Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 'Territorial pacts for employment, and the link between them and the European Union's structural policies'
Date: 1999-06-03
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU employment policy, regional policy, structural policy

13.10.1999

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 293/1

II

(Preparatory Acts)

COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘Territorial pacts for employment, and the link
between them and the European Union’s structural policies’

(1999/C 293/01)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 7 May 1999, under the fourth paragraph of Article 198c of
the Treaty establishing the European Community, to draw up an opinion on the subject and to direct
Commission 6 — Employment, Economic Policy, Single Market, Industry, SMEs, — to undertake the
preparatory work;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 91/99 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 6 on 11 May 1999
(rapporteurs: Mr Efstathiadis and Mr Virtanen);

whereas the committee of the regions has recently drawn attention to the importance of local actions for
employment in for example, the following opinions and reports:

— The implementation of territorial employment pacts in the European Union, Rapporteur: Mr Behrendt

(CdR 379/96 fin) ,

— Proposal for a Council Decision on measures of financial assistance for innovative and job-creating
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — The growth and employment initiative, Rapporteurs:
Mr Virtanen, Mr Keymer (1),

— Forthcoming Economic Policy Guidelines, Rapporteur: Mrs Bresso (2),

— Communication from the Commission: From Guidelines to Action: the National Action Plans for
Employment (COM(1998) 316 final) and the Communication from the Commission: Proposal for
Guidelines for Member States’ Employment Policies 1999 (COM(1998) 574 final), Rapporteur: Mr
Bodfish (3);

Whereas in the 1999 Employment Guidelines the Member States are asked to promote the measures to
exploit fully the possibilities offered by job creation at local level and to take into account the special role
of local authorities in this respect;

Whereas in its working paper on The Structural Funds and their coordination with the Cohesion Fund — draft
guidance for programmes in the period 2000 — 06 SEC (1999) 103 final the European Commission, stated
that ‘the contribution of the European Social Fund to promoting local development, for example via the
territorial employment pacts, must be enhanced’;

Whereas in its communication on ‘Community Policies in Support of Employment’ (COM(1999) 167
final) the European Commission has drawn special attention to local and regional actions in employment
policies,

(1) CdR 46/98 fin — OJ C 251, 10.8.1998, p. 41.
(2) CdR 110/98 fin — OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 63.
(3) CdR 279/98 fin — OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 59.

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unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 29th plenary session of 2 and 3 June 1999 (meeting of
3 June 1999).

Background:

The aim of this opinion is to present the COR’s views on
territorial employment pacts as a contribution towards shaping
developments and policy in this area. It is especially targeted
at the European Commission which is currently preparing a
communication on this subject. The present opinion should
not be thought of as a technical assessment, but rather as
a political message to all the institutions concerned with
employment at the local level, especially local and regional
authorities, encouraging them to implement and expand upon
the methodology of the employment pacts. It is also targeted
at national authorities, asking them to support and encourage
the local and regional players in this field.

1.

Introduction — the background to territorial employ-
ment pacts

1.1.
Tackling unemployment presupposes a general mobili-
zation of all interested parties, as well as the development of
initiatives and actions which will be based on the possibilities
and opportunities provided by local economies. At the same
time these actions must take advantage of the opportunities
offered by the European dimension of the economy.

1.2.
Territorial employment pacts are a new and important
effort in this direction. When the Commission drew up its
initiative on TEPs in June 1996, the Commission President,
Jacques Santer, also called on the Committee of the Regions to
participate in devising the pilot programmes to be implement-
ed at local level. At its plenary session in November 1996 the
Committee of the Regions contributed specific proposals for
defining the procedure and rules necessary for implementing
these
the local employment pacts. A central
proposals is the recognition of the responsibility of all potential
players — especially local authorities — to develop the
integrated measures needed to tackle the unemployment
problem.

feature of

1.3.
As the project has progressed, the concept of employ-
ment pacts has also become more specific. The Commission’s
Communication of June 1997 defined the three main criteria
for drawing up and implementing employment pacts:

a)

selection of initiatives which originate from the local level
(bottom-up approach);

of partnership created in the context of actions under the
Structural Funds, and would actively involve the private
sector,
relevant non-
governmental organizations);

social partners, and the

the

c) a plan of action based on analysis of the local situation,
with the aim of creating an integrated strategy and
innovative measures to create jobs. (1)

1.4.
All three criteria designate a central role for regional
and local authorities to coordinate and promote the implemen-
tation of projects. The commitment of elected decision-making
bodies and their political support is, therefore, an important
underlying requirement for the partnership projects.

1.5.
TEPs are not a panacea for the European employment
problem, nor are they sufficient by themselves to solve it. They
may, however, introduce a new form of dialogue between key
players in a region, which may help the local demand and
supply for labour to be matched more effectively. The
introduction of precisely this type of dialogue may well prove
to be an important tool, as the real
life case of Sophia
demonstrates:

The Case of Sophia

Sophia has done some courses on cheese-making, although
this training has not been of any great help in finding a job,
even a temporary one. The training scheme seems to bear no
relation to the way businesses operate and the way they select
employees. As she herself puts it, ‘If I approach them myself
and tell them I have this diploma, that I have completed a
course of training, they’re unlikely to take me on. What’s
needed is another, more organized way of contacting
employers which workers can’t set up themselves, and neither
can training centres’. It is precisely this kind of local system
for matching supply and demand, which would be of great
help to Sophia, that many TEPs are trying to create. They
provide many unemployed people with access to employers
and the chance to acquire the relevant professional experience.

b) participation on the basis of broad partnership between
the public and private sectors, involving all those who
have an important influence on employment in a given
region (this partnership would go beyond the simple form

(1) Commission Communication on the interim progress report on
the implementation of territorial pacts for employment, CES(97) 3
final, Brussels, 10.6.1997, p. 1.

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Territorial Employment Pacts — a solution to Sophia’s problem?

a new range of services has been created which takes
account of the indirect problems individuals face as a result
of unemployment. The following are examples of such
services which have been developed within TEPs:

Dialogue is therefore required to facilitate the matching of
supply and demand. The annexe to this document provides
concrete examples of the kind of instruments which have been
used successfully to date within the context of TEPs to promote
this dialogue:

— drawing up a profile of the job seeker’s skills and
comparing these skills with local demand and organiz-
ing training to improve employability which is geared
to the actual needs of local businesses;

•

In many cases TEP activity focuses on analysing the
competitiveness of businesses in a region,
in both the
industrial and the service sectors. This involves not only
analysis of the current situation, but also sector-by-sector
projections for the future, which have proved effective in
predicting labour needs in each sector over various time
frames.

• These competitiveness analyses give a picture of

it

is essential

the
evolution of labour needs in the different sectors. But to
be able to match supply and demand as effectively as
possible,
to know what kind of skills
companies will expect from employees in the different
sectors. For this reason special projects to assess the skills
requirements of businesses have been set up within the
Pacts to work with local businesses to assess, on a
company-by-company basis, the particular skills needed
from existing employees and any new staff to be recruited
in the near future. Using these assessments as a basis, it
has been possible to target measures designed to improve
job seekers’ employability in such a way that they provide
real employment opportunities.

— providing advice on self-employment

— services specializing in unemployment-related health

problems

— cooperation projects between authorities aimed at

tackling social problems.

It is clear that the problem of unemployment transcends the
traditional demarcation lines of administrative powers and
sectoral programmes. At local level, TEPs can be the instru-
ments which bring together the various players to cooperate on
promoting employment, to help put together and implement a
broad-based employment strategy. As such, TEPs do the work
of consultants, examining the whole range of economic life in
a region and its employment potential whilst taking account
of the possibilities and needs of businesses, workers and job
seekers. This creates the necessary synergy between regional
economic policy action and employment policy measures
which is itself the key to employment creation.

•

Parallel to this the structure of the existing labour force
and of unemployment have been analysed. By comparing
the manpower available and labour demand, bottlenecks
in labour demand have been identified, as well as those
sectors where labour supply exceeds demand. This has
been useful in helping to tailor employment promotion
measures to local needs.

2.

Implementing local employment pacts — preliminary
observations

2.1. Overview

This examination of the structure of unemployment has in
some cases extended to the indirect effects of unemployment
and the problems these present for the individual. These
problems include disruption of one’s livelihood, deteriorating
health and the fall-off of social relations, which increase the
risk of the unemployed gradually being excluded from a
society centred on work.

• TEPs have also had some impact on these problems by
effectively stemming the exclusion process and increasing
individuals’ chances of getting back into the labour market.
In cooperation with local operators and service providers

2.1.1.
The selection of 89 local employment pacts in all the
Member States was the result of a remarkable mobilization of
local and regional authorities for the planning and develop-
ment of partnership links which would create integrated
actions to tackle unemployment. Also helpful in this sense was
the realization by all concerned that the policies which had
been applied up to that point were inadequate for tackling the
structural dimensions of unemployment. A new and important
operational tool was introduced when attempts were made to
tackle unemployment through integrated local actions. When
integrates employment
it succeeds, this operational model
policy measures with local business policies and also promotes
local economic growth.

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2.1.2.
The TEPs which have been struck differ substantially
both with regard to their respective aims and the actions
involved, and with regard to the level of processing and
preparation of their proposals. Thus, for example, in the south
of the European Union, the programmes concentrate more on
the problem of growth, whereas in the north they concentrate
on specific aspects of unemployment, such as long-term and
youth unemployment. In some cases, the partnership links
were based on pre-existing ‘mature’ forms of cooperation
between local players, whereas in other cases, partnerships
sprung up as a result of the local pacts, while so far lacking the
necessary depth and the appropriate institutional consoli-
dation. In the same way, there are differences concerning the
extent of the geographical regions covered by the pacts, and
the nature and scale of the partnership links on which they are
based.

2.1.3.
The strength of TEPs lies in their sensitivity to the
local situation and local needs. The above described diversity
is, in fact, a natural consequence of this. Indeed, as an example,
the territorial scope should in future also be determined locally,
and territorial restrictions should not be written into the
programmes. The TEPs’ bottom-up approach to the develop-
ment, planning and implementation of action enables citizens
and all local initiatives to play an active part in them. This
practice must be maintained and further developed in the next
stages of the programme.

2.1.4.
Barely 9 % of the total population of the European
Union live in the regions to which the pilot programmes
apply. The relatively small coverage of these actions means
that their beneficial effects are restricted mainly to local
employment; however, the success of the programmes will
undoubtedly provide the opportunity at a later stage for
broader use of the TEPs, and draw attention to a new,
important way of combating unemployment and assisting
local growth, particularly in the regions of the Union which
are lagging behind significantly. One observer described his
experience in the following way:

‘Territorial employment pacts have introduced a new
operational culture, in which the unemployed have also
been given the opportunity to have an influence and to be
actively involved. Territorial employment pacts are viewed
as the driving force behind cooperation on employment
promotion. In many regions concrete links have been
established between employment and business develop-
ment measures, and points of consensus have been found
concerning social and health policy objectives.’

around which the activities promoting social integration and
social development undertaken by responsible local bodies
and individuals evolve. Local authorities are also in a position
to assess which local bodies can participate effectively in the
development of partnership links, by supplying funds, human
resources and experience. In all cases it is essential to ensure
broad participation in the partnership link, so that the full
potential of the local community is harnessed.

2.2.2.
The COR wants to underline that in addition to their
coordinative role, local and regional authorities are also policy
makers. In this role they can significantly support and also
participate in the ‘product development’ for employment tools
undertaken by TEPS. Furthermore the COR wants to point out
that the bottom-up approach should count also at local
and regional
level which means that there must be real
opportunities for direct involvement of citizens in TEPs.

2.2.3.
The practical operation of the partnership link must
begin with the planning of the programmes. This ensures the
commitment of the players so that they are ready to organize
and implement the relevant actions. In particular, it seems to
be vital to involve the region’s chief employers or major
investors in the partnership link from the start so that they are
in a position to assess the practical benefits and opportunities
which will flow from the TEPs. Such early awareness and
participation will increase the sense of commitment.

2.2.4.
Local and regional authorities can take on special
responsibilities for employment in regions where major struc-
tural changes in the economy or de-industrialization processes
are underway. In such cases, pockets of unemployment are
often created, and at the same time a series of other social and
economic problems arise. These problems can be tackled in
the context of horizontal partnership action by local players.
In this way it is possible to target as effectively as possible all
the resources available at local level to combat unemployment
and support local growth. The absence of local coordination
leads to the fragmentation of the measures taken, while many
of the resources available are used up on overlapping and
conflicting actions.

2.2. The role of regional and local authorities in partnership projects

As stated earlier, local and regional authorities play a
2.2.1.
central role in the planning and establishment of partnership
links under the TEPs. The local authorities are always the focus

Partnerships can be of help in the development of new
economic activities in the social economy, thereby creating
employment opportunities which would not otherwise exist.
National governments and the European Union should, for
this reason, provide particular support for partnerships based
on cooperation between local partners and also with partners
from neighbouring regions.

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2.2.5.
The drawing up of TEPs in the context of partnership
presupposes a common understanding of the region’s employ-
ment problems.
Indeed, one requirement for a successful
partnership pact seems to be the careful mapping out of
the local unemployment/employment situation, economic
strengths and development perspectives. The partners will
need to acquire, with the help of the national and regional
authorities, the knowledge necessary to fully understand and
monitor the local situation. The partners will also need to be
in a position to recognize the best practice applied in the
region or elsewhere, which must be maintained or further
developed. It is also extremely important to monitor and
evaluate the projects in broader terms than just statistical data,
analysing the impacts of the TEP on employment-, economic-
and social development in the territory concerned. Close
monitoring helps in resource allocation and prevents the
useless duplication of unsuccessful initiatives.

local level, but with no particular coordination or concerted
action.

2.2.8.
However, with regard to established cooperation, the
continuity of actions should also be ensured also through
national decisions beyond the expiry of the first approved
operational period of TEPs.

3.

Integrating the employment dimension into different
policy areas

It

is important

to notice that

2.2.6.
the principle of
partnership has also a vertical dimension. It requires coordi-
nation and cooperation between national, regional and local
authorities. However,
it has been possible to observe that
certain countries, such as Greece, also lack the appropriate
institutional framework to develop partnerships. This poses an
important obstacle to cooperation between the partners at
local level. Developing partnership relations in the form of
business groupings, such as limited companies etc., or of
non-profit-making organizations, does not always allow the
creation of a suitable framework for partnerships. An oper-
ational institutional framework should allow cooperation on
an equal footing between the partners as well as an equal share
in the financing, without creating legal,
fiscal or labour
problems. In some instances this would require the national
level to respond and introduce measures, but it looks as
though the ‘bottom-up’ approach has often fallen short in this
respect and been restricted to purely local activities.

2.2.7.
On the other hand, efforts must be made to ensure
that TEPs do not turn into administrative mechanisms, thereby
losing their functional character. If this were to happen, it
would create yet another sector in an already sectorally
fragmented society. The value of employment pacts lies
precisely in the cross-sectoral cooperation they entail, and this
must be retained in the future. Being truly functional forms of
cooperation, TEPs have the potential to form the basis of a
substantial
local-level approach to employment questions,
which appears to be essential as a means of adapting employ-
ment policies to local needs. The local approach to employ-
ment questions through partnerships will also help to create
links with education and vocational training operations. Such
links are currently lacking. In many regions there are several
operators active in the fields of employment and training at

it

At

is understood that

the European level

3.1.
the
employment problem cannot be resolved through employ-
ment promotion alone; all measures and development projects
must play their part. Indeed, it is for this reason that a debate
has been initiated on the integration of the employment
dimension into different policy areas. Commission funded
projects can often include a requirement for employment
considerations to be taken into account at the local level in
order to ensure that the Community’s employment require-
ments are met, irrespective of policy sector.

3.2.
At the national level, established sectoral boundaries in
administration often pose an obstacle to the effective inte-
gration of the employment dimension. This has sometimes
it has
proved problematic when TEPs are implemented:
often been difficult to find counterparts at the local
level
cross-sectoral cooperation projects in national programmes,
as they tend to be defined sectorally.

level

3.3.
Incorporating the employment dimension into pro-
grammes in other policy sectors is easiest at the local and
regional levels. The impact of these programmes on problems,
including employment, is tangible; the benefits and returns for
the region are immediate. However, a common problem at the
local
is the absence of any significant local funding
instruments. This means that even well designed programmes
are incapable of achieving their full employment creation
potential. The Committee of the Regions feels that careful
examination should be given to whether successful methods
of integrating the employment dimension into other policy
areas have been developed within the framework of TEPs.

3.4.
However, integration of the employment dimension at
local level would be promoted effectively if responsibility for
devising a regional or local employment strategy fell within
the framework of TEPs. This should be an explicit objective in
the future.

3.5.
National authorities should be particularly concerned
with the fiscal and administrative simplifications required if
certain key activities within the TEPs are to be in any way
it will be impossible for SMEs to
successful. In particular,
participate in initiatives to expand employment and local
development unless there are major simplifications of this sort

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which can only be drafted and implemented by national
authorities. In addition to administrative simplification, spe-
cific support services and programmes targeted at SMEs play
an important role. These programmes, and the services running
them, should allow for implementation of TEPs and actively
support them.

In certain cases,

3.6.
large national and multinational
companies play a major role in local employment. Cooperation
with these companies at local level in a spirit of mutual benefit
can be an important aspect of TEPs so as to increase the
opportunities for local development rather than restricting
them. The COR is naturally aware of the difficulties faced by
local economies today as the process of globalization gathers
pace. Especially by creating new kind of networks which are
particularly important for subcontractors TEPs can provide
some answers which will be useful in maintaining a local
framework of business activity that is not entirely at the mercy
of global business networks.

4. A European employment strategy: the new context

4.1.
At the Amsterdam summit of the European Council it
was decided to incorporate a new employment chapter
into the Treaty. This states that Member States consider
employment promotion to be a matter of common interest
and that they therefore seek to develop a common employment
strategy. However, the main responsibility for implementing
employment policy remains with Member States.

4.2.
The introduction of a European employment strategy
has also created a new context for TEPs and this must be taken
into account in the future.

At the November 1997 European Council summit, the
4.3.
first employment policy guidelines were drawn up under the
new employment chapter. The guidelines address four main
themes: improving employability, support for entrepreneur-
ship,
encouraging adaptability in businesses and their
employees, and promoting equal opportunities.

Another decision taken at the summit was for each
4.4.
member state to draw up a national employment action plan
incorporating the European Council’s guidelines. The action
plans must respect the principle of subsidiarity, take account
of Member States’ competence in this area, and be compatible
with the broad lines of the EU’s economic policy. In 1998
employment policy in each Member State was conducted in
accordance with the approved plan.

4.5.
In an increasingly globalized world, the local dimen-
sion is steadily gaining importance. Taking account of local
conditions is particularly important in attempting to resolve
the unemployment problem. The European Commission has
emphasised the importance of local measures and, in particu-
lar, of local initiative in promoting employment. The Com-
mittee of the Regions has proposed that regional and local
authorities should be closely involved in the drawing up and
implementation of national action plans. This proposal has
not, however, received all-round support.

4.6.
On the basis of the previous observations, the following
conclusion can be drawn: when TEPs which operate on the
‘bottom-up’ principle are being implemented, the problem has
often arisen that local activities have not received the necessary
institutional response from higher levels of government. The
‘bottom-up’ principle has, therefore, been limited to the local
level and to horizontal cooperation. At the same time, the
European employment strategy has introduced a process
operating in the other direction: (top-down). The idea is to find
ways of implementing the political will created at European
level in the Member States through national action plans. As
stated earlier, the implementation of national action plans
ultimately also requires cooperation with regional and local
this has not yet been sufficiently widely
authorities, but
recognized. Thus, the National Action Plans, rather than being
a mere list of actions and objectives, should become a
solid point of reference for implementing the Territorial
Employment Pacts.

4.7.
Indeed, the Committee of the Regions wishes to point
out that national action plans, which lie at the intersection
of these two diametrically opposed processes, provide the
opportunity for resolving the problems which have been raised
here. If the experience of TEPs and the new practices emerging
from them are genuinely taken into account when national
action programmes are drawn up, the regional and local level
will be automatically drawn into the process of drafting and
implementing national action plans. At the same time it will
be possible to develop those solutions at the level of central
government which are necessary for the implementation of
TEPs. This would also introduce an essential element of
continuity and would probably ensure a longer-term future
for many partnership projects.

5. Link between Territorial Employment Pacts and struc-

tural policies

5.1.
Particular attention must also be paid to the fact that
the forthcoming Structural Fund programming period will
serve as an important reference point for the implementation
of the European employment strategy. The European Com-
mission has set the following objectives for Structural Fund
reform:
(2)
decentralising and simplifying implementation: and (3)

increasing the concentration of support;

(1)

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improving effectiveness and monitoring. As more general
objectives, the Commission refers to sustainable economic
development, supporting the competitiveness and innovative
capacity of SMEs, and promoting employment, environmental
protection, sustainable development, and equal opportunities.
The European Social Fund will bring local involvement to the
fore, with local employment initiatives and TEPs serving as the
tools of an active labour market policy against unemployment.

other sectors. This kind of initiative can be backed up by
creating ‘hothouses’ to provide training and technical assis-
tance to new entrepreneurs. These activities must be supported
funds, or capital
as far as possible by creating regional
associations to take on business risk and to back small
investments for which new entrepreneurs cannot provide the
guarantees required to get
financing from the traditional
banking sector.

5.2.
It is important to notice here, that the broad concept
of the partnership and active involvement of all local/regional
players who can significantly contribute to employment
— principles on which the TEPs are based — can provide
clear added value in comparison to the actions traditionally
undertaken in the context of structural policies.

5.3.
National programmes are not always capable of iden-
tifying the best remedy for locally rooted problems, and taking
account of regional differences in nationwide employment
programmes is not easy. Local activities should be viewed as a
way of supplementing national employment measures, rather
than competing with them. The local dimension in employ-
ment should be firmly anchored at the EU level
in the
objectives of the forthcoming programming period as well as
in the implementation of national programmes. TEPs should
therefore be presented as an operational model which provide
a flexible way of integrating local partnership into national
programmes. Adequate resources should be earmarked for
this. It would also strengthen the commitment of national
authorities to finding solutions to local problems.

5.4.
It seems to be absolutely essential for the Commission
to take the initiative of increasing the number of TEPs to be
implemented in the coming years and to guarantee the
continuity of the existing pacts. There are now major initiatives
at local and regional
level which the Commission should
support, as well as giving the appropriate technical assistance
to launch TEPs in areas in crisis or with particular employment
problems. This will of course require a substantial increase in
the budget allocated for this purpose. It is important that
funding is channelled into arrangements which are capable of
generating long-term employment.

5.5.
The TEPs in operation at present, and especially those
to be implemented in the future, should in addition to concrete
regional needs also place the emphasis on sectors such as the
environment, health, tourism, culture and social services which
jobs in new dynamic economic
facilitate the creation of
activities. At the same time, TEPs must be able to provide a
launch pad for the creation of new businesses in these and

6. Dissemination of experiences and best practices

The COR asks the Commission to draw up a European
6.1.
action plan for dissemination of experiences and best practices
implemented by TEPs. This action plan should have an
interinstitutional character thereby profiting from the existing
networks of each institution.

6.2.
As an element of this action plan the COR proposes
the creation of a manual listing the characteristics of TEPs and
the best practice emerging from them. This manual must be
based on data to be gathered in a special study with the aim of
identifying the advantages and opportunities afforded by forms
of
issues. The
manual should provide particularly detailed information on
the procedures, methodology and institutional preconditions
of the partnerships on which TEPs are based.

local cooperation in tackling employment

6.3.
A guide to TEPs should be sent out to local and regional
authorities, providing information on the methodology of
successful initiatives within Pacts and assessing the durability
of actions and the employment created through the Pacts. The
COR commits itself to participate actively in the preparation
of this kind of manual and invites the other institutions
especially the Commission to cooperate in this work.

7. Final remark

it

Finally,

7.1.
is worth reconsidering the fundamental
nature and assumptions behind the employment pacts. They
are a mechanism for horizontal cooperation, which partly
represent a counterforce to the ongoing sectoral fragmentation
of society and its administrative structures. By bringing
together all the key players it will be possible to obtain an
overview of both problems and opportunities, as well as the
measures which need to be taken.

These cooperative attributes must be preserved in the
7.2.
indeed, employment pacts should not lead to the
future;
creation of yet another separate sector in a still more frag-
mented society. On the contrary, TEPs must be a rallying point

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for local actions and the basis for a local approach to
employment issues by virtue of the extensive partnerships they
create. The COR wishes finally to encourage local and regional
authorities to take an active part in the planning and implemen-
tation of TEPs and to help all the relevant local players to
recognize the considerable opportunities they afford.

8. Recommendations

The Committee of the Regions underlines that within the
activities initiated under the framework of territorial employ-
ment pacts new tools, new partnerships and new cultures
have been created. In order to take full advantage of these
innovations and in order to encourage a larger use of the
model of TEPs, the following actions should be taken:

1.

local and regional authorities should be further encouraged
to participate actively in the preparation of the TEPs and
other partnerships as policy markers and as coordinators;

2. both horizontal and vertical dimensions of the partnership

must be strengthened;

3.

special attention must be paid to the evaluation of
activities. The evaluation must take place in broader terms
than just statistical data, analysing the impact of the TEPS
on employment, economic and social development in the
territory concerned;

Brussels, 3 June 1999.

4.

5.

6.

it must be carefully examined whether successful methods
of integrating the employment dimension into other policy
areas have been developed within the framework of TEPs;

the local dimension in employment should be firmly
anchored at EU level in the objectives of the forthcoming
programming period as well as in the implementation of
national programmes;

the number of TEPs must be increased, the continuity of
the existing pacts must be ensured and larger use of the
partnership model must be encouraged with the main
purpose of creating lasting employment;

7. given that inadequate resources are a fundamental obstacle
to the implementation of TEPs at local
level, special
provision should be made for TEPs in the Structural Funds;

8.

9.

in addition to concrete regional needs more emphasis
should be placed on sectors such as the environment,
health, tourism, culture and social services;

the Commission should draw up a European action
plan for dissemination of experiences and best practices
implemented by TEPs;

10. a manual listing the characteristics of TEPs and the best
practice emerging from them should be prepared, as an
element of this action plan.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER