Proposal for a Council Decision setting up a Social Protection Committee
Date: 2000-03-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: committee (EU), cooperation policy, exchange of information, report, social security

C 274 E/12

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

26.9.2000

Proposal for a Council Decision setting up a Social Protection Committee

(2000/C 274 E/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 134 final (cid:151) 2000/0055(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 15 March 2000)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to the proposal of the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

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

Whereas:

(1) The European Commission has made in its Communication
(cid:145)A Concerted Strategy for Modernising Social Protection(cid:146) of
14 July 1999 (COM(1999) 347 final) suggestions for the
enhancement of
social
cooperation in the
protection by, among other things, setting up a group of
high-level officials.

field of

(2) The European Parliament has welcomed the Commission’s
Communication and the creation of such a group in its
Resolution on the Communication from the Commission
on a concerted strategy for modernising social protection
(A5-0033/2000).

(3) The Council, in its Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on
the strengthening of cooperation for modernising and
improving social protection (OJ 2000/C 8/7), underlined
the need for cooperation in modernising social protection,
based on a structured and permanent dialogue, follow-up
and exchange of information, experience and good practice
between the Member States.

Article 1

An Advisory Social Protection Committee (hereinafter
1.
referred to as
is hereby established to
promote cooperation at Community level on social protection
policies.

(cid:145)the Committee(cid:146))

2.

The tasks of the Committee shall be, inter alia,

(cid:151) to monitor social protection policies in the Member States

and the Community;

(cid:151) to facilitate exchanges of information, experience and good
practice between Member States and with the Commission;
and

(cid:151) to prepare an annual report on Social protection to be
submitted to the Council, reporting on policy developments
in respect to the achievement of the objectives pointed out
by the Council.

The Committee may, at the request of
the Council or the
Commission, prepare other reports or opinions or undertake
other work in the area of its competence.

3.
The Committee shall work as appropriate in cooperation
with other relevant bodies and committees dealing with social
and economic policy matters.

In fulfilling its mandate, the Committee shall establish

4.
appropriate contacts with the social partners.

(4) The Council, in the same Conclusions,

Article 2

(cid:151) supported the Commission’s suggestion to establish a
mechanism for enhanced cooperation brought about by
the work of a group of high-level officials for the
implementation of this action;

The Committee shall consist of two representatives appointed
by each Member States and two representatives of
the
Commission. These representatives may be assisted by two
alternates.

(cid:151) underlined that this kind of cooperation should cover
forms of social protection and should help the
to improve and
including
in accordance with their national

all
Member States, where necessary,
strengthen their social protection systems,
their
priorities;

financing,

Article 3

The Committee shall elect its chairman from among the
1.
representatives of the Member States for a non-renewable term
of two years.

(cid:151) considered it particularly important that this new coop-
improving and modernising social
eration towards
to
protection should be a coherent action, parallel
and
European employment
strategy as well as to the macro-economic dialogue; and

interactive with the

(cid:151) underlined the role of

the social partners
modernisation of the social protection process,

in the

The Secretariat of the Committee shall be provided by the

2.
Commission.

3.

The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.

4. Meetings of
the Committee shall be convened by the
chairman, either on his own initiative or at the request of at
least half of the members of the Committee.