Council Resolution of 22 February 1999 on the 1999 Employment Guidelines
Date: 1999-02-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, EU employment policy, employment policy

C  69/2

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Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

12.3.1999

COUNCIL  RESOLUTION

of  22  February  1999

on  the  1999  Employment  Guidelines

(1999/C  69/02)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European
Community,

Whereas  under  Article  2  of  that  Treaty  the  Community
has  as  its  task  the  promotion,  in  particular,  of  a  high
level  of  employment,

In  accordance  with  the  conclusions  of  the  Amsterdam
European  Council  of  16  and  17  June  1997  and  the
Resolution  on  Growth  and  Employment  which  referred
to  the  procedure  as  envisaged 
in  the  new  Title  on
Employment  in  the  Amsterdam  Treaty  and  stated  that
the  Council  should  seek 
those  provisions
immediately  effective,

to  make 

On  the  basis  of  the  conclusions  of  the  extraordinary
European  Council  meeting  on  Employment  of  20  and  21
the  Luxembourg
November  1997  which 
process,  based  on  the  implementation  of  a  coordinated
European  employment  strategy,

launched 

On  the  basis  of  the  conclusions  of  the  Vienna  European
Council  of  11  and  12  December  1998,

Having  regard  to  the  Commission’s  "Report  on  ways  of
improving  the  comparability  of  statistics  to  monitor  and
value  progress  under  the  European  employment  strategy
established  in  view  of  the  European  Council  in  Vienna’;
the
having  regard  also 
Commission  and  the  Member  States 
in  the  field  of
indicators,  referred  to  in  the  1998  Joint  Employment
Report,

the  progress  made  by 

to 

Having 
contribution  of  the  European  Parliament,

the  Resolution  embodying 

regard 

to 

the

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  Economic  and
Social  Committee,

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  of  the
Regions,

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  Employment  and
Labour  Market  Committee,

Having  regard  to  the  Social  Partners’  contribution  to  the
implementation  of  the  1998  Employment  Guidelines  and
to  the  results  of  the  contacts  established  with  the  troika
of  Heads  of  State  or  Government  and  the  Commission,

to 

regard 

Having 
the  Council  Resolution  of  15
December  1997  on  the  1998  Employment  Guidelines(cid:216)(˛),
the  conclusions  of  the  Cardiff  European  Council  of  15
and  16  June  1998  and  the  contribution  of  all  Member
States  to  the  development  of  the  process  set  out  in  the
in  particular  through  the  presentation  of
Resolution, 
National  Action  Plans  for  Employment,

Having  regard  to  the  1998  Joint  Employment  Report,
prepared  jointly  with  the  Commission,  describing  the
employment  situation  in  the  Community  and  examining
the  action  taken  by  the  Member  States  in  implementing
their  employment  policy  in  line  with  the  1998  guidelines,

Having  regard 
October  1998 
Employment  Policies  in  1999,

to 
for  Guidelines 

the  Commission  proposal  of  14
for  Member  States’

(1)(cid:217)Whereas  employment 

is  the  top  priority  of  the
European  Union;  whereas  coordinated  action  must
be  pursued  in  a  sustained  manner  to  combat  unem(cid:220)
ployment 
levels  of
the 
employment  on  a  lasting  basis;

present 

raise 

and 

(2)(cid:217)Whereas 

the 

1998  Employment  Guidelines,
endorsed  at  the  Luxembourg  European  Council,
have  launched  a  process  with  high  visibility,  strong
political  commitment  and  a  wide(cid:220)ranging  accept(cid:220)
ance  by  all  actors  concerned;

(3)(cid:217)Whereas  the  Vienna  European  Council  has  given
the  Council  and  the  Commission  a  mandate  to
report 
forthcoming  Cologne  European
the  development  of  a  European
Council  on 
Employment  Pact 
the
Luxembourg  process;

framework  of 

the 

the 

to 

in 

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  30,  28.1.1998,  p.  1.

(4)(cid:217)Whereas  all  fifteen  Member  States  have  submitted
reports  on  the  implementation  of  their  National

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C  69/3

Action  Plans,  and  on  this  basis  a  fruitful  dialogue
has  been  established  with  the  Commission,  and  a
peer(cid:220)group  review  has  been  launched,  which  have
allowed  for  the  clarification  of  the  aims,  methods,
in  the
funding  and  timescales  of  their  policies 
context  of  the  respective  action  plans;

(5)(cid:217)Whereas  for  the  continued  success  of  the  European
Employment  Strategy,  it  is  important  to  maintain
the  integrated  and  coordinated  approach  based  on
sound  macro(cid:220)economic  policies  and 
structural
reforms 
labour,  product,  services  and  capital
markets;

in 

(6)(cid:217)Whereas 

be 

should 

policies 
the  adoption  by 
the  opinion  of 

this  coordination  of  Member  States’
implemented
employment 
the  Council,  having
through 
received 
the  Employment  and
Labour  Market  Committee  acting  in  close  coop(cid:220)
eration  with  the  Economic  Policy  Committee,  of
employment  guidelines,  which  are  compatible  with
the  broad  economic  policy  guidelines  and  which  set
specific 
is
regularly  monitored  under  a  common  procedure  for
assessing  results;

the  achievement  of  which 

targets, 

(7)(cid:217)Whereas  the  implementation  of  the  guidelines  may
vary  according  to  their  nature,  their  impact  on
Member  States  and  the  parties  to  whom  they  are
addressed;  whereas  they  must  respect  the  principle
of  subsidiarity  and  Member  States’  responsibilities
with  regard  to  employment;

(12)(cid:217)Whereas  the  role  and  responsibility  of  partners  at
the  regional  and  local  levels  in  job  creation  and  in
ensuring  supportive  conditions  and  structures  needs
to  be  more  fully  recognised  and  supported;

(13)(cid:217)Whereas  the  European  Social  Fund  is  making  a
positive  contribution  to  the  qualification  of  human
to
should  be  used 
resources  and 
strengthen  support  for  the  Employment  Strategy;

its  reform 

(14)(cid:217)Whereas  sustainable  development  and 
concerns 
endorsed 

the 
inte(cid:220)
in  other
environmental 
gration  of 
Community  policies  were 
the
Amsterdam  European  Council;  whereas  Member
States  are  invited  to  give  effect  to  this  integration
their  national  employment  strategies  by
within 
promoting  employment  creation 
in  the  environ(cid:220)
mental  field;

by 

(15)(cid:217)Whereas  the  role  of  the  cultural  sectors  in  creating
sustainable  jobs  should  be  considered  in  the  context
of  the  National  Action  Plans;

(16)(cid:217)Whereas  the  Vienna  European  Council  invited  the
Commission  to  present  in  Spring  1999  a  communi(cid:220)
cation  on  mainstreaming  employment  policies  at
Community  level,  based  on  the  future  Article  127
of  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Com(cid:220)
munity;

(8)(cid:217)Whereas  the  differing  situations  of  the  Member
States  in  relation  to  the  problems  addressed  by  the
guidelines  will  result 
in  differing  solutions  and
emphases  in  line  with  individual  situations;

(17)(cid:217)Whereas  the  Vienna  European  Council  invited  the
Commission  to  allow  those  Member  States  which
so  desire  to  experiment  with  reduced  VAT  rates  on
labour(cid:220)intensive  services  which  are  not  exposed  to
cross(cid:220)border  competition;

(9)(cid:217)Whereas  the  1999  Employment  Guidelines  preserve
the  four  pillar  structure:  improving  employability,
developing  entrepreneurship,  encouraging  adapta(cid:220)
bility  of  businesses  and 
their  employees  and
strengthening  the  policies  for  equal  opportunities
between  women  and  men;

(10)(cid:217)Whereas  the  Member  States,  in  drawing  up  their
National  Action  Plans  for  1999,  should  fully  exploit
the  new  possibilities  opened  up  by  information  and
communication 
creation,
employability,  more  flexible  and  adaptable  forms  of
work  organisation  and  progress  on  equal  oppor(cid:220)
tunities;

technologies 

job 

for 

(11)(cid:217)Whereas  the 

implementation  of  these  Guidelines
could  help  to  tackle  the  problem  of  undeclared
work;

(18)(cid:217)Whereas 

the  experience 

the
Luxembourg  process  in  1998  showed  that  stream(cid:220)
lining  is  necessary  for  1999  and  the  following  years,

implementing 

in 

HEREBY  ADOPTS  THIS  RESOLUTION:

1.(cid:217)The  1999  Employment  Guidelines  appended  hereto

are  adopted.

2.(cid:217)In  1999  each  Member  State  will  submit  by  mid(cid:220)June,
to  the  Council  and  the  Commission,  one  implemen(cid:220)
tation  report,  comprising  the  implementation  of  the
the
1998  National  Action  Plan  and  describing 
adjustments  made  to  the  National  Action  Plan  to  take
account  of  the  changes 
introduced  by  the  1999
Guidelines.

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3.(cid:217)The  Council  notes  that  the  Commission  will,  on  the
the  Member  States’
its  proposal  for  the
the 
revised
the  year  2000  by

basis  of 
its  evaluation  of 
implementation  reports,  make 
Joint  Employment  Report 
for 
Employment  Guidelines 
September  1999.

and 

4.(cid:217)The  Council  will,  on  the  basis  of  the  Member  States’
implementation  reports  and  having  received  the  views
of  the  Employment  and  Labour  Market  Committee,
carry  out  an  examination  of  the  implementation  of
the  employment  policies  of  the  Member  States  in  the
light  of  the  Employment  Guidelines.  On  the  basis  of
the  results  of  that  examination,  the  Council  and  the
Commission  will  make 
the
European  Council  on  the  employment  situation  in  the
Community  and  on 
the
the 
guidelines  for  employment.  The  Joint  Employment
Report  1999  will  contain  a  first  evaluation  of  the
impact  of 
the
employment  situation.

the  National  Action  Plans  on 

implementation  of 

joint  report 

their 

to 

5.(cid:217)The  Council  affirms  that  the  social  partners  at  all
levels  will  be  involved  in  all  stages  of  this  approach
and  will  make  an 
important  contribution  to  the
implementation  of  these  guidelines  and  the  promotion
of  a  high  level  of  employment.  That  contribution  will
be  regularly  assessed.

6.(cid:217)The  Council  recognises  the  key 

importance  of  a
broad  and 
intensive  dialogue  between  all  actors
involved,  i.e.  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,
the  Commission,  Social  Partners, 
the  European
Central  Bank  and  the  European  Investment  Bank  for
the  future  success  of  the  Luxembourg  process.

7.(cid:217)The  Council  invites  the  Commission  and  the  Member
States  to  reach  an  agreement  on  the  definition  of  all
relevant 
forthcoming
time 
indicators 
Cologne  European  Council.

the 

for 

in 

ANNEX

THE  1999  EMPLOYMENT  GUIDELINES

INTRODUCTION:  QUANTITATIVE  TARGETS  AND  INDICATORS

It  is  essential  that  the  Employment  Guidelines  are  transformed  into  concrete  national  action  plans.  The  use
of  common  indicators,  based  on  comparable  statistics,  is  of  crucial  importance  for  an  effective  monitoring
and  evaluation  of  policies,  both  at  national  and  at  Community  level.  So  far,  basic  employment  performance
indicators  have  been  used  in  several  joint  employment  reports  and  the  work  on  policy  indicators,  referring
to  the  concrete  Guidelines,  is  well  under  way.  It  was  agreed  at  Luxembourg  that  the  ultimate  objective  of  a
coordination  of  Member  States’  employment  policies  is  to  arrive  at  a  significant  increase  in  the  employment
rate  in  Europe  on  a  sustainable  basis.

In  order  to  produce  concrete  results,  Member  States:

-(cid:217)are  urged  to  support  the  process  of  defining  and  collecting  comparable  data  in  order  to  implement  the
three  Community(cid:220)wide  operational  targets  under  Guideline  1(cid:220)3.  This  includes  in  particular  developing
reliable  flow  data  on  employment  and  unemployment,

-(cid:217)will  need,  in  order  meaningfully  to  evaluate  progress  on  implementing  the  Guidelines,  to  ensure  that

adequate  and  comparable  data  systems  and  procedures  are  available.

In  addition,  Member  States  are  invited  to  set  themselves  national  targets  which  could  be  quantified
wherever  possible  and  appropriate.

Furthermore,  objective  criteria  will  have  to  be  developed  for  selecting  best  practices.

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I.(cid:217)IMPROVING  EMPLOYABILITY

Tackling  youth  unemployment  and  preventing  long(cid:220)term  unemployment

In  order  to  influence  the  trend  in  youth  and  long(cid:220)term  unemployment  the  Member  States  will  intensify
their  efforts  to  develop  preventive  and  employability(cid:220)oriented  strategies,  building  on  the  early  identifi(cid:220)
cation  of  individual  needs;  within  a  period  to  be  determined  by  each  Member  State  which  may  not
exceed  four  years  and  which  may  be  longer  in  Member  States  with  particularly  high  unemployment,
Member  States  will  ensure  that:

1.(cid:217)every  unemployed  young  person  is  offered  a  new  start  before  reaching  six  months  of  unem(cid:220)
ployment,  in  the  form  of  training,  retraining,  work  practice,  a  job  or  other  employability  measure;

2.(cid:217)unemployed  adults  are  also  offered  a  fresh  start  before  reaching  twelve  months  of  unemployment  by
one  of  the  aforementioned  means  or,  more  generally,  by  accompanying  individual  vocational
guidance.

These  preventive  and  employability  measures  should  be  combined  with  measures  to  promote  the
re(cid:220)employment  of  the  long(cid:220)term  unemployed.

Transition  from  passive  measures  to  active  measures

Benefit,  tax  and  training  systems  -  where  that  proves  necessary  -  must  be  reviewed  and  adapted  to
ensure  that  they  actively  support  employability.  Each  Member  State:

3.(cid:217)will  endeavour  to  increase  significantly  the  number  of  persons  benefiting  from  active  measures  to
improve  their  employability.  In  order  to  increase  the  numbers  of  unemployed  who  are  offered
training  or  any  similar  measure,  it  will  in  particular  fix  a  target,  in  the  light  of  its  starting  situation,
of  gradually  achieving  the  average  of  the  three  most  successful  Member  States,  and  at  least  20(cid:216)%;

4.(cid:217)will  review  and,  where  appropriate,  refocus  its  benefit  and  tax  system  and  provide  incentives  for
unemployed  or  inactive  people  to  seek  and  take  up  work  or  measures  to  enhance  their  employa(cid:220)
bility  and  for  employers  to  create  new  jobs.  In  addition,  it  is  important  to  develop,  in  the  context  of
a  policy  for  active  ageing,  measures  such  as  maintaining  working  capacity,  lifelong  learning  and
other  flexible  working  arrangements,  so  that  older  workers  are  also  able  to  participate  actively  in
working  life.

Encouraging  a  partnership  approach

The  actions  of  the  Member  States  alone  will  not  suffice  to  achieve  the  desired  results  in  promoting
employability.  Consequently:

5.(cid:217)the  social  partners  are  urged,  at  their  various  levels  of  responsibility  and  action,  to  conclude  as  soon
as  possible  agreements  with  a  view  to  increasing  the  possibilities  for  training,  work  experience,
traineeships  or  other  measures  likely  to  promote  employability;

fields  of 

6.(cid:217)in  order  to  reinforce  the  development  of  a  skilled  and  adaptable  workforce,  both  Member  States
and  the  social  partners  will  endeavour  to  develop  possibilities  for  lifelong  learning,  particularly  in
the
the 
Employment  and  Labour  Market  Committee,  define  lifelong  learning  in  order  to  set  a  target
according  to  national  circumstances  for  participants  benefiting  from  such  measures.  Easy  access  for
older  workers  will  be  particularly  important.

information  and  communication 

in  consultation  with 

technologies,  and, 

Easing  the  transition  from  school  to  work

Employment  prospects  are  poor  for  young  people  who  leave  the  school  system  without  having
acquired  the  aptitudes  required  for  entering  the  job  market.  Member  States  will  therefore:

7.(cid:217)improve  the  quality  of  their  school  systems  in  order  to  reduce  substantially  the  number  of  young
people  who  drop  out  of  the  school  system  early.  Particular  attention  should  also  be  given  to  young
people  with  learning  difficulties;

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8.(cid:217)make  sure  they  equip  young  people  with  greater  ability  to  adapt  to  technological  and  economic
changes  and  with  skills  relevant  to  the  labour  market,  where  appropriate  by  implementing  or
developing  apprenticeship  training.

Promoting  a  labour  market  open  to  all

Many  groups  and  individuals  experience  particular  difficulties  in  acquiring  relevant  skills  and  in
gaining  access  to,  and  remaining  in,  the  labour  market.  A  coherent  set  of  policies  promoting  the  inte(cid:220)
gration  of  such  groups  and  individuals  into  the  world  of  work  and  combating  discrimination  is  called
for.  Each  Member  State  will:

9.(cid:217)give  special  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  disabled,  ethnic  minorities  and  other  groups  and  indi(cid:220)
viduals  who  may  be  disadvantaged,  and  develop  appropriate  forms  of  preventive  and  active  policies
to  promote  their  integration  into  the  labour  market.

II.(cid:217)DEVELOPING  ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Making  it  easier  to  start  up  and  run  businesses

The  development  of  new  enterprises,  and  the  growth  of  small  and  medium(cid:220)sized  enterprises  (SMEs),  is
essential  for  job  creation  and  for  the  expansion  of  training  opportunities  for  young  people.  This
process  must  be  promoted  by  encouraging  greater  entrepreneurial  awareness  across  society,  by
providing  a  clear,  stable  and  predictable  set  of  rules  and  by  improving  the  conditions  for  the  devel(cid:220)
opment  of  risk  capital  markets.  The  Member  States  should  also  reduce  and  simplify  the  administrative
and  tax  burdens  on  SMEs.  These  policies  will  support  Member  States’  attempts  to  tackle  undecleared
work.  To  that  end  the  Member  States  will:

10.(cid:217)give  particular  attention  to  reducing  significantly  the  overhead  costs  and  administrative  burdens  for
businesses,  and  especially  SMEs,  in  particular  when  an  enterprise  is  being  set  up  and  when  hiring
additional  workers;

11.(cid:217)encourage  the  development  of  self(cid:220)employment  by  examining,  with  the  aim  of  reducing,  any
obstacles  which  may  exist,  especially  those  within  tax  and  social  security  regimes,  to  moving  to
self(cid:220)employment  and  the  setting  up  of  small  businesses  as  well  as  by  promoting  training  for  entre(cid:220)
preneurship  and  targeted  support  services  for  entrepreneurs.

Exploiting  new  opportunities  for  job  creation

If  the  European  Union  wants  to  deal  successfully  with  the  employment  challenge,  all  possible  sources
of  jobs  and  new  technologies  and  innovations  must  be  exploited  effectively.  To  that  end  the  Member
States  will:

12.(cid:217)promote  measures  to  exploit  fully  the  possibilities  offered  by  job  creation  at  local  level,  in  the
social  economy,  in  the  area  of  environmental  technologies  and  in  new  activities  linked  to  needs  not
yet  satisfied  by  the  market,  and  examine,  with  the  aim  of  reducing,  any  obstacles  in  the  way  of
such  measures.  In  this  respect,  the  special  role  of  local  authorities  and  the  social  partners  should  be
taken  into  account;

13.(cid:217)develop  framework  conditions  to  fully  exploit  the  employment  potential  of  the  services  and
industry(cid:220)related  services,  inter  alia,  by  tapping  the  employment  potential  of  the  information  society
and  the  environmental  sector,  to  create  more  and  better  jobs.

Making  the  taxation  system  more  employment  friendly

and  reversing  the  long(cid:220)term  trend  towards  higher  taxes  and  charges  on  labour  (which  have  increased
from  35(cid:216)%  in  1980  to  more  than  42(cid:216)%  in  1995).  Each  Member  State  will:

14.(cid:217)set  a  target,  if  necessary  and  taking  account  of  its  present  level,  for  gradually  reducing  the  overall
tax  burden  and,  where  appropriate,  a  target  for  gradually  reducing  the  fiscal  pressure  on  labour
and  non(cid:220)wage  labour  costs,  in  particular  on  relatively  unskilled  and  low(cid:220)paid  labour,  without  jeop(cid:220)

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ardising  the  recovery  of  public  finances  or  the  financial  equilibrium  of  social  security  schemes.  It
will  examine,  if  appropriate,  the  desirability  of  introducing  a  tax  on  energy  or  on  pollutant
emissions  or  any  other  tax  measure;

15.(cid:217)examine,  without  obligation,  the  advisability  of  reducing  the  rate  of  VAT  on  labour(cid:220)intensive

services  not  exposed  to  cross(cid:220)border  competition.

III.(cid:217)ENCOURAGING  ADAPTABILITY  OF  BUSINESSES  AND  THEIR  EMPLOYEES

Modernising  work  organisation

In  order  to  promote  the  modernisation  of  work  organisation  and  forms  of  work,  a  strong  partnership
should  be  developed  at  all  appropriate  levels  (European,  national,  sectoral,  local  and  enterprise  levels):

16.(cid:217)The  social  partners  are  invited  to  negotiate  at  all  appropriate  levels  agreements  to  modernise  the
organisation  of  work,  including  flexible  working  arrangements,  with  the  aim  of  making  under(cid:220)
takings  productive  and  competitive  and  achieving  the  required  balance  between  flexibility  and
security.  Such  agreements  may,  for  example,  cover  the  expression  of  working  time  as  an  annual
figure,  the  reduction  of  working  hours,  the  reduction  of  overtime,  the  development  of  part(cid:220)time
working,  lifelong  training  and  career  breaks.

17.(cid:217)For  its  part,  each  Member  State  will  examine  the  possibility  of  incorporating  in  its  law  more
adaptable  types  of  contract,  taking  into  account  the  fact  that  forms  of  employment  are  increasingly
diverse.  Those  working  under  contracts  of  this  kind  should  at  the  same  time  enjoy  adequate
security  and  higher  occupational  status,  compatible  with  the  needs  of  business.

Support  adaptability  in  enterprises

In  order  to  renew  skill  levels  within  enterprises  Member  States  will:

18.(cid:217)re(cid:220)examine  the  obstacles,  in  particular  tax  obstacles,  to  investment  in  human  resources  and  possibly
provide  for  tax  or  other  incentives  for  the  development  of  in(cid:220)house  training;  they  will  also  examine
new  regulations  and  review  the  existing  regulatory  framework  to  make  sure  they  will  contribute  to
reducing  barriers  to  employment  and  helping  the  labour  market  adapt  to  structural  change  in  the
economy.

IV.(cid:217)STRENGTHENING  EQUAL  OPPORTUNITIES  POLICIES  FOR  WOMEN  AND  MEN

Gender  mainstreaming  approach

Women  still  have  particular  problems 
in  career
advancement,  in  earnings  and  in  reconciling  professional  and  family  life.  It  is  therefore  important,  inter
alia:

in  gaining  access  to  the  employment  market, 

-(cid:217)to  ensure  that  active  labour  market  policies  are  made  available  for  women  in  proportion  to  their

share  of  unemployment,

-(cid:217)to  reduce  tax(cid:220)benefit  disincentives,  wherever  identified,  because  of  their  negative  effects  on  the

female  labour  supply,

-(cid:217)to  give  particular  attention  to  obstacles  which  hinder  women  who  wish  to  set  up  new  businesses  or

become  self(cid:220)employed,

-(cid:217)to  ensure  that  women  are  able  to  benefit  positively  from  flexible  forms  of  work  organisation.

C  69/8

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

12.3.1999

Therefore,  the  Member  States  will:

19.(cid:217)adopt  a  gender(cid:220)mainstreaming  approach  in  implementing  the  Guidelines  of  all  four  pillars.  In
order  meaningfully  to  evaluate  progress  on  this  approach,  Member  States  will  need  to  provide  for
adequate  data  collection  systems  and  procedures.

Tackling  gender  gaps

Member  States  and  the  social  partners  should  translate  their  desire  to  promote  equality  of  opportunity
into  increased  employment  rates  for  women.  They  should  also  pay  attention  to  the  imbalance  in  the
representation  of  women  or  men  in  certain  economic  sectors  and  occupations,  as  well  as  to  the
improvement  of  female  career  opportunities.  Member  States  will:

20.(cid:217)attempt  to  reduce  the  gap  in  unemployment  rates  between  women  and  men  by  actively  supporting
the  increased  employment  of  women  and  will  take  action  to  bring  about  a  balanced  representation
of  women  and  men  in  all  sectors  and  occupations.  They  will  initiate  positive  steps  to  promote
equal  pay  for  equal  work  or  work  of  equal  value  and  to  diminish  differentials  in  incomes  between
women  and  men.  In  order  to  reduce  gender  gaps,  Member  States  will  also  consider  an  increased
use  of  measures  for  the  advancement  of  women.

Reconciling  work  and  family  life

Policies  on  career  breaks,  parental  leave  and  part(cid:220)time  work,  as  well  as  flexible  working  arrangements
which  serve  the  interests  of  both  employers  and  employees,  are  of  particular  importance  to  women  and
men.  Implementation  of  the  various  Directives  and  social(cid:220)partner  agreements  in  this  area  should  be
accelerated  and  monitored  regularly.  There  must  be  an  adequate  provision  of  good  quality  care  for
children  and  other  dependents  in  order  to  support  women’s  and  men’s  entry  and  continued  partici(cid:220)
pation  in  the  labour  market.  An  equal  sharing  of  family  responsibilities  is  crucial  in  this  respect.  In
order  to  strengthen  equal  opportunities,  Member  States  and  the  social  partners  will:

21.(cid:217)design,  implement  and  promote  family(cid:220)friendly  policies,  including  affordable,  accessible  and  high
quality  care  services  for  children  and  other  dependents,  as  well  as  parental  and  other  leave
schemes.

Facilitating  reintegration  into  the  labour  market

The  Member  States  will:

22.(cid:217)give  specific  attention  to  women,  and  men,  considering  a  return  to  the  paid  workforce  after  an
absence  and,  to  that  end,  they  will  examine  the  means  of  gradually  eliminating  the  obstacles  in  the
way  of  such  return.