2003/174/EC: Council Decision of 6 March 2003 establishing a Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment
Date: 2003-03-06
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Council of the European Union, European Commission, economic growth, employment policy, social dialogue, social partners, summit meeting

14.3.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 6 March 2003

establishing a Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment

(2003/174/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu-
nity, and in particular Article 202 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Employment had not
led to such an integration of
concertation and that it did not meet the need for coher-
ence and synergy between the various processes in
which they were involved. They therefore proposed that
it should be abolished and that a new form of tripartite
consultation should be established.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

The social partners are associated in the implementation
of the coordinated employment strategy established by
the Luxembourg European Council of 20 and 21
November 1997 within the Standing Committee on
Employment established by Council Decision 70/532/
EEC of the Council of 14 December 1970 setting up the
Standing Committee on Employment of the European
Communities (1).

The Cologne European Council of 3 and 4 June 1999
set up a macroeconomic dialogue with the participation
of representatives from the Council, the Commission,
the European Central Bank and the social partners.

The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000
set a new strategic goal for the next decade and agreed
that achievement of that goal required an overall strategy
designed to integrate structural reforms, a coordinated
European employment strategy, social protection and
macroeconomic policies in the context of coordination
of the general economic policies of the Member States.
In its Communication ‘The European social dialogue, a
force for
the Commission
stressed that the Tripartite Social Summit could contri-
bute to the debate on these topics.

innovation and change’,

(4)

In their
joint contribution to the Laeken European
Council of 14 and 15 December 2001, the social part-
the Standing Committee on
ners pointed out

that

(1) OJ L 273, 17.12.1970, p. 25. Decision as last amended by Decision

1999/207/EC (OJ L 72, 18.3.1999, p. 33).

(5)

In that joint contribution, the social partners proposed
to formalise their meetings with the Troika at the level
of Heads of State or Government and the Commission
which, in the context of the Luxembourg process, have
been held since 1997 on the eve of European Councils.
Since December 2000, these meetings have been known
as Social Summits and they are attended by the President
of the Commission and the Troika of Heads of State or
Government together with the Ministers for Labour and
Social Affairs and the social partners represented by the
Union of Industrial Employers' Confederations of Europe
(UNICE), the European Centre of Enterprises with Public
Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic
Interest (CEEP), the European Association of Craft, Small
and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME), the European
Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Eurocadres and the
Confédération européenne des cadres (CEC).

(6)

The Laeken European Council took note of the social
partners' willingness to develop and improve coordina-
tion of concertation on the various aspects of the Lisbon
strategy. It agreed that such a Social Summit would in
future be held before each spring European Council. This
was confirmed by the Barcelona European Council of 15
and 16 March 2002.

(7)

This Decision is without prejudice to the organisation
the social dialogue in the various
and operation of
Member States.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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(8)

In the context of enlargement and development of an
autonomous social dialogue, the widest possible repre-
sentativity as well as the legitimacy and effectiveness of
the consultation of social partners are of the highest
importance. To that end,
it is necessary to take into
account the Commission study on the representativeness
of the social partners and the revised list of organisations
involved in all dimensions of social dialogue at European
level, and that list should be updated,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment

A Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment (here-
inafter referred to as ‘the Summit’) is hereby established.

Article 2

Task

The task of the Summit shall be to ensure, in compliance with
the Treaty and with due regard for the powers of the institu-
tions and bodies of the Community, that there is a continuous
concertation between the Council, the Commission and the
social partners. It will enable the social partners at European
level to contribute, in the context of their social dialogue, to
the various components of the integrated economic and social
strategy,
including the sustainable development dimension as
launched at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 and
supplemented by the Göteborg European Council
in June
2001. For that purpose, it shall draw on the upstream work of
and discussions between the Council, the Commission and the
social partners
concertation forums on
economic, social and employment matters.

in the different

Article 3

Membership

The Summit shall consist of the Council Presidency and
the Commission and the

1.
the two subsequent Presidencies,
social partners, represented at the highest level.

The ministers from those three Presidencies and the Commis-
sioner, responsible for Labour and Social Affairs shall also be
present.

Depending on the agenda, other ministers from these three
Presidencies and other Commissioners may also be invited to
take part.

2.
The social partners' representatives shall be divided into
two delegations of equal size comprising 10 workers' represen-
tatives and 10 employers' representatives, taking into account
the need to ensure a balanced participation between men and
women.

Each delegation shall consist of representatives of European
cross-industry organisations either representing general
inter-
ests or more specific interests of supervisory and managerial
staff and small and medium-sized businesses at European level.

The technical coordination shall be provided for the workers'
delegation by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
and for the employers' delegation by the Union of Industrial
and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE). The ETUC
and UNICE shall ensure that the views expressed by the specific
and sectoral organisations are fully taken into account in their
contributions and shall, where appropriate, include representa-
tives from some of those organisations in their delegations.

Article 4

Preparation

1.
The agenda for the Summit shall be determined jointly by
the Council Presidency, the Commission and the workers' and
employers' cross-industry organisations taking part in the work
of the Summit during preparatory meetings.

2.
The matters on the agenda shall be discussed by the
Council meeting in its Employment, Social Policy, Health and
Consumer Affairs configuration.

3.
The Summit secretariat shall be provided by the Commis-
sion. In particular the latter shall ensure the punctual distribu-
tion of documents. For the purposes of preparing and orga-
nising meetings, the Summit secretariat shall arrange appro-
priate contacts with the ETUC and UNICE, which shall be
responsible for the coordination of their respective delegations.

Article 5

Operation

The Summit shall meet at least once a year. A meeting

1.
shall be held before the spring European Council.

The Summit shall be chaired jointly by the President of

2.
the Council and the President of the Commission.

3.
The meetings of the Summit shall be convened by the
joint chairmen on their own initiative, in consultation with the
social partners.

Article 6

Information

The joint chairmen shall draw up a summary of the Summit's
discussions in order to inform the relevant Council configura-
tions and the general public.

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Decision 1999/207/EC is hereby repealed from the date of the first meeting of the Summit.

Article 7

Repeal

Article 8

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on 6 March 2003.

Done at Brussels, 6 March 2003.

For the Council

The President

D. REPPAS