanimportant contribution tothefinancingofa
programme ofthiskind.
7.8.Inplanningariddecidingthecontentofsucha
programme itisimportant toconsultwiththerepresen­
tativeEuropean publicsectortradeunionorganiza­
tions.
7.9.Following theCommission proposal of
30October1991,theCounciladoptedon22September
1992anactionplanfortheexchangebetweenMember
Stateadministrations ofnational officials whoare
engagedintheimplementation ofCommunity legis­
lationrequiredtoachievetheinternalmarket (Council
Decision92/481/EEC)(1).Thisexchangeprogramme
cameintoforceon1January1993andisknownasthe
'KarolusProgramme '.8.4.Thus,externalandinternalsecurityisalso
recognized bytheMemberStates'InteriorMinisters as
asectorwherenotonlyismoreintensivecooperation
necessary ,butthecreationofEurope-wide structures
isnowseenasanecessity .
9.Thepublicsectorandprivatization
9.1.InnearlyalltheCommunity countriesthereis
talkofreducingthescopeofgovernment .Thereasons
givenarethatthemarketeconomy isindangerof
suffocating ,thattheboundaries ofgovernment activity
havebeenreachedandthatmorereliancemustbe
placedonthecitizen'sindividual responsibility .Itis
alsoarguedthatthefinancingofthepublicsectormust
beearned.7.10.TheESChasgivenafavourable Opinion (2)on
thisprogramme ,buthasaskedforanincreaseinthe
numberofparticipants ,sinceatpresentonlyalimited
numberofofficials (1,900over5years)cantakepart.
7.11.Although itisimportant forthisprogramme
tobecarriedout,thishasnoconnection withthe
organization ofsocialdialoguebetweenpublicsector
employers andrepresentative European publicsector
tradeunionorganisations .9.2.Thatincreasingly leadstotheintroduction of
marketmechanisms inpublicservicesandpublic
enterprises .Further,governments resorttoprivatisation
ofcertainpublicservicesandpublicenterprises with
theaimofimproving theirefficiencyandquality.
9.3.TheCommittee notesthesedevelopments .It
furtherreferstothe1991WorldDevelopment Report
oftheWorldBank,whichnotes,forexample :'But
marketscannotoperateinavacuum .Theyrequirea
legalandregulatory framework thatonlygovernments
canprovide.Andtherearemanyothertasksinwhich
marketssometimes proveinadequate orfailaltogether .
Thatiswhygovernments must,forexample,investin
infrastructure andprovideessentialservicestothepoor.
ItisnotaquestionofStateormarket :eachhasalarge
andirreplaceable role'.8.Aproperlyfunctioning publicservice
8.1.Thepublicserviceisnotonlytheretotranslate
politicaldecisionsintoadministrative action,butalso
asanecessarylinkbetweenthevarioussectorsofindus­
triallife.IntheECcontextthisstructural policytask
ofthepublicservicehasnotyetbeenfulfilled.Consider­
ationmustthereforebegivenalsoatCommunity level
topossiblerestructuring ofthepublicservice,inorder
toensureinthiswayaconvergent development of
servicesbytheMemberStatesintheEuropean Com­
munity.Itisclearthatonlyaproperlyfunctioning
publicserviceiscapableoftakinginitiatives ,andin
additionofprovidinggood,substantive services .
8.2.Thisisimportant mainlyinconnection withthe
growingneedforcross-frontier cooperation between9.4.TheCommittee supportstheviewthateconomic
stimuliarenecessarytomaketheCommunity stronger
tofacecompetition fromthirdcountries .Tothisend
cooperation betweentheprivateandthepublicsector
isnecessary .
HOJNoL286,1.10.1992
(2)OJNoC98,21.4.1992. 9.5.Thenecessaryeconomic stimulimustbefound

10.11.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities NoC304/31
inthecreationofaEuropean industrial policy.This
policyshouldincludethepromotion of:10.Approach topublicserviceproblemsattheEC
level
10.1.Theactivities oftheCommission andCouncil
forcompleting theinternalmarketmustbe
accompanied byadeveloping visionofthepublicsec­
tor'splaceinit.AsstatedearlierintheOpinion,the
Community cannotachieveitsaimswithoutcoordi­
nationandcooperation withthepublicservice.For
this,adialoguebetweenmanagement andprovidersof
servicesisneeded.development ofnewtechnologies ,
marketing ofadvancednewproducts ,
settinguptrans-European networks ,
openingupnewmarkets ,
settingupandrunningrelevanteducationandtrain­
ingprogrammes toincreaseskillsatalllevels(see
Committee Opinion onEuropean industrial
policy)(1). 10.2..Therehassofarbeennospecificsocialdia­
logueinthepublicsectoratEuropean level.Itismainly
duetothefactthat,withtheexceptionoftheCEEP(2),
thenationalauthorities (MemberStates,regionsand
municipalities )havenotyetgroupedtogetherinaEuro­
peanassociation ofpublicsectoremployers .9.6.Thepublicsectorhasitsownparttoplayin
strengthening theCommunity ,asindicatedunderthe
variousheadings .
10.3.Inordertotackleadequately theproblemsof
publicserviceattheEClevel,studiesmustbemadeand
appropriate consultation andnegotiation procedures
developed .Inpracticethismeansthat:
—TheCommission ,incloseconsultation withthe
MemberStates,inthecontextofcompleting the
SingleMarket,mustinvestigate inwhichsectorsof
thepublicservicespositiveornegativestaffchanges
arelikelytobemade,andwhatappropriate
measureswillbeapplied.Thisisveryimportant ,
sinceuncertainty overjobscanhaveabadeffecton
thebalanceddevelopment oftheinternalmarket,
—TheCommission mustcreateadepartment todeal
withthespecificinterestsofthepublicsector,
—Forthepublicservicetoo,theaimmustbesectoral
consultation between publicauthorities as
employers andpublicemployees 'stafforganiza­
tions.Thiscouldcoverquestions suchassocial
integration ,workingconditions andpolicyrelating
tothem,education andtraining .Inthisconnection
itisaboveallnecessaryfortheauthorities intheir
roleasemployertoadoptorganizational provisions ,
atEClevel,
—Anotheraimmustbetoestablishregularjointcon­
sultationbetweenpublicauthorities ,tradeunions,
consumers 'organizations andbothprivatecom­
paniesandenterprises withStateparticipation .This
isimportant formutualinformation onquestions
ofinteresttoallparties,andforkeepingpublicand
privatesectorsinstepasfaraspossible,9.7.Thereareexamplesofpublicservicesbeingpro­
videdsolelybythegovernment ,bytheprivatesector
orbyacombination ofthetwo.Inpracticethereare
manyexamplesofcooperation ,e.g.:
—jointventures ,
—concessions forprovisionofservices,grantedbythe
government totheprivatesector,
—concessionary agreements onfinancing ,designand
construction (ifrelevant )and/orprovisionofser­
vices,wherefinalownership remainsinthegovern­
ment'shands,
—public-benefit enterprises withcontrolbodiesman­
nedbypeoplefromtheprivatesector.
9.8.Possibleformsofconsultation atvariouslevels
betweentheprivateandpublicsectorsshouldbeexam­
ined.
9.9.Itisalsoimportant toascertainwhetheritwould
bepossibletoholdjointtrainingandeducation pro­
grammes ,andtoarrangeexchanges ofemployees from
theprivateandpublicsectorspromoted bytheCom­
mission .
9.10.Toobtainafullpictureoftheprivatization of
publicservices,adetailedinventoryshouldbemade.
Thatinventoryshouldinclude :
—astatistical surveyofemployment intheMember
States'servicesbeforeandafterprivatization ,
—thestructureofthepublicsectorintheMember
Statesandtheexistingformsofconsultation ,(2)CEEP=CentreEuropeendesEntreprises Publiques (Euro­
peanCentreofPublicEnterprises ):togetherwiththeUnion
ofIndustriesoftheEuropeanCommunity (UNICE)theCEEP
isarecognized socialpartnerandtakespartinthecentral
socialdialogueheldwiththeETUC(EuropeanTradeUnion
Confederation ). (!)OJNoC40,17.2.1992.

NoC304/32 OfficialJournaloftheEuropean Communities 10.11.93
nationalandCommunity manualsshouldbedrawn
uptoserveasareferenceframework forexecutive
tasks,tomaintain andextendtheparticipation of
workersinthepublicsector,jointcommittees must
besetup,
withinthefutureEuropean authorities ,European
servicecommittees shouldbesetuponthelinesof
theEuropeanWorksCouncil,questions suchasthosementioned inpoint9.10
abovemustbeinvestigated .
DoneatBrussels,22September 1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectivetoamendCouncilDirective86/662/EEC
onthelimitationofnoiseemittedbyearthmoving machinery (!)
(93/C304/09
On11June1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomic andSocialCommittee ,under
Article100AoftheTreatyestablishing theEuropean Economic Community ,onthe
abovementioned proposal .
TheSectionforIndustry ,Commerce ,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsible forpreparing
theCommittee 'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon15September 1993.The
Rapporteur wasMrPearson .
Atits308thPlenarySession (meetingof22September 1993)theEconomic andSocial
Committee unanimously adoptedthefollowingOpinion .
1.Generalcomments feelsthattheCommission intheExplanatory Memor­
andumoverstated theproblem .Theoverallnoiselevel
onanurbansiteassumesmoreimportance thanona
ruralsite,nevertheless effectiveCommunity standards
areessentialifthenoiselevelistomeetgeneral
acceptability .1.1.TheCommittee welcomes theCommission 's
proposalthatthereshouldbefurtheramendment to
Directive 86/662/EECagreeingthatfurtherreduction
innoiselevelsofearthmoving machinery isnecessary .
TheCommission 'sconcernthatthepresentDirective
shouldnotlapseisvalid:itwouldbearetrograde
backward stepweretherenoeffectiveCommunity stan­
dardduetothelackofanamendingDirectiveproviding
foranextension ofcurrentlimits.TheCommittee
howeverwouldpointtothefollowingpointsarisingin
thedetailsoftheCommission 'sproposalwhichneed
attention .1.3.Themathematical (logarithmic )element
involvedinarrivingatadecibellevelisnotalways
understood .TheproposedlevelsinthedraftDirective
aresignificantly lowerandwillrequireconsiderable
application tobeattained .Abalancebetweenviable
production ofsuchmachinesandthesocialimpacton
societyhastobestruck.
1.2.TheCommittee iswellawareofthenuisance
causedbymachinery onbuildingandothersitesbut
1.4.Itisacceptedthattheproposal'ssimulatedtest­
ingprocedures doattempttoenvisagetheworking
conditions ofthemachines . (!)OJNoC157,9.6.1993,p.7.