2001/63/EC: Council Decision of 19 January 2001 on Guidelines for Member States' employment policies for the year 2001
Date: 2001-01-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, employment policy, fight against unemployment

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 19 January 2001

on Guidelines for Member States' employment policies for the year 2001

(2001/63/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 128(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (3),

Having regard to the opinion of
Regions (4),

the Committee of

the

Having regard to the opinion of the Employment Committee,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

the

The Luxembourg process, based on the implementation
of the coordinated European Employment Strategy, was
launched by
extraordinary European Council
meeting on Employment on 20 and 21 November
1997. The Council Resolution of 15 December 1997 on
the 1998 Employment Guidelines (5) has launched a
process with high visibility, strong political commitment
and a wide-ranging acceptance by all parties concerned.

The Council Decision of 13 March 2000 on guidelines
for Member States' employment policies for the year
2000 (6) has allowed consolidation of the Luxembourg
process through compliance with those guidelines.

The Lisbon European Council on 23 and 24 March
2000 set a new strategic goal for the European Union to
become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-

(1) Proposal of 14 November 2000 (not yet published in the Official

Journal)

(2) Opinion delivered on 24 November 2000 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(3) OJ C 14, 16.1.2001, p. 75.
(4) Opinion delivered on 13 October 2000 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(5) OJ C 30, 28.1.1998, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 72, 21.3.2000, p. 15.

based economy in the world capable of sustainable
economic growth with more and better jobs and greater
social cohesion. The attainment of this goal will enable
the Union to regain the conditions of full employment.

The opinion of the Employment Committee was drafted
jointly with the Economic Policy Committee.

Consistency and synergy between the Employment
Guidelines and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines
should be ensured.

In implementing the employment guidelines, Member
States should aim at a high degree of consistency with
two other priorities highlighted by the Lisbon Summit,
modernising social protection and the promotion of
social inclusion, while ensuring that work pays, and the
long-term sustainability of social protection systems is
secured.

The Lisbon European Council stressed the need to adapt
European education and training systems both to the
demands of the knowledge society and to the need for
an improved level and quality of employment, and called
upon Member States, the Council and the Commission
to pursue a substantial annual
increase in per capita
investment in human resources.

The Santa Maria da Feira European Council on 19 and
20 June 2000 invited the social partners to play a more
prominent role in defining, implementing and evaluating
the employment guidelines which depend on them,
focusing particularly on modernising work organisation,
lifelong learning and increasing the employment rate,
particularly for women.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

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(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)

the
followed up in order to examine,
impact of national initiatives in terms of job potential.

in particular,

The contribution of the Structural Funds, and in partic-
ular the European Social Fund and the Community
Initiative EQUAL to the European Employment Strategy
in the new programming period should be highlighted,
as well as the role of the European Investment Bank.

Partnership at all levels should be encouraged, including
with the social partners, regional and local authorities
and representatives of civil society so that they can
contribute, in their respective fields of responsibility, to
promoting a high level of employment.

There is a need further to consolidate and develop
comparable indicators to make it possible to assess the
implementation and impact of the annexed guidelines,
and to refine the targets which they contain and facili-
tate the identification and exchange of best practice.

Sustainable development and the integration of environ-
mental concerns into other Community policies are
objectives of the Treaty. Member States are invited to
give effect
to such integration within their national
employment strategies by promoting employment crea-
tion in the environmental field,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The Guidelines for Member States' employment policies for the
year 2001, annexed hereto, are hereby adopted. They shall be
taken into account by the Member States in their employment
policies.

Done at Brussels, 19 January 2001.

For the Council

The President

B. RINGHOLM

(9)

The 2000 Joint Employment Report, drawn up by the
Council and the Commission, describes the employment
situation in the Community and examines the action
taken by the Member States in implementing their
employment policy in line with the 2000 Employment
Guidelines, and the Council Recommendation 2000/
164/EC of 14 February 2000 on the implementation of
Member States' employment policies (1).

(10) On 19 January 2001 the Council adopted a further
recommendation on the implementation of Member
States' employment policies (2).

(11)

The mid-term Review of
the Luxembourg process
conducted in 2000 at the request of the Lisbon Euro-
pean Council should be taken into account in revising
the Employment Guidelines 2001, without changing the
basic four pillar structure, and in improving the effi-
ciency of the Luxembourg process.

(12) Member States should strengthen their efforts to include
and make visible a gender perspective across all the
pillars.

(13)

(14)

(15)

implementation of

the guidelines may

The
vary
according to their nature, the parties to whom they are
addressed and the different situations in the Member
States. They should respect the principle of subsidiarity
and Member States'
responsibilities with regard to
employment.

In implementing the Employment Guidelines, Member
States should be able to take regional situations into
account, while
fully respecting the attainment of
national targets and the principle of equal treatment.

The effectiveness of the Luxembourg process requires
that the implementation of the employment guidelines is
also reflected inter alia in financial provision. To this end,
the national reports should, where appropriate, include
information in order to permit an effective
budget
assessment of the progress achieved by each Member
State
taking into
account their impact and cost effectiveness.

in implementing the guidelines,

(16)

Council Directive 1999/85/EC (3), which provides for the
possibility of applying a reduced VAT rate on labour-
intensive services on an experimental basis, should be

(1) OJ L 52, 25.2.2000, p. 32.
(2) See page 27 of this Official Journal.
(3) OJ L 277, 28.10.1999, p. 34.

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ANNEX

THE EMPLOYMENT GUIDELINES FOR 2001

Horizontal objectives — building conditions for full employment in a knowledge-based society

The careful build-up, over the last decade, of a macroeconomic framework for stability and growth coupled with
consistent efforts to reform labour, capital, goods and services markets, as well as favourable prospects in the world
economy, has created a favourable economic outlook for the European Union which will bring the attainment of some of
its key fundamental objectives within reach. Further progress, however, is not automatic: it requires leadership, commit-
ment and concerted action.

This is why the European Council embraced full employment as an overarching objective of the EU's employment and
social policy. It committed the Member States to reach the strategic goal of making the Union the most competitive and
dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and
greater social cohesion. The achievement of these objectives requires simultaneous efforts by the Community and the
Member States. It also requires a continued implementation of an effective and well balanced and mutually supportive
policy mix, based on macroeconomic policy, structural reforms promoting adaptable and flexible labour markets,
innovation and competitiveness, and an active welfare state promoting human resources development, participation,
inclusion and solidarity.

Preparing the transition to a knowledge-based economy, reaping the benefits of the information and communication
technologies, modernising the European social model by investing in people and combating social exclusion and
promoting equal opportunities are key challenges for the Luxembourg process. In order to achieve the goal of full
employment set at Lisbon, the Member States should articulate their response to the guidelines under the four pillars in a
coherent overall strategy which incorporates the following horizontal objectives:

A. Enhancing job opportunities and providing adequate incentives for all those willing to take up gainful employment
with the aim of moving towards full employment recognising Member States' different starting positions, and
recognising the fact that full employment is a goal of overall national economic policy. To this end, Member States
should consider setting national targets for raising the rate of employment, in order to contribute to the overall
European objectives of reaching by 2010 an overall employment rate of 70 per cent and an employment rate of
more than 60 per cent for women. In pursuing these targets, the aim of increasing the quality of jobs should also be
taken into consideration.

B. Member States shall develop comprehensive and coherent strategies for Lifelong Learning, in order to help people
acquire and update the skills needed to cope with economic and social changes throughout the entire life cycle. In
particular, the strategies should cover the development of systems for initial, secondary and tertiary education, further
education and vocational training for young people and adults to improve their employability, adaptability and skills,
as well as their participation in the knowledge-based society. Such strategies should articulate the shared responsi-
bility of public authorities, enterprises, the social partners and individuals, with relevant contribution from civil
society, to contribute to the realisation of a knowledge-based society. In this context, the social partners should
negotiate and agree on measures to improve further education and training of adults to enhance the adaptability of
workers and competitiveness of business. To this end, Member States should set national targets for an increase in
investment in human resources as well as in participation in further education and training (whether formal or
informal) and monitor regularly progress towards such targets.

C. Member States shall develop a comprehensive partnership with the social partners for the implementation,
monitoring and follow-up of the Employment Strategy. The social partners at all levels are invited to step up their
action in support of the Luxembourg process. Within the overall framework and objectives set by these guidelines,
the social partners are invited to develop, in accordance with their national traditions and practices, their own process
of implementing the guidelines for which they have the key responsibility, identify the issues upon which they will
negotiate and report regularly on progress, in the context of the National Action Plans if desired, as well as the
impact of their actions on employment and labour market functioning. The social partners at European level are
invited to define their own contribution and to monitor, encourage and support efforts undertaken at national level.

D.

In translating the Employment Guidelines into national policies, Member States will give due attention to all the four
pillars and the horizontal objectives by setting their priorities in a balanced manner, so as to respect the integrated
nature and equal value of the guidelines. The National Action Plans will develop the strategy for employment
(adopting a gender mainstreaming approach), comprising an identification of the policy mix based on the four pillars
and the horizontal objectives which should make explicit how policy initiatives under different guidelines are
structured in order to reach long-term goals. In giving effect to the Strategy, the regional dimension and regional
disparities will be taken into account in terms of differentiated policies or targets, while fully respecting the
attainment of national targets and the principle of equal treatment. Likewise, it is appropriate for Member States,
without prejudice to the overall framework, to focus, in particular, on certain dimensions of the strategy to meet the
particular needs of their labour market situation.

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E. Member States and the Commission should strengthen the development of common indicators in order to evaluate
adequately progress under all four pillars and to underpin the setting of benchmarks and the identification of good
practice. The social partners are invited to develop appropriate indicators and benchmarks and supporting statistical
databases to measure progress in the actions for which they are responsible.

I.

IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY

Tackling youth unemployment and preventing long-term unemployment

In order to influence the trend in youth and long-term unemployment, Member States will intensify their efforts to
develop preventive and employability-oriented strategies, building on the early identification of individual needs.
Within a period to be determined by each Member State, which may not exceed two years and which — without
prejudice to the review of the Guidelines which will take place in two years' time — may be longer in Member States
with particularly high unemployment, Member States will ensure that:

1.

Every unemployed person is offered a new start before reaching six months of unemployment in the case of
young people, and twelve months of unemployment in the case of adults in the form of training, retraining,
including, more generally, accompanying individual
work practice, a job, or other employability measure,
vocational guidance and counselling with a view to effective integration into the labour market.

These preventive and employability measures should be combined with measures to reduce the stock of the
long-term unemployed by promoting their reinsertion in the labour market.

In this context, Member States should pursue the modernisation of their Public Employment Services,
in
particular by monitoring progress, setting clear deadlines and providing adequate retraining of their staff.
Member States should encourage cooperation with other service providers so as to make the strategy of
prevention and activation more effective.

A more employment-friendly approach: benefits, taxes and training systems

Benefit, tax and training systems — where that proves necessary — must be reviewed and adapted to ensure that they
actively support the employability of unemployed persons. Moreover, these systems should interact appropriately to
encourage the return to the labour market of those inactive persons willing and able to take up a job. Particular
attention should be given to promoting incentives for unemployed or inactive people to seek and take up work, as
well as measures to upgrade their skills and enhance job opportunities in particular for those with greatest difficulties.

2.

Each Member State will:

— review and, where appropriate, reform its benefit and tax system to reduce poverty traps, and provide
incentives for unemployed or inactive people to seek and take up work or measures to enhance their
employability and for employers to create new jobs;

— endeavour to increase significantly the proportion of unemployed and inactive persons benefiting from active
measures to improve their employability with a view to effective integration into the labour market, and will
improve the outcomes, outputs and cost effectiveness of such measures;

— promote measures for unemployed and inactive people to acquire or upgrade skills,

including IT and
communication skills, thereby facilitating their access to the labour market and reducing skills gaps. To this
end, each Member State will fix a target for active measures involving education, training or similar measures
offered to the unemployed thereby aiming at gradually achieving the average of the three most advanced
Member States, and at least 20 per cent.

Developing a policy for active ageing

In-depth changes in the prevailing social attitudes towards older workers, as well as a revision of tax-benefit systems
are called for, in order to reach full employment, to help ensure the long-term fairness and sustainability of social
security systems, and to make the best use of older workers' experience.

3. Member States, if appropriate with the social partners, will therefore develop policies for active ageing with the
aim of enhancing the capacity of, and incentives for, older workers to remain in the labour force as long as
possible,

in particular by:

— adopting positive measures to maintain working capacity and skills of older workers, not least in a
knowledge-based labour market, in particular through sufficient access to education and training, to intro-
duce flexible working arrangements including, for example, part-time work if workers so choose, and to raise
employers' awareness of the potential of older workers; and

— reviewing tax and benefit systems in order to reduce disincentives and make it more attractive for older

workers to continue participating in the labour market.

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Developing skills for the new labour market in the context of lifelong learning

Effective and well functioning educational and training systems responsive to labour market needs are key to the
development of the knowledge-based economy and to the improvement of the level and quality of employment. They
are also crucial to the delivery of lifelong learning to allow for a smooth transition from school to work, lay the
foundations for productive human resources equipped with core and specific skills and enable people to adapt
positively to social and economic change. The development of an employable labour force involves providing people
with the capacity to access and reap the benefits of the knowledge-based society, addressing skill gaps and preventing
the erosion of skills resulting from unemployment, non-participation and exclusion throughout the lifecycle.

4. Member States are therefore called upon to improve the quality of their education and training systems, as well
as the relevant curricula, including the provision of appropriate guidance in the context of both initial training
and lifelong learning, the modernisation and greater effectiveness of apprenticeship systems and of in-work
training, and promote the development of multi-purpose local

learning centres,

in order to:

— equip young people with the basic skills relevant to the labour market and needed to participate in lifelong

learning;

— reduce youth and adult illiteracy and 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 and
with educational problems. Member States will in this context develop measures aimed at halving by 2010
the number of 18 to 24 year olds with only lower-secondary level education who are not in further
education and training;

— promote conditions to facilitate better access of adults, including those with a-typical contracts, to lifelong
learning, so as to increase the proportion of adult working-age population (25-64 year olds) participating at
any given time in education and training. Member States should set targets for this purpose.

In order to facilitate mobility and encourage lifelong learning, Member States should improve the recognition of
qualifications, acquired knowledge and skills.

5. Member States will aim at developing e-learning for all citizens. In particular, Member States will ensure that that
all schools have access to the internet and multimedia resources by the end of 2001 and that all the teachers
needed are skilled in the use of these technologies by the end of 2002 in order to provide all pupils with a broad
digital

literacy.

Active policies to develop job matching and to prevent and combat emerging bottlenecks

In all Member States unemployment and exclusion from the labour market coexist with labour shortages in certain
sectors, occupations and regions. With the improvement of the employment situation and accelerating pace of
technological change, these bottlenecks are increasing. An insufficiency of active policies to prevent and combat
emerging labour shortages will harm competitiveness, increase inflationary pressures and keep structural unemploy-
ment high.

6. Member States will, as appropriate with the social partners, step up their efforts to identify and prevent emerging

bottlenecks,

in particular by:

— developing the job-matching capacities of employment services;

— developing policies to prevent skills shortages;

— promoting occupational and geographical mobility;

— enhancing the functioning of labour markets by improving databases on jobs and learning opportunities
which should be interconnected at European level, making use of modern information technologies and
experience already available at European level.

Combating discrimination and promoting social

inclusion by access to employment

Many groups and individuals experience particular difficulties in acquiring relevant skills and in gaining access to, and
remaining in, the labour market. This may increase the risk of exclusion. A coherent set of policies which promote
social inclusion by supporting the integration of disadvantaged groups and individuals into the world of work, and
combat discrimination in access to, and on, the labour market is called for.

7.

Each Member State will:

— identify and combat all forms of discrimination in access to the labour market and to education and training;

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— develop pathways consisting of effective preventive and active policy measures to promote the integration
in order to avoid

into the labour market of groups and individuals at risk or with a disadvantage,
marginalisation, the emergence of ‘working poor’ and a drift into exclusion;

— implement appropriate measures to meet the needs of the disabled, ethnic minorities and migrant workers as
regards their integration into the labour market and set national targets where appropriate for this purpose.

II. DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND JOB CREATION

Making it easier to start up and run businesses

The development of new businesses in general, and the contribution to the growth of small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) in particular, 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 and in
educational curricula, by providing a clear, stable and predictable set of rules and regulations by improving the
conditions for the development of, and access to, risk capital markets. Member States should also reduce and simplify
the administrative and tax burdens on SMEs. These policies should strengthen the prevention of undeclared work.

8. Member States will give particular attention to reducing significantly the overhead costs and administrative
burdens for businesses, in particular when an enterprise is being set up and when hiring additional workers.
Also, Member States should, when drafting new regulations, assess their potential impact on such administrative
burdens and overhead costs for businesses.

9. Member States will encourage the taking up of entrepreneurial activities:

— by examining, with the aim of reducing, any obstacles which may exist, especially those within tax and social

security regimes, to moving to self-employment and the setting up of small businesses;

— by promoting education for entrepreneurship and self-employment, targeted support services as well as

training for entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs;

— by combating undeclared work and encouraging the transformation of such work into regular employment,
making use of all relevant means of action including regulatory measures, incentives and tax and benefit
reform,

in partnership with the social partners.

New opportunities for employment in the knowledge-based society and in services

If the European Union wants to deal successfully with the employment challenge, all possible sources of jobs and new
technologies must be exploited effectively. Innovative enterprises must find a supportive environment because they
can make an essential contribution to mobilising the job creation potential of the knowledge-based society. A
considerable potential exists in particular in the services sector. To this end:

10. Member States will remove barriers to the provision of services and develop framework conditions to exploit
fully the employment potential of the full range of the services sector to create more and better jobs. In
particular, the employment potential of the knowledge society and the environmental sector should be tapped.

Regional and local action for employment

All actors at the regional and local levels, including the social partners, must be mobilised to implement the European
Employment Strategy by identifying the potential of job creation at local level and strengthening partnerships to this
end.

11. Member States will:

— take into account, where appropriate, in their overall employment policy the regional development dimen-

sion;

— encourage local and regional authorities to develop strategies for employment in order to exploit fully the
possibilities offered by job creation at local level and promote partnerships to this end with all the actors
concerned,

including the representatives of civil society;

— promote measures to enhance the competitive development and job creation capacity of the social economy,
especially the provision of goods and services linked to needs not yet satisfied by the market, and examine,
with the aim of reducing, any obstacles to such measures;

— strengthen the role of

the Public Employment Services at all

levels in identifying local employment

opportunities and improving the functioning of local

labour markets.

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Tax reforms for employment and training

It is important to deepen the examination of the employment impact of the tax burden, and make the taxation
system more employment friendly by reversing the long-term trend towards higher taxes and charges on labour. Tax
reforms must also take into account the need to increase investment in people, by business, public authorities and
individuals themselves,

in view of the longer term impact on employment and competitiveness.

12. Each Member State will:

— set a target, if necessary and taking account of its present level, for gradually reducing the overall tax burden
and, where appropriate, set a target for gradually reducing the fiscal pressure on labour and non-wage labour
costs, in particular on relatively unskilled and low-paid labour. Such reforms should be undertaken without
jeopardising the recovery of public finances or the long-term sustainability of social security systems;

— provide incentives and remove tax obstacles to investment in human resources;

— examine the desirability of using alternative sources of tax revenue, inter alia energy and pollutant emissions,

taking into account current market trends, notably in oil markets.

III. ENCOURAGING ADAPTABILITY OF BUSINESSES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES

The opportunities created by the knowledge-based economy and the prospect of an improved level and quality of
employment require a consequent adaptation of work organisation and the contribution to the implementation of
Life Long Learning strategies by all actors including enterprises, in order to meet the needs of workers and employers.

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).

13. The social partners are invited:

— to negotiate and implement at all appropriate levels agreements to modernise the organisation of work,
including flexible working arrangements, with the aim of making undertakings productive and competitive,
achieving the required balance between flexibility and security, and increasing the quality of jobs. Subjects to
be covered may, for example, include the introduction of new technologies, new forms of work and working
time issues such as the expression of working time as an annual figure, the reduction of working hours, the
reduction of overtime, the development of part-time working, access to career breaks, and associated job
security issues; and

— within the context of the Luxembourg process, to report annually on which aspects of the modernisation of
the organisation of work have been covered by the negotiations as well as the status of their implementation
and impact on employment and labour market functioning.

14. Member States will, where appropriate in partnership with the social partners or drawing upon agreements

negotiated by the social partners,

— review the existing regulatory framework, and examine proposals for new provisions and incentives to make
sure they will contribute to reducing barriers to employment, to facilitate the introduction of modernised
work organisation and to helping the labour market adapt to structural change in the economy;

— at the same time, taking into account the fact that forms of employment are increasingly diverse, examine the
possibility of incorporating in national law more flexible types of contract, and ensure that those working
under new flexible contracts enjoy adequate security and higher occupational status, compatible with the
needs of business and the aspirations of workers;

— endeavour to ensure a better application at workplace level of existing health and safety legislation by
stepping up and strengthening enforcement, by providing guidance to help enterprises, especially SMEs, to
comply with existing legislation, by improving training on occupational health and safety, and by promoting
measures for the reduction of occupational accidents and diseases in traditional high risk sectors.

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Supporting adaptability in enterprises as a component of lifelong learning

In order to renew skill

levels within enterprises as a key component to lifelong learning:

15. The social partners are invited, at all relevant levels, to conclude agreements, where appropriate, on lifelong
learning to facilitate adaptability and innovation, particularly in the field of information and communication
technologies. In this context, the conditions for giving every worker the opportunity to achieve information
society literacy by 2003 should be established.

IV. STRENGTHENING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICIES FOR WOMEN AND MEN

Gender mainstreaming approach

In order to meet the objective of equal opportunity and reach the target of an increased employment rate for women
in line with the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council, Member States' policies towards gender equality should
be strengthened and should address all relevant conditions influencing women's decisions to take up employment.

Women still face particular problems in gaining access to employment, in career advancement, in earnings and in
reconciling professional and family life. It is therefore important,

inter alia:

— to ensure that active labour market policies are made available for women in proportion to their share of

unemployment;

— to pay particular attention to the gender impact of tax and benefit systems. Wherever tax-benefit structures are
identified that impact negatively on women's participation in the labour force, they should be reviewed;

— to pay particular attention to ensuring the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of

equivalent value;

— to give particular attention to obstacles which hinder women who wish to set up new businesses or become

self-employed;

— to ensure that women are able to benefit positively from flexible forms of work organisation, on a voluntary basis

and without loss of job quality;

— to ensure the conditions for facilitating the access of women to lifelong learning and in particular to IT training.

16. Therefore, the Member States will adopt a gender-mainstreaming approach in implementing the Guidelines

across all four pillars:

— developing and reinforcing consultative systems with gender equality bodies;

— applying procedures for gender impact assessment under each guideline;

— developing indicators to measure progress in gender equality in relation to each guideline.

In order meaningfully to evaluate progress, Member States will need to provide for adequate data collection systems
and procedures and ensure a gender breakdown of employment statistics.

Tackling gender gaps

Member States and the social partners should 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.

17. Member States will, where appropriate with the social partners:

— strengthen their efforts to reduce the gap in unemployment rates between women and men by actively
supporting the increased employment of women, and consider setting national targets in accordance with the
objectives set out in the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council;

— take action to bring about a balanced representation of women and men in all sectors and occupations;

— 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: actions to address gender pay gaps are necessary in the
public and private sector, and the impact of the policies on gender pay gaps should be identified and
addressed;

— consider an increased use of measures for the advancement of women in order to reduce gender gaps.

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Reconciling work and family life

Policies on career breaks, parental leave and part-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-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 dependants in order to support the entry
of women and men into, and their continued participation in, the labour market. An equal sharing of family
responsibilities is crucial in this respect. Those returning to the labour market after an absence may also have
outmoded skills, and experience difficulty in gaining access to training. Reintegration of women and men into the
labour market after an absence must be facilitated. In order to strengthen equal opportunities,

18. Member States and the social partners will:

— design, implement and promote family-friendly policies, including affordable, accessible and high-quality care

services for children and other dependants, as well as parental and other leave schemes;

— consider setting a national target, in accordance with their national situation, for increasing the availability of

care services for children and other dependants;

— 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 to such return.