WRITTEN QUESTION E-1257/02

by Alejandro Cercas (PSE) to the Commission

(6 May 2002)

Subject: Minimum wage within the EU

Two of the requirements of the European Social Model and the Lisbon Process are a cohesion framework and minimum income thresholds to combat poverty and promote social inclusion. However, it is quite obvious from recent data on minimum wages in various EU countries that some workers are in effect legally condemned to poverty.

Will the Commission provide up-to-date figures on minimum wages in the EU Member States? Should there actually be workers on the poverty threshold, is any action to be taken in order to improve their situation?

Answer given by Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2002)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that according to the data concerning minimum wages in the Union collected each year by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, among the nine Member States obliged to respect a national statutory minimum wage, the minimum wage ranged from 406 to 1 290 per month in February 2002(1).

As regards the policy to combat poverty and social exclusion, the Commission would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that, based on the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council (March 2000), the open method of coordination was introduced during 2000 and 2001. The approach adopted is based on the principle of subsidiarity and favours extensive decentralisation: the general guidelines are drawn up jointly for the Union as a whole, but translating these guidelines into concrete policies remains the responsibility of the authorities at national, regional and local levels.

In this context, an action framework has been set up for increased cooperation between Member States. It is based on national action plans to be submitted by the Member States every two years and should lead to improved knowledge all round, the development of exchanges of information and better assessment of the effectiveness of anti-exclusion policies.

Analysis of the first national plans submitted in June 2001, one of the aims of which is to promote access for all to sustainable, high-quality jobs, shows that employment remains the best protection against poverty and exclusion. Despite this, problems persist for those in a precarious situation on the job market or in poor-quality jobs, as demonstrated by the fact that 6 % of employees were living below the poverty line in 1997 (compared with 38 % of the unemployed and 25 % of the non-active population).

The Barcelona European Council (March 2002) asked Member States to set targets in their national action plans for substantially reducing, by the year 2010, the number of persons threatened by poverty and social exclusion.

In this process, it is not up to the Commission to prescribe concrete measures for achieving these targets. This is up to the Member States. The Commission will fully assume its role as regards lending support to exchange and cooperation initiatives undertaken at European level and evaluating progress made in eradicating poverty and exclusion.

(1) Belgium, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. For more details see minimum wages at Eurostat's web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat, under the collection: Statistics in Focus, theme: Population and Social Conditions.