Council Resolution of 3 June 2002 on skills and mobility
Date: 2002-06-03
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU employment policy, action programme, education, job mobility, professional qualifications, vocational training

6.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 162/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 3 June 2002

on skills and mobility

(2002/C 162/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to:

(11) the Presidency conclusions of the European Councils of
Tampere, Lisbon, Feira, Nice, Stockholm, Laeken and
Barcelona; and

(1) the Treaty establishing the European Community;

Whereas:

the Governments of

(2) the Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives
of
the Members States meeting
within the Council of 14 December 2000 concerning
an action plan for mobility;

(3) the Communication from the Commission to the Council
‘New European labour markets,

of 28 February 2001,
open to all, with access for all’;

(4) the Communication from the Commission to the Council
and the European Parliament of 20 June 2001, on ‘A
mobility strategy for the European research area’, and to
the Council Resolution of 10 December 2001 concerning
the reinforcement of this strategy;

(5) the Recommendation of the European Parliament and the
Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the
Community for students, persons undergoing training,
young volunteers, teachers and trainers, and the action
plan on mobility endorsed by the Nice European Council;

(6) the Communication from the Commission of 21
lifelong

‘Making a European area of

November 2001,
learning a reality’;

(7) the report of

the high-level
mobility of December 2001;

task force on skills and

(8) the Communication from the Commission of 13 February
2002, ‘Commission's action plan for skills and mobility’;

(9) the framework for action for the lifelong development of
skills and qualifications of 28 February 2002, adopted in
the context of the social dialogue by the European social
partners (CES, UNICE and CEEP);

(10) the Joint Report from the Commission and the Council of
7 March 2002: ‘Increasing labour force participation and
promoting active ageing’;

(1) The encouragement of a knowledge-based society is an
essential condition for competition and growth, and the
recognised as a
realisation of
employment was
strategic goal by the Lisbon European Council
in March
2000;

full

(2) The achievement of

thus

including

cohesion,

framework for

enhanced employment
an integrated

requires a sustainable
this goal
economic growth across the Union, by improving the
and
structural
social
and
coherent approach between economic and employment
policies, by promoting lifelong education and training as
enhancing employability and
indispensable means of
adaptability, and by reducing skills gaps and promoting
occupational and geographical mobility between sectors
and regions, thus increasing the productive potential of
our economies;

(3) It is important to stress the strong link between raising
skills and mobility and promoting higher levels of labour
force participation, in line with the Joint Report from the
force
Commission and the Council
participation and promoting active ageing’;

‘Increasing labour

(4) The

development of occupational

and geographical
mobility would be facilitated by improving the adaptation
of the education and training systems to the labour market
needs, paying special attention to the area of information
and communication technologies,
foreign languages and
developing a framework for recognition of qualifications
and competences obtained through education,
training
and experience;

(5) The development of geographical mobility in and between
the Member States, would also be facilitated by removing
the obstacles that still exist, at different levels, such as
administrative,
including
those that affect family circumstances, as well as others
in the areas of taxation, pensions and social security;

and legal obstacles,

cultural

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Official Journal of the European Communities

6.7.2002

(6) A transparent and integrated information system in the
labour market is a fundamental tool in order to help all
actors (public authorities, undertakings, the social partners
to develop efficient and coordinated
and individuals)
for improving
actions, within a favourable framework,
skills and mobility and for overcoming the existing
difficulties both in access
to and in the quality of
information on mobility;

(7) The future enlargement of the European Union which will
also be relevant in respect of labour mobility within the
Union,

1. Welcomes the report of the high-level task force on skills
and mobility, created at the initiative of the Commission,
in accordance with the conclusions of
the Stockholm
European Council;

2. Welcomes the action plan for skills and mobility adopted

by the Commission;

3. Underlines that,

in order to achieve the employment
targets
set by the Lisbon and Stockholm European
Councils, and the strategic goal for 2010, investments in
human capital are required;

4. Emphasises the fact that, to reach this objective,

it is

necessary to:

— facilitate mobility through providing improved access
to the employment services and developing the existing
European databases on jobs and learning opportunities,

social

partners'

encouraging

— enhance the importance of lifelong learning as a basic
component of the European social model, for example
by
in
accordance with national traditions and practices, on
innovations in lifelong learning, taking advantage of
the
lifelong
complementary
learning and adaptability,
through flexible working
time arrangements and alternation between training
and employment,

agreements,

elements

between

— promote active labour market programmes targeted to
the special needs of disadvantaged groups and indi-
in
viduals who experience particular
acquiring relevant skills and in gaining access to, and
remaining in, the labour market, in oder to improve
their employability;

difficulties

5. Emphasises that lifelong learning is a cornerstone of the
European employment strategy and must remain a key
priority for the future employment guidelines;

6. Highlights that:

— in order to fight social exclusion and improve competi-
it is essential to improve and

tivity and adaptability,

adapt qualifications to the needs of the labour market,
enhance opportunities for lifelong learning, as well as
support the development of skills,

— a

implies

knowledge-based society

substantial
increase in investment in human resources in order
to equip individuals with skills to enter, remain and
progress in work. This will enhance their employabiltiy
and encourage greater mobility,

a

— the strategies in the area of training must be coor-
dinated and articulate the shared responsibility of
public authorities, undertaking, social partners and
individuals, with relevant contribution from the civil
society;

7. Makes it clear that it is necessary to continue to make
progress in the improvement of quality and mobility of
human resources in the European Union, and to offer
opportunities of employment and training to individuals
by making available the necessary means and resources,
to
especially in electronic
in order
the
improve ongoing and quality information about
existence of available jobs and about training where it
can be obtained;

communication,

8. Underlines the need to encourage the modernisation of
labour markets and the occupational and geographic
mobility of workers by offering possibilities to skills
enhancement and by eliminating existing barriers within
European labour markets;

at

and

further

developed

it was agreed at

the Stockholm European
9. Notes that
Council,
the Barcelona
European Council, that the Commission will work with
national administrations, public employment services and
in oder to create a one-stop
other competent entities,
information website making
European job mobility
available
and
training and employment opportunities existing in the
European Union, which should be fully operational at
the latest by the end of 2003;

information on employment mobility

10. Understands that the evaluation of progress in improving
occupational and geographical mobility and the trans-
parency of
information concerning the labour market
should be undertaken in a comparative manner within
the context of the European employment strategy;

11. Notes the relevant activities already underway in a
number of fora at EU level, in particular in the field of
education, and stresses the need for complementarity
between them.

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INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

1. promote,

in close cooperation with the Council and the
Member States,
increased cooperation in education and
training based on the issues of transparency and quality
assurance, in order to develop a framework for recognition
of qualifications (ECTS, diploma and certificate supplements,
European CV), building on the achievements of the Bologna
process and promoting similar action in the area of voca-
tional training. Such cooperation should ensure the active
involvement of the social partners, the vocational education
and training institutions, and the other
relevant stake-
holders;

2. analyse the interaction between migration, employment and
social policy at European level, bearing in mind the
situation in national labour markets;

3. present a proposal for a European health insurance card;

4. present proposals for the modernisation of

the EURES
system, keeping in mind the necessity of permanent
updating, the incorporation of new technologies, thus rein-
forcing its role as a provider of personalised services for the
labour market in Europe, so as to ensure that all relevant
information and personal services reach all
job seekers,
employers and other interested persons;

5. speed up procedures in order to have, in collaboration with
the Member
in particular with the public
employment services, a one-stop European job mobility
information website;

States,

6. develop an information campaign on mobility possibilities
offered by the internal market and the European labour
markets;

7. examine the establishment of a mechanism with the
purpose of analysing obstacles to geographical mobility
with which workers
the
consultative role of the competent committees;

confronted,

reinforcing

are

8. assess the implementation of the action plan on skills and
mobility within the framework of the annual report from
the Commission to the spring European Council.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES:

2. promote effective access of adults, whether in employment
or job seekers, to further vocational training through the
development of an appropriate framework, in consultation
with the social partners;

3. encourage the recognition and validation of skills, qualifi-

cations and work experience;

4. equip young people with the basic skills relevant to the
labour market and needed to participate in lifelong learning;

5. promote

initiatives

strong
for workers,
component of training, to enter, remain and progress in
the labour market;

including

a

6. support

the development of EU statistics

to monitor
geographic mobility and skills gaps.
In this context, the
development of a job vacancy survey at EU level would
be particularly relevant to monitor tensions on the labour
market in respect of skills;

7.

increase, where appropriate,
security rights,
Union.

the transferability of social
including pensions, across the European

INVITES THE SOCIAL PARTNERS TO:

1. develop the initiatives agreed in the ‘framework for action
for the lifelong development of skills and qualifications’
within the
the
Barcelona European Council, and to report annually on
progress made to the Social Summit prior to the spring
European Council;

and welcomed by

dialogue,

social

2. conclude agreements, where appropriate,

in accordance
with their national
traditions and practices, on lifelong
learning and qualifications to facilitate adaptability and
innovation of businesses
in a
manner compatible with Council Regulation (EEC) No
1612/68;

employees,

and their

3. develop initiatives

strong
for workers,
component of training, to enable them to enter, remain
in accordance with
and progress in the labour market,
their national traditions and practices;

including

a

within the framework of European Employment Strategy, to:

1. develop skills for the new labour market in the context of
lifelong learning, in particular in the areas of ICT skills;

4. participate in information campaigns on mobility in order
to improve the image of the sectors and occupations with
labour shortages, and promote the access of workers to
them.