WRITTEN QUESTION E-1043/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 April 2001)

Subject: Commission strategy to encourage the mobility of EU workers in view of development and job-creation policies in the less-favoured areas

On the eve of the European Council meeting in Stockholm, Commission sources have said that labour mobility needs to be encouraged within the European Union in view of the shortage of workers in the new technology sectors, where the shortfall is currently put at 800 000 people and may reach 1,5 million in the coming years, according to the Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner, Anna Diamantopoulou.

Does the Commission not believe that seeking to resolve this problem simply through workers' mobility rather than by promoting economic development and job creation in the less-favoured regions, which produce workers with a high level of technological training, would encourage undesirable migration to large urban areas, away from the remainder of European territory, which runs counter to the European Union's stated regional and employment policy in favour of regions with the lowest per capita income?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2001)

The purpose of the Commission's strategy in facing up to the new European labour markets, as announced in its Communication of 28 February 2001 to the Council New European labour markets, open to all, with access for all(1), and as presented to the Stockholm European Council, is to recognise the changes taking place on the European labour markets and to be proactive in supporting the development of skills and potential for geographic mobility. Skills shortages or bottlenecks in some sectors, and in particular in the Information and Communication technology (ICT) field, call for a long term strategy to develop the right human resources, but they can also be alleviated in the shorter term by an active mobility policy. The principle of free movement of workers is one of the basic rights enshrined in the EC treaty, but in practice several obstacles still prevent workers from exercising this right, and thus employers from recruiting from a wider European pool of labour. In order to prepare the groundwork for the Action Plan it has announced to make the European labour markets open to all and accessible for all by 2005, the Commission is setting up a High Level Task Force on Skills and Mobility which will report back by the end of this year.

The Stockholm European Council agreed that the modernisation of labour markets and labour mobility needed to be encouraged to allow greater adaptability to change by breaking down existing barriers. To that end it agreed that the proposal for a Recommendation of the Parliament and of the Council on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers(2) should be adopted by June 2001, and that Member States should implement in parallel the mobility action plan (agreed at the Nice European Council). It also agreed that the Commission would work with national and local governments, employment services and other relevant actors, to assess before the end of 2001 the feasibility of establishing a one-stop European mobility information site, in particular by providing employment services with a Europe-wide database on jobs, curricula vitae and learning opportunities. This commitment on developing a jobs and learning database (to be interconnected at European level) reiterates the European Council's expectations in this regard expressed at Lisbon in March 2000, and which is already included in the Employment Guidelines for 2001(3).

The development of the new labour markets, and the increased opportunities for workers to exercise their right to freedom of movement, must be seen as complementary to the efforts being made to support local economies and the creation of job opportunities in the less developed regions. The Community's commitment in this direction is self-evident through the various Structural Funds, in particular for regional development, agricultural reform, employment and training, and infrastructure. Job opportunities are being created in regions which not only help the employment of local residents, but which may attract workers from other regions or Member States. In addition, in border regions, where employment pools are complementary, the reduction of obstacles to mobility will contribute to local development via increasing numbers of commuter workers.

(1) COM(2001) 116 final.

(2) COM(1999) 708 final.

(3) Council Decision 2001/63/EC of 19 January 2001 - OJ L 22, 24.1.2001.