Commission communication - Proposal for guidelines for Member States employment policies 1998
Date: 1997-10-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, employment policy, fight against unemployment, integration into employment

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 01.10.1997 
COM(97)497 final 

Commission  Communication 

Proposal for Guidelines for Member  States Employment  Policies  1998 

1  October  1997 

Commission  Communication 

Proposal  for  Guidelines  for  Member  States  Employment  Policies  1 9 98 

I.  A  new  ambition 

With  the  adoption  of 

The  European  Council  in  Amsterdam  was  a  watershed  for  employment  policies  in  the 
the  employment  Title,  the  Heads  of  State  and 
Union. 
Government  agreed  that  employment  should  be  considered  as  a  matter  of  common 
Building  on  the  existing  procedure  launched  at  Essen,  the  new  Treaty 
concern. 
the 
the  coordination  of  national  employment  policies  and 
reinforces 
establishment  of 
to 
recommendations  to  Member  States. 

common  guidelines  which 

foresees 
lead 

in  due 

course 

can 

the  Amsterdam  agreement 

the  new 
Following 
employment  Title,  the  Commission  now  presents  these  guidelines  as  a framework  for 
discussion  at 
The 
Commission  will,  on  the  basis  of 
the  Jobs 
Summit,  present  a final  proposal  for  adoption  by  the  Council. 

the  extraordinary  European  Council  on  20/21  November. 

the  Presidency's  Conclusions 

the  application  of 

to  anticipate 

from 

It  is  important  to  understand  the  essence  of  this  exercise. 
The  new  Treaty  has 
launched  a  process  which  enables  the  Member  States  to  consider  the  employment 
situation  each  year  and  adopt  guidelines  for  their  national  employment  policies.  The 
latter  must,  of  course,  be  part  of  an  overall  integrated  approach  which  also  involves 
sound  macroeconomic  policies,  a  functioning  Single  Market  and 
taking  of 
employment  into  account  in  all  Community  policies. 

the 

A  window  of  opportunity 

After  a  period  of  slow  growth,  the  underlying  conditions  necessary  for  sustained 
growth  in  output  and  employment  in  the  EU  are  now  in  place:  inflation  is  at  an 
historic  low;  public  finances  are  in  a much  sounder  position;  business  profitability  has 
recovered  strongly;  exports  are  rising  sharply  and  confidence 
levels  are  much 
improved.  Continued  macroeconomic  stability  and  the  realisation  of  EMU,  as  well  as 
the  completion  of  the  Single  Market  in  accordance  with  the  Action  Plan  adopted  by 
the  Amsterdam  European  Council,  will  underpin  and  sustain  this  process. 

The  current  cyclical  upturn  and  these  improved  prospects  must  not,  however,  lead  to 
complacency.  Tackling  the  present  levels  of  unemployment 
in  the  EU  requires  a 
protracted  period  of  strong  growth,  but  growth  alone  cannot  solve  Europe's 
unemployment  problems.  These  problems  result  from  a  continuing  inability  to  create 
enough  new  jobs,  inadequate  workforce  skills,  failure  to  adapt  to  new  patterns  of 
work  and  inequality  of  opportunities.  There  is,  therefore,  a  need  for  continued 
medium  and  long-term  structural  reforms.  Experience  shows  that  such  reforms  are 
best  implemented  in  a  climate  of  growth  and  rising  demand.  Governments  should, 
therefore,  consider  the  improved  growth  prospects  as  a  window  of  opportunity  for 
bold  structural  reforms  of  their  employment  systems. 

The  present  Guidelines  do  not  call  for  increased  expenditure  but  rather  a  restructuring 
of  expenditure,  a  reform  of  benefit  and  taxation  systems  and  a  move  from  passive 
income  support  measures  to  proactive  policies  so  as  to  maximise  the  return  on 
In  particular,  policy  changes  are  needed  to  enhance  the 
existing  budget  outlays. 
capacity  and  willingness  of  enterprises 
the 
opportunity  to  meet  the  ever-growing  demand  for  new  skills  and  versatility  in  the 
face  of  increasing  technological  change. 

invest  and 

individuals 

to  give 

to 

2 

is 
These  guidelines  are,  therefore,  aimed  at  ensuring  that  the  economic  recovery 
job  creation  and  a  stable  macroeconomic 
accompanied  both  by  a  high  level  of 
environment,  and  that  this  favourable  combination  is  sustained.  To  achieve  this 
objective  the  Commission  believes  that  Member  States  will  have  to  strengthen  their 
focus  on  four  main  lines  of  action  in  their  employment  policies: 

•  Entrepreneur ship; 
•  Employ ability; 
•  Adaptability,  and 
•  Equal  opportunities 

These  actions  must  form  part  of  an  integrated  approach  and  be  drawn  together  into  a 
for 
comprehensive  strategy.  This  integrated  approach  offers  the  best  conditions 
achieving  both  the  flexibility  needed  to  adjust  to  changing  market  conditions  and  the 
security  of  good  jobs  needed  by  workers. 

Any  real  progress  at  the  European  level  will  require  detailed  action  plans  by  Member 
States  that  reflect  their own  circumstances  but  which  are  drawn  up  and  implemented 
within  a  common  European  framework  of  objectives  and  guidelines.  This  process 
must  be  interactive, 
involving  both  the  Member  States  and  the  Union.  The  action 
plans  will need  to be  updated  and monitored  on an annual  basis. 

The main challenge 

longer 

to  move  progressively 

term  objective  must  be 

towards  an 
The  EU's 
In  order 
employment  rate  of  over  7 0%  in  line  with  those  of  its  main  trading  partners. 
to  achieve  this,  Member  States  must  in  the  medium  term  commit  themselves 
to 
ambitious  employment  targets  and  policies  while  seizing  the  opportunities  afforded 
by  growth  and  macroeconomic  stability.  Considering  the  current  favourable  outlook 
for  economic  growth,  the  combined  efforts  of  the  Member  States  based  on  these 
guidelines,  with  EU  support  where  appropriate,  could  result  in  an  increase  of  the 
current  employment  rate  of  6 0 . 4%  to  6 5%  within  5  years  and  a  reduction  of  the 
unemployment  rate  to  7%.  This  will  imply  the  creation  of  at  least  12  million  new 
jobs. 

In  this  paper,  the  Commission  has  sought  to  focus  on  actions  which,  drawing  on 
Member  States'  experiences  and  best  practices,  can  be  expected  to  have  a  real 
impact  and  added-value..  Moreover,  while  recognising  that 
the  employment  and 
labour  market  situation  differs  between  Member  States,  these  guidelines  set  out 
some  ambitious  targets  in  order  to  focus  the  attention  of  policy-makers  at  all  levels. 

II.  Create  a  new  culture  of  entrepreneurship 

Stimulating  entrepreneurship  means  creating  a  climate  where  companies  can  thrive 
and  individuals  are  encouraged  to  exploit  their  creative  energies  and  new  ideas  to  the 
full,  thereby  creating  new  jobs.  One  third  of  the  jobs  in  the  private  sector  are  in 
micro-enterprises  of  less  than  10  people,  while  another  third  are  in  enterprises  of  less 
than  250  people.  Most  new  jobs  are  created  in  these  enterprises.  If  Europe  is  to 
succeed  in  meeting  the  jobs  challenge,  it  has  to  create  more  jobs  by  stimulating  the 
growth  of  these  enterprises,  particularly  in  the  services  sector.  This  requires  a  new 
entrepreneurial  culture. 

The  preconditions  for  this  are  already  in  place.  Europe  is  not  short  of 
innovative 
ideas  or  talented  individuals  and  it  is  more  than  capable  of  competing  on  the  world 
stage.  But  Europe  has  yet  to  realise  its  full  potential.  There  is  an  urgent  need  for  co 
ordinated  and  sustained  efforts  by  all  Member  States  to  create  a  better  business 

3 
environment  and  a  new  entrepreneurial  culture  capable  of  transforming  this  potential 
into  jobs.  There  is  clear  evidence  that  policies  which  take  a  comprehensive  approach 
towards  entreprensurship  are  most  successful. 

the  need 

job  creation  extends 

for  entrepreneurship  and 

However, 
further  and 
experience  has  shown  the  significant  potential  for  job  creation  at  local  level  and 
within  the  social  economy.  These  new  sources  of  employment  need  to  be  exploited 
to 
much  more  decisively,  particularly  as  regards  services 
local 
communities,  and 
initiatives  and 
Territorial  Pacts  bringing  together  all  involved  at  local,  regional  and  national  levels,  in 
a  broad  partnership  approach  have  proved  particularly  effective.  The  lessons  drawn 
from  these  successful  experiences  need  to  be  promoted  as  part  of  a  wider 
local 
development  drive  throughout  Europe. 

the  not-for-profit  sector. 

Local  employment 

to  people  and 

Moreover,  Europe  must  harness  new  technology  and  innovation  for  the  creation  and 
development  of  enterprises  and 
the  promotion  of  environmentally  sustainable 
production  and  consumption  patterns.  Member  States  should  develop  strategies  to 
promote  access  to  the  Information  Society  at  all  levels,  thereby  stimulating  the  use 
of  new  technology  and  the  creation  of  jobs  in  new  and  expanding  sectors.  The 
Member  States  must  also  significantly  boost  RTD  expenditure  as  a  percentage  of 
GDP,  thereby  raising  the  European  average  from  1.9%  to  2.5%,  so  as  to  match  its 
global  competitors,  while  at  the  same  time  encouraging  more  effective  sharing  of 
large, 
innovation  and  new 
medium  and  small  enterprises. 

through  reinforced  cooperation  between 

technologies 

Further  efforts  are  required,  however,  to  promote  a  new  culture  of  entrepreneurship 
in  Europe: 

Make  it  easier  to  start-up  and  run  businesses  by  providing  a  dear,  stable  and 
predictable  set  of 
the 
administrative  burdens  on  SMEs,  taking  into  account  the  new  proposals  to  be 
developed  by  the  Business  Environment  Simplification  Task  Force. 

rules.  Member  States  should 

review  and  simplify 

particular  attention  should  be  given  to  reducing  significantly  the  overhead 

•¥ 
costs  for  enterprises  of  hiring  an  additional  worker. 

the  obstacles,  especially  those  within  existing  social  security  regimes,  to 
to  self-employment  and  setting  up  micro-
to 

-^ 
people  moving 
enterprises  need  to  be  tackled  and  existing  regulations  must  be  adapted 
facilitate  easier  transition  to  self-employment. 

from  employment 

Develop  the  markets  for  venture  capital,  thereby  mobilising  Europe's  wealth 
behind  entrepreneurs  and  innovators.  Member  States  should  examine  the  specific 
needs  of  SMEs  as  regards  financing,  principally  in  the  form  of  equity  or  guarantee 
capital,  building  on  EIB initiatives  in  this  area. 

->  a  pan-European  secondary  capital  market  should  be  established  by  the  year 
2000. 

Make  the  taxation  system  more  employment 
to  encourage 
enterprises  to  create  new  jobs,  Member  States  must  exploit  the  current  favourable 
macroeconomic  climate  to  finally  reverse  the  average  long-term  trend 
towards 
higher  taxes  and  charges  on  iabour  (which  have  increased  from  3 5%  in  1980  to 
over  4 2%  in  1995).  Each  Member  State  should 

In  order 

friendly. 

•^  set  a  target  for  reducing  the  tax  burden  on  labour,  whiie  maintaining  budget 
neutrality,  with  a view  to  achieving  substantial  progress  by  the  year  2000. 

The  Commission  will  support  Member  States  in  their  efforts  to  give  more  attention  to 
entrepreneurship  in  education  and  training  systems,  identify  current  obstacles  and 
disseminate  information  on  good  practice  and  new  initiatives,  and  will  launch  an 
Entrepreneurship  in  Europe  Initiative  to  drive  this  process 

forward. 

III.  Creating  a  new  culture  of  Employability 

In  its  workforce,  Europe  has  great  potential  for  economic  growth  and  prosperity. 
There  are  about  18  million  unemployed  and  a  further  8-9  million  people  who  would 
like  to  work  if  they  thought  they  could  get  a job.  To  turn  this  potential  into  reality,  a 
new  culture  of  employability  has  to  be  developed.  Employability  means  the  capacity 
for  people  to  be  employed  :  it  relates  not  only  to  the  adequacy  of  their  skills  but  also 
incentives  and  opportunities  offered  to  individuals  to  seek  employment. 

The  ageing  of  the  Union's  workforce  and  the  fast  pace  of  new  technology  means 
that  Europe  is  facing  an  ever-increasing  skills  gap.  Enterprises  are  looking  for  new 
the  unemployed  have  old  skills  or  no  skills. 
and  adequate  skills,  but  most  of 
Moreover,  many  young  people  leave  school  early,  or  without  any  qualification,  while 
large  parts  of  the  labour  force  have  very  little  access  to  adult  education  and  training, 
in  particular  those  with  lower  skills  and  non-standard  work  contracts.  Less  than  10 
per  cent  of  the  unemployed  are  offered  training. 

But  training  alone  is  not  enough.  There  is  a  clear  need  to  make  benefit  and  taxation 
systems  more  employment-friendly  by  promoting  active  measures 
favour 
employment  or  encourage  people  of  working  age  to  acquire  new  skills  and  update 
existing  skills.  Member  States  are  spending  about  ECU  200,000  million  on  their 
labour  market  policies  but  only  one  third  of  this  is  spent  on  active  measures.  All 
social  transfers  should  be  examined 
they  could  be  used  more 
effectively  in  promoting  rehabilitation,  reintegration,  training  or  work  experience. 

to  see  whether 

that 

The  capacity  of  Member  States'  employment  services  to  help  jobseekers  should  be 
reformed  and  strengthened  in  line  with  best  practice,  in  particular  by  exploiting  new 
information  and  communication 
technologies.  Employment  offices  should  also 
strengthen  their  role  vis-à-vis  employers  by  improving  the  level  of  market  penetration 
in  order  to  enable  them  to  fulfill  their  double  mission  of  providing  employers  with 
adequately  skilled  jobseekers  and  the  job  seekers  with  job  opportunities.  Passive 
unemployment  support  should  be  regarded  as  a  last  resort 

long-term  and  youth  unemployment.  Member  States  should  adopt 
Tackle 
preventive  and  employability-oriented  stratgegies  built  on  early  identification  of 
individual  needs  and  early  action  and  ensure  that 

•>  every  unemployed  adult  is  offered  a  new  start  -  in  the  form  of  a  job, 
training,  retraining,  work  practice  or  other  employability  measure  -  before 
reaching  twelve  months  of  unemployment. 

-*  every  unemployed  young  person  is  given  such  a  new  start  before  reaching 
six  months  of  unemployment. 

The  combined  effect  of  preventive  and  reintegration  measures  can  be  expected  to 
reduce  the  rates  of  long-term  and  youth  unemployment  in  the  Member  States  by 
the 
half  within  5  years.  This  will  also  improve  the  employment  situation  of 
disabled,  many  of  whom  are  long-term  unemployed. 

Ease  the  transition  from  school  to. work,  Employment  prospects  are  poor  for  the 
10%  of  young  people  who  drop  out  of  the  school  system  early  and  many  of  the 
4 5%  who  do  not  complete  upper  secondary  education.  Member  States  must  seek 
to 

-• 
reduce  the  numbers  dropping  out  of  the  education  system  early  by  half 
within  five  years  and  reduce  progressively  the  share  who  do  not  complete 
upper  secondary  level. 

•+  apprenticeship  provides  a  particularly  effective  way  of  equipping  young 
people  with  relevant  skills  and  Member  States  should,  where  necessary, 
significantly  increase  participation  in  apprenticeship  training  in  line  with  the 
best  performing  Member  States  and  improve  their  systems  accordingly. 

Move  from  passive  to  active  measures  Benefit  and  training  systems  should  be 
reviewed  and  adapted  to  ensure  that  they  actively  support  employability  and 
provide  clear  incentives  for  the  unemployed  to  seek  and  take  up  work  or  training 
opportunities.  Each  Member  State  should 

set  a  target  for  the  number  of  people  to  be  transferred  from  passive 

-> 
income  support  to  active  employability-related  measures. 

•^  seek  to  increase  the  numbers  of  unemployed  who  are  offered  training  from 
the  current  EU  average  of  10%  towards 
the  three  best 
performing  Member  States  i.e.  above  2 5 %,  within  5  years. 

the  average  of 

consider  how  reducing  the  cost  of  hiring  less  skilled  workers 

-• 
through 
measures  such  as  targeted  reductions  in  non-wage  labour  costs,  can  be  better 
linked  to  measures  designed  to  boost  skill  levels. 

Develop  a  partnership  approach.  Both  enterprises  and  the  social  partners  should 
be  involved  in  joint  efforts  to  invest  Europe's  wealth  in  its  future  by  offering  the 
necessary  work  experience/training  positions.  The  Social  Partners  are  urged  to 

->  conclude  as  soon  as  possible  a  framework  agreement  to  open  workplaces 
across  Europe  for  training,  work  practice,  traineeships  and  other  forms  of 
employability  measures  and  to  agree  on  the  terms  and  conditions. 

->  continue  the  impressive  contribution  which  they  have  made  over  the  past 
five  years  to  the  wage  moderation  which  has  contributed  so  much  to  the 
improved  economic  outlook  and  the  improved  prospects  for  new  job  creation. 

labour  market  policies 

In  so  far  as  the  Structural  Funds  are  concerned,  a  significant  level  of 
investment 
already  goes  towards  underpinning  Member  States'  efforts  to  promote  higher  skills, 
the  activation  of 
targeted  measures  aimed  at 
preventing  long-term  unemployment,  and  at  the  promotion  of  entrepreneurship  and 
In  the  next  programming  period,  Member  States  should  seek  to  further 
adaptability. 
funding  allocated 
increase 
resource 
level  of  structural 
development  policies  and  activities. 
In  the  short  term,  Member  States  should  avail  of 
the  current  mid-term  review  to  reinforce  the  employment  content  of  their  Structural 
Fund  programmes. 

their  human 

through 

the 

to 

The  Commission  will  support  the  Member  States  in  developing  their  employment 
the  exchange  of  knowledge  and  experience  as  well  as 
services  by  organising 
It  is  essential  to 
developing  benchmarks  for  the  improvement  of  their  performance. 
remove 
the  flow  of 
information  on  job  opportunities  and  incentives  to  mobility,  and  the  Commission  will 
shortly  present  a package  of  measures  to  help  achieve  this  objective. 

the  remaining  obstacles 

labour  mobility  while 

improving 

to 

IV.  Promote  and  encourage  adaptability 

6 

In  Europe,  as  elsewhere,  enterprises  are  undergoing  a  period  of 
fundamental 
restructuring  brought  on  by  new  technologies  and  new  market  conditions.  This  is 
visible  in  the  form  of  mergers  and  acquisitions,  new  products  and  services  and 
greater  competition,  all  of  which  are  affecting  individual  enterprises  and  leading  to 
new  work  patterns. 
is  emerging  with 
technologically  more  advanced  enterprises  and  with  a  growing  services  sector,  often 
in  the  form  of  new  small  firms. 

this  process  a  new  economy 

Through 

The  capacity  to  adapt  is  decisive  for  the  viability  of  enterprises,  and  their  ability  to 
seize  new  opportunities,  as  well  as  for  employment  and  job  security.  However, 
workers  often  feel  that  they  have  not  been  adequately  informed  and  consulted,  and 
may  see  little  prospect  for  a  good  job  and  a  decent  income  after  restructuring  or 
downsizing.  Member  States  should,  therefore,  make  the  adaptability  of  enterprises, 
and  of  those  employed  in  enterprises,  one  of  the  main  objectives  of  their  employment 
policies.  The  Social  Partners  have  a  key  role  to  play  in  this  regard. 

•  Modernise  work  organisation 

In  order  to  promote  the  modernisation  of  work 

organisation  and  working  patterns: 

Social  Partners  should 

the  appropriate 

•^  negotiate,  at 
in  economic  sectors 
undergoing  major  structural  change,  agreements  on  work  organisation  and 
flexible  working  arrangements, 
in 
working  time,  with  the  aim  of  making  enterprises  productive  and  competitive, 
and  achieving  the  required  balance  between  flexibility  and  security. 

including  where  appropriate 

levels,  particularly 

reductions 

Member  States  should 

"^  put  in  place  a framework  for  more  adaptable  forms  of  contract,  taking  into 
account  that  forms  of  employment  are  increasingly  diverse.  Those  in  non 
standard  work  should  be  given  greater  security  and  occupational  status  and 
those  who  opt  to  work  reduced  hours  should  not  be  penalised  in  terms  of 
career  progression  or  in  terms  of  maintaining  social  security  protection 

•  Support  adaptability 

in  enterprises. 

In  order 

to 

renew  skill 

levels  within 

enterprises,  Member  States  should 

-> 
remove  fiscal  and  other  obstacles  to  the  promotion  of 
human  resources  and  offer  tax  incentives  for  the  development  of 
training. 
encouraged. 

in 
in-house 
Incentives  to  workers  to  avail  of  training  opportunities  should  also  be 

investment 

re-focus  their  State  Aid  policies  on  upgrading  the 

-> 
the 
creation  of  sustainable  jobs  and  efficiently  functioning  labour  markets,  while 
respecting  Community  state  aid  provisions. 

labour 

force, 

for  a  new 
The  Commission  will  assist 
organisation  of  work,  and  information  and  consultation  of  workers 
in  respect  of 
decisions  affecting  them  as  well  as  bringing  forward  clear  guidelines  concerning 
training  aid. 

this  process  by  promoting 

its  policies 

V.  Strengthen the policies foiLequaLopportunities 

There  are  sound  economic  and  social  reasons  for  a  reinforcement  of  the  efforts  of 
in  the  labour  market.  While  the 
Member  States  to  promote  equal  opportunities 
employment  situation  of  women  has  improved  over  recent  decades,  unemployment  is 
higher 
rate  of 
participation  in  work  is  lower  (50.2%  as  against  70.4%).  Within  work,  women  are 
over-represented  in  some  sectors  and  professions  and  under-represented  in  others. 
These  labour  market  rigidities,  which  impede  Europe's  capacity  for  growth  and  job 
creation,  must  be  tackled. 

(12.6%  as  against  9.7%)  and 

for  women 

for  men 

their 

than 

As  the  Commission's  Demography  Reports  have  outlined,  the  working  age  population 
is  now  growing  much  slower  than  it  did  during  the  last  20  years  and  over  the  next 
decade 
in 
employment  necessary  to  sustain  our  living  standards  and  the  European  social  model 
is  critically  dependent  on  an  increase  in  the  participation  of  women  in  the  labour 
force. 

it  will  start 

the  growth 

to  decline. 

therefore, 

In  the 

longer 

term, 

Tackle  gender  gaps:  Member  States  should  translate  their  commitment  to  equality 
of  opportunity  into  increased  employment  rates  for  women  and  breaking  down 
gender  segregation,  and 

->  make  consistent  efforts  to  reduce  the  gap  in  unemployment  rates  between 
women  and  men  by  actively  supporting  the  increased  employment  of  women. 

Reconcile  work  and  family  life:  Policies  on  career  breaks,  parental  leave  and  part-
time  work  are  of  particular  importance  to  women. 
Implementation  of  the  various 
Directives  and  social  partner  agreements  in  this  area  should  be  accelerated  and 
monitored.  There  must  be  an  adequate  provision  of  good  quality  care  for  children 
and  other  dependents 
to  support  women's  entry  and  continued 
participation  in  the  labour  market.  Member  States  should 

in  order 

seek  to  raise  levels  of  care  provision,  using  the  standards  of  the  best 

-> 
performing  Member  States  as  a  benchmark. 

Facilitate  return  to  work:  Specific  attention  should  be  given  to  women  considering 
a  return  to  the  paid  workforce  after  an  absence.  They  may  face  problems  of  poor 
employability  due  to  outmoded  skills  and  may  have  difficulty  in  accessing  training 
opportunities  if  they  have  not  been  registered  as  "jobseekers".  Moreover,  taxation 
and  benefit  systems  may  interact  to  reduce  financial  incentives  to  seek  work. 
Member  States  should  address  these  and  other  obstacles. 

Above  all,  Member  States  should,  in  developing,  implementing  and  reporting  on  these 
labour  market  situation  of  women. 
guidelines, 
Specific  strategies  to  promote  entrepreneurship  among  women,  to 
their 
employability  and  adaptability  should  be  developed. 

the  particular 

into  account 

improve 

take 

YLThe  Implementation of the Guidelines 

Member  States  should,  from  1998  onwards,  report  on  the  implementation  of  these 
guidelines;  they  should  highlight  their  best  practices  and  their  impact  on  employment 
for  examination  by  the  Commission  and  the  Council.  The  Commission  will  present  a 
proposal  to  ensure  an  agreed  comparable  database  in  Member  States,  and  agreed 
indicators,  in  order  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  these  guidelines. 

In  preparing  the  1999  guidelines,  the  Commission  will  examine  how  each  Member 
State  has  taken  the  current  guidelines  into  account  in  implementing  their  employment 
policies  and  present  its  assessment  in  Autumn  1998  for  adoption  by  the  European 
Council  at  the  end  of  1998. 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 497 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

04  05 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-97-514-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-25649-8 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

I ,-29X5  I .uxembourg