Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Report on the Implementation of the Commission's Action Plan for Skills and Mobility COM(2002)72 final
Date: 2004-02-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU employment policy, action programme, continuing education, education, geographical mobility, job mobility, professional qualifications, report

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 6.2.2004 
COM(2004) 66 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS  

Report on the Implementation of the Commission's Action Plan for Skills and Mobility 
COM(2002)72 final 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 3 

The policy context...................................................................................................................... 5 

Objectives of the Communication.............................................................................................. 6 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

Progress in implementation.......................................................................................... 7 

Institutional and political context................................................................................. 7 

Measures taken to achieve specific objectives............................................................. 8 

1.2.1.  Expanding occupational mobility and skills development........................................... 8 

1.2.2.  Facilitating geographic mobility ................................................................................ 15 

1.2.3. 

Improving information and transparency of job opportunities .................................. 20 

1.2.4. 

Involvement of social partners ................................................................................... 21 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

Contribution to European Employment Strategy and the Education & Training 2010 
Programme ................................................................................................................. 21 

Follow-Up .................................................................................................................. 24 

The following areas can be identified as those where progress has been  
most notable ............................................................................................................... 24 

The following areas can be identified as those where progress has been slow.......... 25 

Areas where additional effort could be beneficial ..................................................... 26 

ANNEX .................................................................................................................................... 28 

2 

 
 
  
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Commission's Action Plan for Skills and Mobility of February 2002 had the objective of  
helping  to  create  a  favourable  environment  for  more  open  and  easily  accessible  European 
labour markets by 2005. The annual assessment of the implementation process took the form 
in  2003  of  a  contribution  to  the  Commission's  report  to  the  spring  European  Council.  
However,  at  a  mi-term  point  in  the  implementation  it  is  appropriate  to  provide  a  specific 
assessment on the occasion of the 2004 spring European Council of the state of play regarding 
each of the 25 priority areas for action, and the measures put forward to support them. 

The  present  Communication  on  European  Employment  Mobility  provides  a  policy  context, 
describing the challenges regarding skills and mobility affecting the acceding countries, and 
the  down-beat  economic  environment  over  the  past  couple  of  years  which  has  imposed  its 
own constraints on developing more mobility between jobs and between countries. The main 
purposes  of  the  Communication  are  to:  a)  Describe  the  progress  made  in  implementing 
specific  elements  on  the  Action  Plan;  b)  Analyse  the  contribution  made  to  the  European 
Employment Strategy and the Education and Training 2010 programme; and c) Identify areas 
where  progress  has  been  made,  where  it  has  been  slow,  and  where  further  action  could  be 
beneficial. 

The largest part of the report is devoted to the progress on implementation. It underlines the 
institutional  and  political  context  and  the  extent  to  which  labour  mobility-related  issues  are 
reflected  by  the  various  Institutions  and  processes,  particularly  in  the  employment  and 
education and training fields. At the current stage of the cycle, it is important to examine the 
extent to which specific measures have been carried out and how the three main objectives of 
the  Action  Plan  (expanding  occupational  mobility,  facilitating  geographic  mobility,  and 
improving information) are on track for being achieved.  

With regard to occupational mobility, the main areas where progress have been made include 
the adoption of a series of benchmarks by the Council to be achieved by 2010 (on early school 
leavers;  graduates  in  mathematics,  science  and  technology;  completion  of  upper  secondary 
education;  low-achieving  15  years  olds  in  reading  literacy;  and  Lifelong  Learning 
participation). These benchmarks include key objectives in the field of occupational mobility 
which  were  adopted  by  the  Council  in  the  Employment  Guidelines.  Preparations  have  also 
been  made  for  a  Europass  framework  to  support  the  transparency  and  transferability  of 
qualifications.  However,  progress  has  been  slower  on  the  developing  new  skills  and  their 
qualifications  related  to  the  ICT  sector  (an  essential  component  of  the  knowledge  economy 
and society) and in promoting continuing vocational training and lifelong learning. 

On  geographic  mobility,  good  progress  has  been  made  on  introducing  the  European  Health 
Insurance  Card,  simplifying  and  modernising  co-ordination  on  social  security  rights, 
improving the freedom of movement for third country nationals, making pension rights more 
portable (including the possibility for companies to set up EU wide pension plans), launching 
the  Language  Action  Plan,  and  strengthening  mobility  for  education  and  training  purposes. 
On the obverse side of the coin, progress has been poor on the draft directive to streamline the 
recognition  of  qualifications,  and  on  the  draft  directive  on  immigration  for  work-related 
purposes as part of the EU-wide policy on immigration. 

As  part  of  the  push  to  improve  information  and  the  transparency  of  job  opportunities,  the 
opening  of  the  European  Job  Mobility  Portal,  along  with  the  launch  of  the  mobility 

3 

 
 
  
 
information  campaign  has  been  a  positive  step.  The  modernisation  of  EURES  has  similarly 
helped prepare the groundwork for more intense labour markt mobility, particularly for when 
job applicants throughout the EU will have access to all the job vacancies advertised by the 
public employment services in 2005. 

The social  partners' involvement  in labour mobility has been strengthened through  adopting 
mobility  as  one  of  the  three  key  priorities  in  their  joint  2003-2005  work  programme,  and 
through  their  2002  framework  of  actions  for  the  lifelong  development  of  competences  and 
qualifications (which is reported on at the Social Summits which precede the spring European 
Councils). 

A brief analysis is also presented on the inter-relationship between skills and mobility and the 
European  Employment  Strategy,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Education  and  Training  2010 
programme,  on  the  other.  The  continuing  importance  of  mobility  issues  is  reflected  in  the 
greater  degree  of  emphasis  being  found  on  them  in  the  current  Employment  guidelines 
compared with previously, and in the work launched in key areas (knowledge society skills, 
ICT access, increasing education and training mobility) as part of the "2010" programme. 

The final part of the Communication is devoted to examining where good progress has been 
made,  where  progress  leaves  more  to  be  desired,  and  what  additional  areas  for  initiatives 
would  be  beneficial.  It  is  clear  from  the  evidence  presented  in  the  annex  that  rates  of  both 
occupational and geographic mobility continue to be low, and that more efforts will be needed 
if  labour  mobility  is  to  contribute  effectively  to  the  improved  operation  of  the  European 
labour markets in the years ahead. 

4 

 
 
  
 
THE POLICY CONTEXT 

The  Commission's  Action  Plan  for  Skills  and  Mobility,  adopted  in  February  20021,  was 
designed as a contribution to achieving the Lisbon objectives of more and better jobs, greater 
social  cohesion  and  a  dynamic  knowledge-based  society.  The  Action  Plan,  with  the  overall 
objective to ensure that European labour markets are open to all with access for all, serves a 
dual purpose: first, to guarantee and to put into reality the freedom of movement of workers, a 
fundamental right of the citizens enshrined in the Treaties; secondly it contributes to building 
up a well-educated, adaptable and skilled workforce, which is the key to future employment 
and  productivity  growth.  Investment  in  people  –  in  human  capital  –  is  a  key  driver  for 
economic growth and contributes to reinforcing economic and social cohesion.   

The acceding countries share the challenge of promoting a better skilled and adaptable labour 
force.  Their  economies  are  undergoing  rapid  restructuring,  and  national  and  EU  policies, 
including the European Social Fund, therefore need to support human resource development 
in all sectors of the acceding countries' economies and societies. After enlargement on 1 May 
2004 the free movement of workers from the new Member States into the rest of the EU will 
be  subject  to  a  flexible  system  of  transitional  periods  for  up  to  7  years.  While  these 
transitional arrangements could limit geographical  mobility  from  the  new  Member  States  to 
some of the current Member States, and possibly also between a number of the new Member 
States for a few years2, the measures described in the Action Plan are nevertheless also highly 
relevant  for  the  latter,  and  the  extent  to  which  they  incorporate  such  measures  following 
accession will be keenly observed. 

Overall mobility figures, both between jobs and in a geographical sense, were already low at 
the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Commission's  Action  Plan  in  early  2002.  Since  then,  the 
overall  economic  circumstances  have  made  it  even  less  likely  for  mobility  to  take  place. 
Europe  continued  to  feel  the  impact  of  a  prolonged  economic  slowdown,  with  the  2002 
weakness  (EU  GDP  growth  rate  around  1%)  carrying  over  to  2003  (expected  growth  rate 
0.8%).  Economic  growth  is  expected  to  resume  in  2004  and  2005,  with  expected  rates  of 
about  2%  and  2.4%.3  While  employment  performance  of  the  EU  Member  States  has  been 
mixed during this period, employment growth at EU level came to a standstill in 2003, and is 
expected to grow at 0.3% in 2004 and 0.8% in 2005. An economic slowdown implying that 
fewer  job  vacancies  are  available  may  reduce  the  propensity  of  moving  between  jobs  and 
therefore have an negative impact on overall mobility rates – a lower proportion of employees 
(16,4%) had been with their employers for less then one year in 2002 than had been the case 
in  2000  (17,5%)  –  see  annex  Table  1.  It  also  reduces  the  preparedness  of  actors  from  the 
sectors that have been most seriously affected by the recent slowdown to invest in some of the 
measures foreseen in the Action Plan. While recent economic developments may thus have a 
short-term  impact  on  the  implementation  of  some  of  the  Action  Plan  measures,  it  does 
however not change its original justification. Life-long learning, human resource development 
and mobility between sectors are central elements for productivity growth and therefore also 
key factors to increase economic and employment growth.  

1 
2  

3 

(COM(2002)72 final) 
According to a recent study transitional periods will in any case only postpone the main migration flows 
from the Central and Eastern European countries to the rest of the EU, but not change the overall size of 
the flows or the long-run stocks of the migrant population. See: Potential Migration from Central and 
Eastern Europe into the EU-15. An Update. Report for the Commission, DG Employment and Social 
Affairs by p. Alvarez-Plata, H. Brücker, B. Siliverstovs (DIW Berlin), October 2003. 
Source: Commission Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs Autumn 2003 Forecasts. 

5 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNICATION 

Since the adoption of the Action Plan many of the measures called for have been the subject 
of  specific  proposals  or  the  adoption  of  legislation  or  equivalent  instruments  designed  to 
achieve  the  Action  Plan's  goals.  The  purpose  of  the  present  Communication  is  to  provide  a 
"mid-term" report on the progress made in implementation, and to describe the broader policy 
orientations decided upon both at EU and at national level which will go towards opening up 
the  EU  labour  markets  and  support  labour  mobility  as  a  policy  objective.  It  also  identifies 
areas  where  progress  has  been  slow  or  insufficient,  and  points  up  additional  areas  where 
further policy  initiatives could be needed in order to free up labour markets further through 
greater occupational and geographic mobility. 

This Communication has three parts: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Describing  the  progress  made  in  implementing  specific  elements  in  the 
Action Plan for Skills and Mobility. 

Analysing the contribution made  to the European Employment Strategy and 
the Education and Training 2010 programme. 

Identifying  areas  where  progress  has  been  notable,  where  it  has  been  slow, 
and where further action could be beneficial. 

A series of data and tables is provided in annex to illustrate the evolution of occupational and 
geographic mobility since the adoption of the Action Plan. 

As  outlined  in  the  Commission's  original  Action  Plan,  implementing  the  various  actions 
requires responsibility and commitment from a range of actors, also identified by the Council 
(Employment and Social Affairs) Resolution on Skills and Mobility of 3 June 2002: Member 
States, the Commission, other EU institutions, social partners and others. While this present 
Communication focuses on developments at the European level, many of the objectives also 
need the commitment of actors at the national and regional levels.  

This  Communication  deals  mainly  with  aspects  related  to  occupational  and  geographic 
mobility,  and  relevant  education  and 
to  ensure 
complementarity, the Commission has also adopted on 20 January 2004 a first report4 on the 
implementation  of  the  July  2001  Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council on the mobility of students, persons undergoing training, volunteers and teachers and 
trainers5  and  the  Action  Plan  for  Mobility  endorsed  by  the  Nice  European  Council  in 
December 20006. 

training  factors.  In  parallel,  and 

4 
5 
6 

COM(2004)21 
OJ L 215 of 9.8.2001, p. 30. 
Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the governments of the Member States, meeting 
within the Council of 14 December 2000 concerning an action plan for mobility (2000/C 371/03), OJ C 
371 of 123.12.2000, p. 4. 

6 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
1. 

PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION 

1.1. 

Institutional and political context 

When  it  was  adopted  the  Action  Plan  received  a  positive  welcome  by  the  other  EU 
institutions. The Presidency conclusions from the Barcelona European Council of March 2002 
called upon the Council to take the necessary steps to put into practice the proposed measures. 
Furthermore  the  Brussels  Spring  European  Council  of  March  2003  urged  that  momentum 
behind the Skills and Mobility Action Plan be maintained.  

The  European  Parliament  adopted  a  substantial  Resolution  on  Skills  and  Mobility  on  10 
October 2002, while the Committee of the Regions adopted an opinion on the Commission's 
Action Plan on 20 November 2002. 

The  Council  (Employment  and  Social  Affairs)  Resolution  on  Skills  and  Mobility  of  3  June 
2002  invited  the  Commission,  Member  States  and  Social  Partners  to  undertake  a  series  of 
measures.  The  Council  also  adopted  in  November  2002  a  Resolution  on  the  Promotion  of 
Enhanced European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training7, setting out a range 
of priorities for action in the fields of transparency, recognition and quality, also endorsed by 
Ministers  from  the  Member  States,  EEA  countries  and  candidate  countries,  as  well  as  the 
European Social Partners, in the 'Copenhagen Declaration' of 30 November 20028.  

In addition, the new overall cooperation scheme for education and training (" the Education 
and Training 2010 programme on the future objectives of education and training systems in 
Europe"), launched in Stockholm in March 2001 to follow-up the Lisbon Strategy, and made 
operational  by  the  Work  Programme  on  the  Objectives  of  Education  and  Training  Systems, 
adopted  by  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  14  February  2002  ("Education  &  Training 
2010"),  gives  high  priority  to  the  issues  of  competencies  and  mobility  in  the  European 
knowledge society and economy. These policy initiatives re-enforced previous ones focusing 
on mobility for learning purposes; the 2000 Action Plan for Mobility and the 2001 Mobility 
Recommendation referred to above. 

The Communication from the Commission on 'Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning 
a Reality'9, followed by the Council Resolution on lifelong learning in June 2002,10 called for 
the  development  and  implementation  of  national  strategies  for  lifelong  learning,  setting  out 
the  key  elements  (building  blocks)  of  such  strategies.  A  range  of  priorities  for  action  at 
European  level  was  also  set  out,  concerning  inter  alia  recognition  of  qualifications  and 
competences,  guidance  and  investment.  The  follow-up  to  the  Copenhagen  Declaration  (see 
above)  takes  forward  several  key  elements  of  the  lifelong  learning  Communication  and 
Resolution,  focusing  on  the  particular  requirements  of  vocational  education  and  training. 
Furthermore,  the  Commission  adopted  in  November  2003  a  Communication  on  “Education 
and  Training  2010:  the  success  of  the  Lisbon  strategy  hinges  upon  urgent  reforms”  as  its 
contribution to the joint interim report which the Education Council and the Commission will 
present to the 2004 Spring European Council. It draws attention to the still inadequate levels 

7 
8 

9 
10 

OJ C 013 , 18/01/2003 p. 2. 
"Declaration  of  the  European  Ministers  of  Vocational  Education  and  Training,  and  the  European 
Commission,  convened  in  Copenhagen  on  29  and  30  November  2002,  on  enhanced  European 
cooperation in vocational education and training. 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/copenhagen/index_en.html)." 
(COM 2001 (678) final) 
OJ C/163/1 

(Cf. 

7 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
of  mobility  in  education  and  training  and  calls  for  a  significant  increase  in  participation  by 
2010. It also reports on progress in the implementation of the 2002 detailed work programme 
on the future objectives  of the  education and training systems, the Copenhagen process and 
the follow-up to the lifelong learning Communication and Resolution. 

The Commission's commitment to reflect the Skills and Mobility Action Plan in the revised 
Employment Strategy for the period 2003-2010 is evidenced by the Council Decision on the 
Employment Guidelines of 22 July 2003. Promoting occupational and geographic mobility is 
highlighted  as  one  means  of  addressing  change  and  promoting  adaptability  and  mobility  on 
the labour market in Guideline n° 3, while Guideline n° 4 aims at promoting the development 
of  human  capital  and  lifelong  learning.  Further  analysis  on  the  contribution  made  to  the 
Employment Strategy will be found in Part 2. 

Furthermore, the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines for 2003-2005 stated that obstacles and 
disincentives to labour mobility – both geographical and occupational – impeded the proper 
functioning  of  the  labour  market  and  left  ample  scope  for  an  improved  match  between  job 
openings and the human resources available to fill them. 

The structured involvement of the European Social Partners in implementing the Action Plan 
is important, as they have a vital role to play in many of the actions. Mobility is one of the 
three  key  priorities  (along  with  employment  and  enlargement)  decided  upon  in  November 
2002 in their joint multi-annual work programme (2003-2005). 

Finally  the  potential  contribution  of  the  information  society  in  the  development  of  skills, 
knowledge and competencies must be recognised and taken into account through the various 
measures foreseen. 

1.2.  Measures taken to achieve specific objectives 

The following section provides an overview of the progress made regarding the various policy 
objectives identified in the original Action Plan  (expanding occupational mobility and skills 
development,  facilitating  geographic  mobility,  and 
the 
transparency of job opportunities), and the extent to which the 25 priorities identified and the 
requisite measures put forward have been implemented. 

information  and 

improving 

1.2.1.  Expanding occupational mobility and skills development 

1. 

Responsiveness of education and training systems to the labour market: 

Free access for all citizens to the acquisition of key skills is important for employability and 
further  learning,  and  responding  to  the  need  to  further  basic  qualifications  was  one  of  the 
main  concerns  of  "Education  &  Training  2010".  The  working  group  on  basic  skills, 
established  in  the  context  of  this  process,  has  further  elaborated  the  list  of  basic  skills 
suggested  in  the  Lisbon  conclusions.  It  has  defined  eight  domains  of  key  competences 
(including  knowledge,  skills  and  attitudes),  which  should  be  acquired  by  the  end  of 
compulsory education (communication in mother tongue and foreign languages, mathematical 
literacy  and  basic  competences  in  science  and  technology,  ICT  skills,  learning-to-learn, 
interpersonal and civic competences, entrepreneurship and cultural awareness). These are also 
recommended as a framework for compensatory education and training for those who need to 
complete, maintain and update any of these competences in the course of lifelong learning.  

8 

 
 
  
 
ICT-related  skills  are  also  being  tackled  by  other  working  groups  established  under  the 
above process (ICT in education and training, teachers and trainers education).  

An  e-Learning  programme  (expected  budget  €44  million),  which  i.a.  addresses  digital 
literacy  and  access  for  all  citizens  to  the  acquisition  of  key  skills,  will  enter  in  force  on  1 
January 2004. 

2. 

Increasing young people's interest in maths, science and technology 

This  priority  is  needed  to  combat  skills  deficits  in  industry,  manufacturing  and  ICT-related 
sectors,  and  raising  young  people's  interests  in  maths,  science  and  technology  and  its 
implications for the training of teachers and the creation of appropriate learning environments 
have  been  addressed  by  the  working  group  established  in  the  context  of  “Education  and 
Training 2010” to deal with maths, science and technology and lifelong guidance. (see above, 
point 1). 

The  Council  adopted  on  5  May  2003  five  concrete  European  Benchmarks  for  the 
improvement of education and training systems in Europe up to 2010, one of which foresees 
that  the  total  number  of  graduates  in  mathematics,  science  and  technology  in  the  European 
Union  should  increase  by  at  least  15%  by  2010  while  at  the  same  time  the  level  of  gender 
imbalance should decrease.  

The social partners are promoting young people's interest in science and technology in order 
to help address the skills gap through a joint declaration and an awareness-raising campaign 
that  is  part  of  the  framework  of  actions  for  the  lifelong  development  of  competences  and 
qualifications (see below, point 4). 

The  research  sector  is  an  important  one  to  raise  young  people's  interest  in  science  and 
technology.  The  Barcelona  European  Council  set  the  goal  for  research  &  development 
investments in the EU to be increased, with the aim of approaching 3% of GDP by 2010, with 
2%  of  that  3%  objective  coming  from  private  investment.  Increased  investment  in  research 
will  raise  the  demand  for  researchers:  about  1.2  million  additional  research  personnel, 
including 700 000 additional researchers, are deemed necessary to attain the objective, on top 
of the expected replacement of the ageing workforce in research.11 Research careers need to 
be made more attractive in order to fulfil the challenge of a knowledge based economy and 
society;  with  this  in  mind  the  Commission  adopted  its  Communication  on  “Researchers  in 
ERA: one profession, multiple careers” 12, also aimed at helping the creation of the ”European 
Research Area” (ERA). Boosting the support for the training of researchers will be achieved 
by increasing the budget of the Marie Curie Actions in the 6th Framework Programme: €1.58 
billion will support the training and mobility of researchers from 2002 to 2006. These efforts 
are crucial, since studies show that spending on research across the EU is currently lower than 
during the second half of the 1990's, and that EU companies tend to invest more in the USA 
than in the EU itself (€5 bn net outflow in 2000)13. In addition, an increasing number of EU 
scientists were moving to the USA, while restrictive immigration practices and red tape were 
making it difficult for non-European researchers to live and work in the EU.14 

11 
12 
13 
14 

COM (2003) 226 final of 30.04.2003 and SEC (2003) 489 final of 30.04.2003 
COM(2003) 436 final of 18.7.2003 
"Key Figures on Science, Technology and Innovation" European Commission, November 2003 
Brain drain – Emigration Flows for Qualified Scientists" MERIT, November 2003 

9 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
3. 

Raising education levels, and reducing the numbers of those leaving school without 
formal qualification 

As foreseen under this priority in the Commission's Action Plan, the Council adopted in May 
2003 concrete European Benchmarks for the improvement of education and training systems 
in  Europe  up  to  2010.  Those  designed  to  improve  the  situation regarding  upper  secondary 
education and early school leavers are: 

•  by 2010, an EU average rate of no more than 10 % early school leavers should be 

achieved.  

•  by  2010,  at  least  85  %  of  22  year  olds  in  the  European  Union  should  have 
completed  upper  secondary  education  -  this  benchmark  is  reinforced  by 
Employment Guideline n° 4, adopted under Art 128(2) of the Treaty.  

•  by 2010, the  percentage  of low-achieving 15-year olds in  reading literacy in the 
European  Union  should  have  decreased  by  at  least  20%  compared  to  the  year 
2000.  

4. 

Closer links between education, academia and industry, and careers guidance 

Making  learning  providers  more  responsive  to  the  needs  of  learners  and  the  labour  market 
means  improving  links  between  the  worlds  of  education  and  business.  The  Leonardo  da 
Vinci programme is contributing to this process by providing for measures such as study/site 
visits, joint projects, exchanges involving teachers and managers/employees from the world of 
work.  Around  10.000  human  resources  managers  in  the  business  sector,  vocational  training 
programme  planners  and  managers,  particularly  trainers,  and  occupational  guidance 
specialists  have  benefited  so  far  from  such  mobility  exchange  measures.  In  addition,  some 
200 pilot projects per year are supported, a large number including training organisations and 
companies.  Furthermore,  in  the  context  of  the  e-Learning  initiative,  a  group  of  major 
companies in the e-Learning sector set up eLIG (eLearning Industry Group) to dialogue with 
the Commission and examine public-private partnerships, in particular with higher education 
and training institutions. 

With respect to the responsiveness of education and training systems to the needs of the new 
emerging  labour  market,  the  Copenhagen  declaration,  as  well  as  the  follow-up  to  the 
Communication  and  the  Resolution  on  lifelong  learning,  also  recognised  information, 
guidance  and  counselling  as  a  priority  area  for  action.  It  called  for  the  strengthening  of 
policies,  systems  and  practices  for  guidance  at  national  level  to  improve  occupational  and 
geographical  mobility.  The  Commission's  expert  group  on  lifelong  guidance  is  developing 
models  of  lifelong  guidance  service  provision  to  support  occupational  mobility,  quality 
criteria  for  the  delivery  of  guidance  within  a  framework  of  lifelong  learning,  and  the 
production  of  a  handbook  for  policy  makers.  The  priorities  of  the  2003-2004  call  for 
proposals  of  the  Leonardo  da  Vinci  programme  include  improving  careers  information  on 
new and emerging occupations and the development of innovative partnership approaches to 
providing workplace guidance services, in particular for workers in need of re-training and for 
older workers. 

The  importance  of  co-operation  between  the  authorities  in  charge  of  training  and/or 
employment,  institutes/schools/universities  and  has  been  underlined  by  the  social  partners 
contributing  to  the  identification  and  anticipation  of  competences  and  qualifications  needs, 
with reports and studies having been conducted in several countries. Areas of interest include: 

10 

 
 
  
 
the identification of basic competence needs or competences linked to ICT; supporting small 
and  medium  enterprises  to  identify  competence  and  qualification  needs;  developing  the 
competences  of  certain  categories  of  workers  to  maintain  and  develop  their  employability; 
helping  companies  and  organisations  to  put  in  place  competence  management  policies  and 
evaluate  their  impact;  and  matching  training  offers  with  the  needs  of  companies  and  the 
labour market. 

Initiatives  to  establish  a  network  of  industry/educational  advisory  bodies  have,  however, 
been stalled by the recent economic slowdown, which has reduced the preparedness of private 
actors to invest human and financial resources in such co-operation networks. 

5. 

Competence development strategies, lifelong learning and continuing training 

Raising participation in lifelong learning is a cornerstone of employment and training policies, 
but  according  to  the  2003  National  Action  Plans  for  Employment  (NAPs),  strategies  for 
lifelong learning vary in their coherence and comprehensiveness. In fact the EU labour force 
survey indicates that in the EU as a whole there was no improvement in the proportion of the 
working population taking part in education and training between 2000 and 2002 (see annex, 
table  7).  Considerable  progress  will  therefore  be  needed  before  a  well-developed  lifelong 
learning culture with wide public acceptance and participation is achieved. In addition, reports 
on  the  implementation  of  national  strategies  for  lifelong  learning  from  Member  States,  the 
EFTA/EEA  countries,  the  acceding  and  candidate  countries15  show  that,  while  lifelong 
learning is an issue affecting the population as a whole, the main focus is currently on initial 
education and the working population. There is little reference to development of a lifelong 
learning ethos through basic schooling, but all countries highlight the removal of barriers to 
learning  and  improving  access  for  various  at-risk  or  disadvantaged  groups,  and  emphasise 
getting quality for money already spent rather than providing new funding. The Commission's 
draft interim report dealing with “Education & Training 2010” stipulates that “in 2005 by the 
latest,  all  countries  should  have  defined  a  strategy  of  this  kind  involving  all  the  actors 
concerned,  as  well  as  a  coherent  action  plan  for  its  implementation  covering  all  the 
dimensions of the systems (be they formal or non-formal)”. At present there is little evidence 
that private-sector investment (including that of individuals) is increasing, in particular in the 
area of continuing vocational training. 

One of the European Benchmarks for the improvement of education and training systems in 
Europe  up  to  2010  adopted  by  the  Council  on  5  May  2003  foresees  that  by  2010,  the 
European Union average level of participation in lifelong learning, should be at least 12.5% of 
the  adult  working  age  population  (25-64  age  group)  -  this  benchmark  is  reinforced  by 
Employment Guideline n° 4 (see Part 2 on the European Employment Strategy). 

The  social  dialogue  is  important  in  the  lifelong  learning  field.  In  all  Member  States  the 
percentage of employees participating in continuous vocational training courses (internally or 
externally) is higher in those enterprises where agreements have been concluded between the 
social partners or with the employees compared with those where no agreements exist16. This 
applies both to men and women and across the board also for SMEs, medium-sized and large 
enterprises. 

15 
16 

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/2010/et_2010_en.html 
Data from the Eurostat CVTS2 with reference year 1999 

11 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
The  importance  of  mobilising  resources  for  the  lifelong  development  of  competences  and 
qualifications  is  reflected  in  the  wide  variety  of  instruments  developed.  These  include 
company  investment  in  competence  development  (e.g.  establishment  of  competence 
development strategies in companies, investment in training, time-off for training), investment 
by the individual (e.g. training vouchers) and co-investment (e.g. training cheques, joint social 
partners  funds  and  European  Social  Fund  programmes)  as  well  as  the  establishment  or 
reinforcement of tax incentives.  

6. 

European lifelong learning awards 

In  order  to  recognise  employers  who  introduce  innovative  competence  development 
strategies,  the  Commission  awarded  the  first  EU  Awards  for  workplaces  with  particular 
exemplary practices on 27 March 2003. The objective of these awards is to spotlight and to 
disseminate  best  practice  in  the  fields  of  lifelong  learning,  anti-discrimination  and  gender 
equality,  three  factors  which  are  essential  in  the  EU’s  drive  to  create  better  quality,  high-
performance  jobs.  The  EU  lifelong  learning  at  the  workplace  award  went  to  a  Finnish  law 
firm, the diversity at the workplace award going to an Irish microprocessor manufacturer, and 
the  gender  equality  at  the  workplace  award  going  to  a  German  pharmaceutical  company.  A 
list  of  the  top  100  workplaces  in  the  European  Union  was  also  selected.  More  than  1,000 
applicants of all types and from all 15 EU Member States originally entered the competition 
for these awards. Each submitted a questionnaire detailing its practices in the areas of lifelong 
learning,  diversity  and  gender  equality.  Applicants  also  conducted  random  surveys  of  their 
employees on these issues, with more than 100,000 employees participating.  

7. 

ICT and e-business skills definition 

Discussion  on  alternative  definitions  and  the  related  training  and  licensing  models  are 
ongoing, among others in the ICT working group set within the framework of the Education 
and Training 2010 programme. However, progress on developing commonly agreed ICT and 
e-business skills definitions has been slower than expected. The economic slowdown and the 
burst  of  the  Internet  bubble  have  negatively  affected  the  political  agenda  as  well  as  the 
motivation  of  industry  to  contribute  significantly  to  these  efforts.  While  the  debate  in  the 
media in 2003 focused largely on offshore outsourcing, progress and efforts are mainly driven 
by the needs and the strategies of enterprises. 

8. 

Monitoring ICT and e-business skills 

The Commission set-up in September 2001 an “ICT Skills Monitoring Group” composed of 
representatives of all EU Member States and Norway to better monitor of the demand for such 
skills.  The  group  released  a  synthesis  report  in  May  2002  and  a  benchmarking  report  of 
national policies in support of ICT skills in October 2002. Following on from the European e-
Skills summit of 16-18 October 2002 and from the Council Conclusions of 5 December 2002 
on  ICT  and  e-business  skills,  the  Commission  established  a  European  e-Skills  Forum17  in 
March 2003. The Forum brings together all relevant stakeholders (including the OECD) in the 
field  and  aims  to  provide  an  open  platform  to  promote  dialogue,  consensus  building  and  a 
shared  vision  on  the  key  challenges  relating  to  ICT  and  e-business  skills,  such  as  the 
measurement  of  the  shortages  and  mismatches  and  policy  responses.  A  key  element  of  the 
mandate  of  the  Forum  is  to  agree  on  common  ICT  practitioner  and  user  skills  as  well  as  e-

17 

European  e-Skills  Forum  on  Europa:  http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ict/policy/ict-skills.htm  and 
European e-Skills Forum Online Platform: http://cedefop.communityzero.com/esf  

12 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
business skills definitions, on which the Forum is expected to agree a proposal early in 2004. 
In addition a study on the impact of offshore outsourcing in the field of ICT services will be 
launched  in  2004.  The  Forum  will  deliver  its  report  to  the  Commission  in  June  2004  and  a 
major conference – European e-Skills Forum Conference 2004 – will be organised on 14-15 
June  2004  in  co-operation  with  CEDEFOP  and  in  partnership  with  industry  and  social 
partners.  

9. 

Identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning 

In order to lower the barriers to the recognition of learning wherever it is acquired, a draft set 
of  common  European  principles  for  the  validation  of  non-formal  learning  has  been 
developed within the framework of the Copenhagen process, with the aim of ensuring greater 
compatibility between approaches in different countries and at different levels. A first set of 
principles will be presented in spring 2004. In addition, a European inventory on methods for 
validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  is  being  set  up  (2003/2004)  supporting 
exchange of experiences and mutual learning. Some countries have begun to establish systems 
for  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  in  the  context  of  removing  barriers  to 
further learning. The social partners have shown their concern to build bridges between the 
world of formal education and the world of work, which plays an essential role in acquisition 
of non-formal and informal competences. 

10. 

Transparency and transferability of qualifications 

This priority is essential to facilitate mobility within and between sectors, and the proposal for 
a  decision  of  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  for  a  Europass  transparency 
framework, adopted by the Commission on 17 December 2003 is significant here, as well as 
being  the  first  concrete  output  of  the  Copenhagen  process.  Europass  will  be  a  co-ordinated 
portfolio  of  documents  linked  to  the  European  CV.  Supported  by  an  Internet-based 
information  system,  it  will  include  existing  documents  (diploma  supplement,  certificate 
supplement, European Language Portfolio18, and the MobiliPass, which will replace Training 
certificate  formerly  called  Europass-)  making  them  easier  to  access  for  citizens  and 
employers, and increasing their impact and visibility. It will also be open to new transparency 
documents. Consistent with the aim of better co-ordination and rationalisation, a single body 
in each country will co-ordinate implementation, including the activities of related European 
networks and services, and information on Europass will be accessible through the European 
Job Mobility Portal. 

Increasing  transparency  and  mutual  trust  within  and  between  VET  systems  is  highly 
dependent on quality in VET. A Common Quality Assurance Framework being developed as 
part  of  the  Copenhagen  process  will  provide  a  European  reference  for  policy  makers  and 
practitioners  at  systems  and  provider  levels  by  building  on  the  key  principles  of  the  most 
relevant existing quality assurance models. 

A study of existing European information and guidance networks that support geographical 
mobility  for  education,  training  and  work  will  commence  in  2003  under  the  aegis  of  the 
Commission’s expert group on lifelong guidance and in preparation of the implementation of 
the  Europass  decision.  It  will  identify  areas  of  commonality  and  complementarity,  and 
promote synergy between the networks. 

18 

Developed by the Council of Europe 

13 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
The  technical  working  group  on  credit  transfer  for  vocational  education  and  training 
produced  a  progress  report  in  November  2003  indicating  that  a  European  credit  transfer 
system for VET (ECVET) should aim to support transparency, comparability, transferability 
and  recognition  of  competences  and/or  qualifications,  between  different  countries  and  at 
different  levels,  by  developing  common  reference  levels  and  taking  into  account  relevant 
experiences  in  higher  education.  In  higher  education,  the  European  Course  Credit  Transfer 
System (ECTS) is now widely used by higher education institutions to facilitate mobility of 
students. This system is also in use by institutions as an own transparency instrument and is 
now  being  taken  up  in  the  legislation  of  many  Member  States.  In  the  framework  of  the 
Bologna  process,  the  recent  Ministerial  Conference  of  Berlin  encouraged  further  progress 
with the goal that ECTS becomes not only a transfer but also an accumulation system. 

The role  of  sectors in promoting vocational education and training is  also addressed  by the 
Copenhagen declaration, the sectoral level being of particular importance for the development 
of European and international VET-solutions, for example agreeing on common qualification 
standards and training modules. A mapping of initiatives  has  been launched in co-operation 
with  CEDEFOP  (European  Centre  for  the  Development  of  Vocational  Training)  which  will 
lead to the establishment of a database, serving the needs of multiple actors involved in both 
development and provision of education and training, for increased visibility of initiatives at 
sectoral level, as well as mutual learning. In addition, the Leonardo da Vinci programme will 
systematically support initiatives at sector and branch level.  

11. 

Investment in human resources in less advanced regions 

Promoting  efficient  and  cost-effective  investment  in  human  capital  is  one  of  the  major 
functions of the European Social Fund. In the current programming period, some 62% of the 
total  ESF  expenditure  has  been  allocated  to  employability  measures,  which  are  principally 
aimed  at  promoting  the  skills  and  competences  of  the  workforce  (key  components  of 
underpinning  occupational  mobility).  At  the  same  time,  some  20%  of  the  resources  are 
devoted to lifelong learning measures. In addition, the European Investment Bank's loans for 
human capital development amount up to 8% of its current activity. 

The  need  to  combat  regional  disparities  in  human  capital  development  across  the  Member 
States  is  clearly  reflected  in  the  balance  of  ESF  expenditure  –  some  51%  of  total  ESF 
expenditure  is  in  Objective  1  regions  (i.e.  in  regions  lagging  behind),  while  Objective  3 
(supporting  education,  training  and  employment  across  the  EU)  accounts  for  the  second-
largest share of assistance. 

The mid-term review of the ESF during 2003 and 2004 presents an opportunity to review the 
ESF  support  for  the  European  Employment  Strategy,  and  to  reinforce  the  effort  made  to 
support  and  promote  investment  in  human  capital,  in  pursuit  of  the  goals  of  the  Lisbon 
strategy. To this end, a series of national ESF seminars were held throughout the Autumn of 
2003  to  discuss  the  potential  shift  in  ESF  activities  in  Member  States  to  adapt  them  to  the 
revised  guidelines  of  the  EES.  A  European  Seminar  will  be  held  in  January  2004  to  bring 
together  the  conclusions  of  these  national  seminars  and  to  assess  the  implications  for  the 
future.  This  involves  both  the  revisions  to  the  ESF  programmes  for  the  current  Member 
States,  but  also  the  way  in  which  human  capital  development  is  incorporated  into  the 
programming priorities of the new Member States from 2004-2006. 

As most of the regions of the new Member States will be in the Objective 1 category, human 
capital  investment  to  accompany  investment  in  physical  capital  is  equally  essential  in  these 
regions. This is recognised and reflected in the proposed programming documents submitted 

14 

 
 
  
 
by  the  Acceding  Countries.  All  in  all,  the  ESF  will  participate  in  25  programmes  –  12  in 
Objective 1, 3 in Objective  3 and  10  in the EQUAL  ESF initiative (designed  to help tackle 
work-related  discrimination  and  inequality).  In  all  of  them,  human  resource  development  is 
accorded a high priority. 

Actions undertaken by the Commission on Rural Information Society are paving the way for 
full  participation  of  all  citizens  (even  in  less  favoured  regions)  in  the  knowledge  economy. 
The  research  spearheads  in  the  area  by  the  Commission  are  multiplied  by  regional  and 
structural actions; this multiplication effect could be strengthened. 

1.2.2.  Facilitating geographic mobility 

12. 

Application of provisions relating to free movement of workers 

It  is  essential  to  remove  any  remaining  administrative  and  legal  barriers  to  mobility.  On  11 
December 2002 the Commission therefore adopted a Communication on "Free Movement of 
Workers  -  achieving  the  full  benefits  and  potential"19.  This  Communication  provides 
information  on  the  most  important  legal  aspects  of  free  movement  of  workers  and  gives 
guidelines  to  Member  States  and  employers  for  their  implementation  of  Community  law  in 
this field. This made it clear that EU citizens still encounter many legal obstacles for taking up 
employment in another Member State and when working there. The Commission continues to 
provide information and to monitor closely the effective compliance by Member States with 
the  Community  rules  on  free  movement  of  workers;  a  large  number  of  infringement 
procedures are therefore pending against Member States.  

On  5  March  2003,  the  Commission  adopted  the  second  Commission  report  on  the 
implementation of directives 90/364, 90/365 and 93/96 on the free movement of persons who 
do  not  work  in  the  host  Member  State20.  The  report  denounced  the  continued  existence  of 
obstacles to the right of residence of retired people, students and other non-active citizens and 
referred to the main infringement cases brought by the Commission. The report also referred 
to the major developments in the case law of the Court of Justice which, proceeding from the 
concept  of  Union  citizenship,  interprets  the  conditions  laid  down  by  these  directives  more 
flexibly and to the importance of the proclamation of the Charter of fundamental rights of the 
European Union  at Nice  on 7 December 2000,  which is vitally important to free movement 
rules since it codifies and gives a high profile to fundamental rights. 

Political  agreement  was  reached  by  the  Council  on  22  September  2003  on  the  proposal, 
adopted in May 2001, and amended in April 2003, for a directive on the right of citizens of 
the Union to move and reside freely within the EU21. This proposal recasts and simplifies the 
different  existing  Community  instruments  on  the  right  of  residence  of  workers  and  self-
employed  persons,  students,  retired  people  and  other  inactive  people.  It  also  provides  that 
Union citizens will acquire a permanent right of residence in the host Member State after 5 
years of residence. Final adoption is expected in 2004.  

Political  agreement  was  also  reached  by  the  Council  on  6  June  2003  on  the  proposal  for  a 
directive on the status of long-term resident22 which will also improve the mobility of third 
country nationals. After 5 year of legal residence in one Member State, and provided that the 

19 
20 
21 
22 

(COM(2002) 694final) 
(COM (2003) 101 final) 
(COM(2003)1999final) 
(COM (2001)127 final) 

15 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
other conditions to obtain the long-term residence status are fulfilled, the proposal grants the 
long-term  resident  a  set  of  uniform  rights  which  are  as  similar  as  possible  to  those  of  EU 
citizens  and  the  right  to  move  and  to  settle  in  another  Member  State  for  reasons  of  work, 
study  or  other  purposes.  The  conditions  for  this  mobility  are  facilitated  significantly.  The 
Directive was formally adopted on 25 November 2003. 

13. 

Modernisation  and  simplification  of  social  security  co-ordination,  introduction  of  a 
EU-wide health insurance card 

Improving  the  EU-wide  transferability  of  social  security  rights  has  been  furthered  through 
progress  on  the  reform  and  simplification  of  Regulation  1408/71  on  the  co-ordination  of 
social security systems. The European Parliament adopted its report (the Lambert Report) on 
3  September  2003.  On  1  December  2003  the  Council  reached  a  political  agreement  on  the 
overall text of the proposal, excluding the annexes. The final adoption of the new Regulation 
is expected in spring 2004; however, the new Regulation will only enter into force after the 
adoption  of  its  implementing  Regulation.  The  adoption  of  Regulation  859/2003,  which 
extends the provisions of Regulation 1408/71 to legally resident nationals of third countries, is 
an important contribution to the integration of third country nationals. This Regulation entered 
into force on 1 June 2003. 

On  the  European  Health  Insurance  Card,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Communication  on  
17  February  200323  presenting  a  roadmap  for  its  gradual  introduction  to  replace  the  current 
forms  needed  for  health  treatment  in  another  Member  State  during  a  temporary  stay. 
Following  up  on  the  mandate  given  by  the  Spring  European  Council  of  2003,  the  relevant 
decisions that will allow to kick-off the deployment of the card on 1 June, 2004 were adopted 
before summer 2003. At the same time, the Commission tabled a proposal for an amendment 
to  the  Regulation  1408/71  which  would  give  the  same  entitlements  to  "medically  necessary 
care"  to  all  categories  of  patients  (workers,  posted  workers,  pensioners,  students,  etc.). 
Another objective of this proposal is to simplify procedures for citizens. The Council reached 
rapid agreement on 20 October 2003 on this text; formal adoption is expected in Spring 2004. 
As  a  next  step,  the  Commission  will  launch  discussions  on  the  eventual  deployment  of  a 
"smart" card, which may include other functionalities related to health care. 

14. 

Portability of supplementary pensions 

The  improved  portability  of  occupational  pension  rights  has  been  the  subject  of  a 
Commission  consultation  procedure  with  the  social  partners  launched  in  June  2002  with  a 
view to further legislative or other action (collective agreements, directive, recommendation, 
code of practice, guidelines, etc.). A second stage consultation was launched on 12 September 
2003.  It  suggests  action  to  be  taken  by  the  social  partners  to  address  obstacles  to  the 
acquisition  of  pension  rights  (minimum  age  conditions,  waiting  and  vesting  periods),  to 
improve  the  preservation  of  acquired  pension  rights  (by  protecting  them  against  erosion 
through  inflation)  and  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  pension  rights  between  schemes.  The 
suggestions  are  largely  based  on  the  work  carried  out  within  the  Committee  in  the  area  of 
supplementary pensions24 (the so-called Pensions Forum). 

23 
24 

(COM(2003)73 final) 
Established by Commission's Decision C(2001) 1775 of 9 July 2001, on the setting-up of a Committee 
in the area of supplementary pensions. 

16 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
As  concerns  the  elimination  of  tax  obstacles  to  cross-border  provision  of  occupational 
pensions25, the Commission decided to ask Member States to eliminate all national tax rules 
that,  by  discriminating  against  occupational  pension  institutions  established  in  other  EU 
countries, infringe the Treaty provisions on the free movement of workers and capital, as well 
as the freedom to provide services in the field of occupational pensions. This concerns both 
the  cross-border  payment  of  contributions  to  pension  schemes  (necessary  for  cross-border 
membership)  and  cross-border  transfers  of  accumulated  pension  rights.  The  Commission  is 
presently examining the relevant national rules and taking the necessary steps to ensure their 
compliance  with  the  Treaty.  Eight  infringement  cases  against  different  Member  States  have 
already been opened26.Finally, the recently adopted directive on institutions for occupational 
retirement  provision27  aimed  at  guaranteeing  the  free  provision  of  occupational  pension 
services across Europe, as well as the free movement of capitals in this sector, will allow pan-
European  groups  of  companies  to  set  up  pan-European  pension  funds,  which  may  facilitate 
labour mobility within that group.   

The  Commission  followed  the  implementation  by  Member  States  of  Directive  98/49/EC  on 
safeguarding  the  supplementary  pension  rights  of  employed  and  self-employed  persons 
moving within the Community, which constitutes the first step on removing obstacles on free 
movement  relating  to  supplementary  pensions.  By  the  end  of  2004  the  Commission  will 
present a report on its implementation to be established on the basis of replies provided by the 
Member  States  to  a  questionnaire  to  be  addressed  by  the  Commission  to  them  by  the 
beginning of 2004. 

15. 

Improved professional recognition for regulated professions 

The  Commission  tabled  proposals  to  lower  the  regulatory  and  administrative  barriers  to  the 
recognition  of  professional  qualifications  for  regulated  professions  in  March  2002  and 
called  upon  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  to  adopt  this  Directive  on  the 
recognition of professional qualifications in 2003 to enter into force by 2005. The European 
Council in March 2003 stressed that political agreement should be reached by the end of 2003 
on this Directive. However, progress in the European Parliament has been slow. 

16. 

Strengthening of internal market for services 

The  Commission  adopted  a  proposal  for  a  directive  to  reduce  barriers  to  the  freedom  to 
provide services and the freedom of establishment in December 2003. This proposal aims at 
establishing  a  clear  and  balanced  legal  framework  to  simplify  conditions  for  establishment 
and  cross-border  service  provision.  The  proposal  had  been  announced  in  the  Commission's 
Internal Market strategy28 and is consistent with the orientations expressed by the European 
Parliament and the Council. 

25 

26 

27 

28 

Addressed by the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and 
the Economic  and Social Committee of 19 April 2001 "The elimination of tax obstacles to the cross-
border provision of occupational pensions" (COM (2001) 214). 
See  press  releases  IP/03/179  of  5  February  2003,  IP/03/965  of  9  July  2003  and  IP/03/1756  of  17 
December  2003  on  http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh.  The  countries  concerned  are 
Denmark, Belgium, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and the UK. 
Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the activities and supervision of institutions 
for occupational retirement provision, 2003/41/EC of 3 June 2003. 
Commission  Communication  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament,  the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee,  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  -  A  Internal  Market  Strategy,  Priorities  2003  -  2006, 
COM (2003) 238(01). 

17 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
17. 

Removal  of  barriers  to  geographical  mobility  related  to  wage-mechanisms,  tax-
benefits and housing 

There  is  only  little  information  about  possible  improvements  in  this  field.  For  example, 
rigidities in the functioning of the housing market persist as a problem for internal geographic 
mobility  in  certain  Member  States.  The  Broad  Economic  Policy  Guidelines  2002  and  2003 
deal  with  this  issue,  addressing  specific  recommendations  to  certain  Member  States. 
According  to  the  implementing  report  of  the  2002  BEPGs,  the  question  has,  however,  not 
received  particular  attention  at  the  national  level,  although  the  BEPGs  for  2003-200529 
reiterate  that  Member  States  should  eliminate  obstacles  to  mobility  related  to  the  housing 
market  in  order  to  facilitate  geographical  and  occupational  mobility.  The  same  Guidelines 
also call for wage bargaining systems to allow wages to reflect productivity, taking account 
of productivity differences across skills and local labour market conditions. 

18. 

Language and cross-cultural skills 

Language  competences  are  indissociable  from  mobility  in  Europe.  The  aim  that  all  pupils  
learn at least two European languages in addition to their mother tongue is being pursued in 
the context of the Language Action Plan, adopted by the Commission on 24 July 200330. This 
plan  resulted  from  the  European  Year  of  Languages  in  2001,  the  European  Parliament 
Resolution  of  13  December  2001  on  the  promotion  of  language  learning  and  linguistic 
diversity,  and  the  Education  Council  on  14  February  2002  inviting  Member  States  to  take 
concrete steps and the Commission to draw up proposals. 

The Language Action Plan sets out the context and the main policy objectives to be pursued 
within three broad areas: extending the benefits of life-long language learning to all citizens, 
improving language teaching, and creating a more language-friendly environment. It contains 
concrete  proposals  for  a  series  of  actions  to  be  taken  at  European  level  with  the  aim  of 
supporting actions taken by local, regional and national authorities. The actions use resources 
available in existing Community programmes and activities. A number of the actions relate to 
increasing  the  mobility  of  both  language  learners,  and  language  teachers.  The  actions 
proposed,  along  with  those  taken  by  Member  States,  can  secure  a  major  step  change  in 
promoting language learning and linguistic diversity. In 2007 the Commission will review the 
action taken at all levels and report to the European Parliament and Council. 

19. 

More transnational learning in other Member States 

Increasing mobility in education and training is an essential element of the "Education & 
Training 2010" work programme. The mobility group set up by the Commission to advance 
mobility issues within this process provided a first set of policy recommendations, focusing 
on the three most relevant issues: access to mobility; quality in mobility; opening up Europe 
to  the  wider  world  (mobility  from/to  outside  the  EU).  They  include  proposals  for:  a) 
reinforcing European mobility, (particularly in the field of vocational training, which is less 
developed than mobility in higher education); b) making substantial efforts, through concrete 
actions,  to  ensure  that  disadvantaged  people  have  access  to  mobility  within  the  EU;  c) 
developing  a  European  level  "quality  charter"  for  mobility  actions;  d)  increasing  the 
attractiveness  of  education  and  training  in  Europe  by  developing  a  European  marketing 

29 
30 

(COM(2003) 170 final) 
(COM(2003) 449 final) 

18 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
strategy  to  support  and  complement  national  efforts  to  promote  their  education  (currently 
mainly their higher education) in the rest of the world. 

These  recommendations  are  reflected  in  the  report  Communication  on  the  follow-up  of  the 
Mobility Recommendation and Action Plan for the mobility of students, persons undergoing 
training, volunteers, teachers and trainers within the Community, prepared in parallel with the 
present Communication31.  

Increasing  and  improving  mobility  for  learning  purposes  will  be  a  political  and  strategic 
priority  for  the  future  development  of  the  EU  Education,  Training  and  Youth 
Programmes after 2006 (when the current programmes come to an end). The proposal on the 
new  programmes  for  the  period  2007-2013  are  expected  to  be  submitted  to  the  European 
Parliament and Council by early 2004.   

In addition to the measures in the field of education and training, the issue of the mobility of 
researchers  was  developed  within  the  context  of  the  implementation  of  the  Commission 
Communication on “A Mobility Strategy for the European Research Area”.32 The following 
progress has been made: the Researchers' Mobility Portal33 is on-line as of July 2003, and the 
European network of mobility centres for researchers (ERA-MORE) will be launched in early 
2004.  Proposals  for  a  Directive  and  a  Recommendation  concerning  the  facilitation  of 
admission  of  third  country  researchers  will  be  adopted  in  early  2004,  in  order  to  ease  the 
admission and the mobility of third country researchers. In addition the issue of mobility of 
researchers  is  also  tackled  in  the  Communication  “Researchers  in  the  European  Research 
Area : one profession, multiple careers”34. 

20. 

Recognition  of  educational  qualifications  and  competences  in  non-regulated 
professions 

Promoting both occupational and geographic mobility in the perspective of lifelong learning 
is  being  addressed  by  the  measures  on  transparency,  transferability  and  recognition  of 
qualifications  and  competences,  including  the  development  of  quality  assurance  in  VET, 
being developed under the Copenhagen process. The question of recognition of qualifications 
and competences in non-regulated professions is therefore dealt with under point 10 above. 

21. 

Elimination of limitations related to qualifications in collective agreements 

The social partners have addressed this issue in the context of the framework of actions for 
the  lifelong  development  of  competences  and  qualifications  (see  section  4  below).  The 
comparison and equivalence of qualifications is also discussed in the sectoral social dialogue 
at  European  level.  Follow-up  actions  at  the  national  level  included  the  discussion  of  the 
framework  of  actions  between  the  social  partners  and  the  integration  of  the  priorities  in 
collective agreements. Additional information will, however, be needed to assess the progress 
made.  

31 
32 
33 
34 

COM(2004)21 
COM(2001)331 final of 20.6.2001 and SEC (2003) 146 final of 04.02.2003. 
http://europa.eu.int/eracareers 
COM(2003) 436 final of 18.7.2003 

19 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
22. 

Develop EU-wide immigration policy 

On  immigration  policy  the  Commission  adopted  in  June  2003  a  Communication  on 
Immigration,  Integration  and  Employment,  responding  to  the  Tampere  European  Council's 
request  to  develop  an  integration  policy  for  third  country  nationals  in  the  framework  of 
overall  EU  policy  on  immigration.  The  Communication  also  addressed  employment-related 
issues concerning immigration, in line with the orientations flowing from the Lisbon Strategy 
and  the  Commission's  Spring  Report.  At  its  meeting  on  20  October  2003,  the  Council  on 
Employment,  Social  Policy,  Health  and  Consumer  Affairs  welcomed  the  Communication, 
stressing  that  any  labour  market  related  initiatives  should  be  taken  in  the  framework  of  the 
Lisbon Strategy and the European Employment Strategy. Regulation 859/2003, extending the 
provisions of Regulation 1408/71 to legally resident nationals of third countries, entered into 
force on 1 June 2003. However, overall progress on the issue of economic migration for work 
purposes has been lacking. 

1.2.3. 

Improving information and transparency of job opportunities 

23. 

Establishment of one-stop European Mobility Information Site 

The European Job Mobility Information Portal35 was unveiled in September 2003, based on 
an enhanced version of the existing EURES site with improved contents and functionalities, 
and  integrating  the  learning  opportunities  site  PLOTEUS,  launched  on  5  March  200336 
(Ploteus gives structured access to information on education and training at all levels and in 
all    EU/EEA  and  candidate  countries  with  information  accessible  in  all  EU  languages  and 
provided by the network of National Resource Centres for Vocational Guidance - NRCVG). 
The  Job  Mobility  Portal  provides  links  to  other  relevant  sites,  including  the  Researchers' 
Mobility web portal. A Commission study of European information and guidance networks 
that support geographical mobility for education, training and work will commence in 2004 in 
preparation  for  the  implementation  of  the  Europass  decision  (see  point  10).  It  will  identify 
areas of commonality and complementarity, and promote synergy between the networks. 

24. 

Modernisation of EURES 

The  Commission  decision  to  update  the  operation  of  EURES  was  adopted  in  December 
200237,  with  operational  aspects  being  provided  for  in  a  EURES  Charter,  adopted  in  April 
200338, which contains more detailed descriptions of activities, operational objectives, quality 
standards, etc. to be applied by those involved in running EURES. Making all job vacancies 
across the EU available to job seekers by 2005 is a  key part  of the EURES  strategy, and is 
reflected clearly in Employment Guideline n° 3. A new common IT platform of EURES to be 
developed  by  2005  will  support  this  measure.  The  Commission  is  collaborating  with  the 
International  Labour  Organisation  to  look  at  new  ways  of  adapting  and  enhancing  the 
International  Standard  Classification  of  Occupations  codes  (ISCO),  initially  conceived  for 
statistical  purposes,  so  that  they  can  be  used  in  occupational  descriptions  useful  for  job 
placement and guidance activities.  

35 
36 
37 
38 

http://europa.eu.int/eures 
http://www.ploteus.net 
Commission Decision 2003/8/EC - OJ L 5/16 of 10.1.2003 
OJ C 106/3 of 3.5.2003 

20 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
25. 

EU-wide Mobility Information Campaign 

A  European  Mobility  Information  Campaign  was  launched  in  September  2003  to  coincide 
with  the  opening  of  the  Job  Mobility  Portal,  with  a  series  of  targeted  actions  at  sectoral, 
national, regional, and gender levels.39 

1.2.4. 

Involvement of social partners 

Following up the inclusion of mobility as one of their key priorities in their joint 2003-2005 
work programme, a dedicated seminar on mobility was held with the social partners on 13 
February  2003  within  the  framework  of  the  social  dialogue.  The  social  partners  showed  a 
particular interest in the areas of lifelong learning (see also the various social partner activities 
reported under objectives no. 4, 5, 9, and 21 above), attracting women and young people to 
certain  professions,  the  transparency  and  transferability  of  occupational  qualifications,  the 
portability of occupational pension rights, immigration, and the reform of EURES. The social 
partners also participate in all the working groups created under the Education and Training 
'Objectives process' and Copenhagen process in vocational education and training. 

Lifelong learning is a policy area where the European social partners also have a particularly 
significant  role,  adopting  in  March  2002  a  framework  of  actions  for  the  lifelong 
development of competences and qualifications as a contribution to the implementation of 
the  Lisbon  strategy.  They  identified  four  areas  for  priority  actions:  identifying  and 
anticipating  competences  and  qualifications  needs;  recognising  and  validating  competences 
and qualifications; informing, supporting and providing guidance; and mobilising resources. 
The member organisations of the European social partners agreed to promote this framework 
of actions in Member States at all appropriate levels, taking account of national practices, and 
to  transmit  the  text  to  all  interested  players  at  European  and  national  levels.  They  draw  up 
annual reports on the national actions carried out under the four priorities, the first of which 
reports was submitted to the first Social Summit on the eve of the Brussels European Council 
in March 2003. It indicated how the introduction of the framework of actions in the various 
national  contexts  has  generated  debates  and  enriched  the  discussions  between  the  social 
partners on the development of competences and qualifications, and in some cases has made it 
possible to group activities around the four priorities identified at European level. The social 
partners also called on the Commission and the Council to take account of the framework of 
actions priorities in the context of the future objectives of education and training systems. The 
effort to promote information exchange and mutual enrichment will be valued and pursued in 
the years ahead in the context the social partners’ multi-annual work programme. The second 
report on national actions is expected to be submitted to the second Social Summit in spring 
2004. 

2. 

CONTRIBUTION  TO  EUROPEAN  EMPLOYMENT  STRATEGY  AND  THE  EDUCATION  & 
TRAINING 2010 PROGRAMME 

The new European Employment Strategy, agreed by the Council on 22 July 2003, has been 
revised  to  take  better  account  of  the  needs  of  an  enlarged  European  Union,  to  react  more 
effectively  to  the  challenges  facing  a  modern  labour  market,  and  to  contribute  better  to  the 
Lisbon  strategy.  The  European  Social  Fund  has  actively  supported  the  EES  over  the  years, 
with most of the thematic issues of the original four pillars of the EES having received ESF 

39 

Information can be found on the European job mobility portal: http://europa.eu.int/eures 

21 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
funding in the majority of Member States. Over the current programming period the ESF has 
changed its focus from being a training programme to a policy-driven instrument in support of 
the  strategic  goals  of  the  EES.  At  an  aggregate  level  the  ESF  activities  complement  the 
national strategies. 

Two key specific Employment Guidelines adopted by the Council in July 2003 address labour 
shortages  and  bottlenecks  and  tackle  the  need  to  improve  skill  levels  through  lifelong 
learning. 

Guideline n° 3 calls upon Member States to address labour shortages and skill bottlenecks 
through comprehensive policies that fully implement all elements of the Action Plan for Skills 
and  Mobility.  In  addition  to  the  promotion  of  occupational  mobility  and  the  removal  of 
obstacles to geographic mobility by the implementation of the action plan, the Guidelines in 
particular  call  for  improving  the  recognition  and  transparency  of  qualifications  and 
competences,  the  transferability  of  social  security  and  pension  rights,  providing  appropriate 
incentives  in  tax  and  benefit  systems,  and  taking  into  account  labour  market  aspects  of 
immigration. The Guideline also calls for the promotion of the transparency of employment 
and training opportunities in order to support effective job matching and set a specific target: 
by 2005, job-seekers throughout the EU should be able to consult all job vacancies advertised 
through the Member States' employment services.   

Member States are also encouraged to implement comprehensive lifelong learning strategies 
in order to equip all individuals with the skills required for a modern workforce, and to reduce 
skills mismatch and bottlenecks in the labour market. To back up this commitment Guideline 
n°  4  ("Promote  development  of  human  capital  and  lifelong  learning")  also  includes  two 
specific targets for the EU to be achieved by 2010, which strengthen the concrete European 
Benchmarks for the improvement of education and training systems in Europe: 

•  at least 85% of 22 year olds in the European Union should have completed upper 

secondary education; 

•  the European Union average level of participation in lifelong learning should be at 

least 12,5% of the adult working age population (25-64 age group). 

The Guidelines also state that policies will aim to achieve an increase in investment in human 
resources. 

Based  on  the  adopted  Guidelines,  the  Member  States  presented  their  National  Action  Plans 
for Employment in October 2003. The Member States provide varying levels of detail on the 
measures  they  are  undertaking  in  order  to  promote  occupational  mobility  and  geographic 
mobility both within the country and across national borders.  

Preparations  are  being  made  in  most  Member  States  to  increase  the  number  of  vacancies 
available  via  the  EURES  database.  However,  clear  commitments  to  fulfil  the  Guideline 
obligation  for  all  jobseekers  throughout  the  EU  to  be  able  to  consult  all  job  vacancies 
advertised through Member States' employment services by 2005 are not always apparent in 
the  National  Action  Plans.  Other  measures  particularly  relevant  to  encouraging  geographic 
mobility  include  sectoral  recruitment  activities  (e.g.  Austria)  and  incentives  provided  to 
follow  training  in  other  parts  of  the  country  (Italy).  Some  countries  (e.g.  Sweden  and 
Germany) promote the geographic mobility of unemployed workers or workers threatened by 
unemployment; they provide specific mobility assistance, along with making higher demands 
regarding  the  willingness  of  the  unemployed  to  move  to  another  region  to  take  up  a  new 

22 

 
 
  
 
occupations.  Portugal  and  Denmark  promote  mobility  inside  the  public  administration,  and 
include  in  their  reform  efforts  measures  such  as  vocational  training,  evaluation  of  the 
individual and services performances, redefinition of functions and specific training.  

Apart  from  these  measures  related  specifically  to  the  labour  market,  a  number  of  countries 
focus  on  mobility  programmes  in  the  area  of  education,  research  and  training,  language 
learning,  the  recognition  of  diplomas,  and  the  development  of  new  systems  to  assess 
qualifications. Sweden reports on a specific project aimed at providing holders of university 
or college degrees, obtained outside Sweden who are not employed in occupations that match 
their proficiency level, supplementary training that will make them able to take up jobs that 
correspond to their qualification levels and help them make use of their knowledge and skills.  

The transferability of social security and pensions rights is mentioned briefly by only a few 
Member  States.  Ireland  has  recently  introduced  Personal  Retirement  Savings  Accounts 
(PRSAs),  a  low  cost,  easy  access,  and  long-term  personal  investment  account  designed  to 
allow people to save for their retirement in a flexible manner. The Dutch government intends 
to make it possible for self-employed professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists and other 
medical  specialists  to  transfer  pension  rights  to  and  from  the  administrator  of  a  compulsory 
occupational pension scheme by introducing a statutory right.  

Just  three  countries  mention  the  labour  market  aspects  of  immigration  in  their  NAPs.  The 
Netherlands  have  a  restrictive  demand-driven  labour  migration  policy,  nevertheless, 
temporary  admission  of  highly  qualified  immigrants  is  accepted  to  tackle  labour  shortages. 
Portugal aims to develop a management of immigration flows through a bi-annual forecast of 
job  offers  and  activity  sectors  available.  The  Swedish  government  and  the  confederation  of 
Swedish  enterprises  have  created  a  Committee  for  the  integration  of  immigrants  into  the 
labour market. 

In  the  field  of  lifelong  learning,  the  implementation  of  Guideline  n°  4  is  demonstrated 
through the commitment of some Member States to increase access of workers, in particular 
low-skill workers, to training. Belgium, for example, announced in its 2003 NAP the intention 
to increase participation in education and training of the adult age group (25-64) from 6.5% in 
2002  to  12.5%  in  2010  (in  line  with  the  Employment  Guidelines).  In  Greece  the  increase 
announced is from 1.2% in 2002 to 10% by 2008. 

As  mentioned  in  Part  1,  two  closely  interlinked  processes  in  the  field  of  education  and 
training were launched in 2001 and 2002, which are closely related to the objectives of the 
Action  Plan  for  Skills  and  Mobility:  the  comprehensive  work  programme  on  the  future 
objectives  of  education  and  training  systems  ("Education  &  Training  2010")  which  aims  to 
foster  the  convergence  of  national  policies  towards  the  main  EU  objectives  in  these  areas;  
and the enhanced European co-operation in vocational education and training called for by the 
‘Copenhagen  declaration’.  The  activities  developed  within  the  framework  of  these 
initiatives  directly  contribute  to  the  implementation  of  the  Action  Plan.  The  13  shared 
European  objectives  towards  which  policies  are  expected  to  converge  by  2010  include 
Objective 1.2. (Developing skills for the knowledge society), Objective 1.3 (Ensuring access 
to ICT for everyone) and Objective 3.4 (Increasing mobility and exchange). For these and all 
other  shared  objectives,  as  well  as  for  the  main  aspects  of  the  Copenhagen  declaration, 
specific  working  groups  have  been  set  up  to  take  forward  their  implementation.  A  first 
stocktaking  of  these  coordinated  efforts  is  provided  in  the  Commission's  Communication 
aimed to serve as a draft for the joint report on "Education & Training 2010" to be submitted 
by the Commission and the Council to the spring 2004 European Council. 

23 

 
 
  
 
3. 

FOLLOW-UP 

3.1. 

The  following  areas  can  be  identified  as  those  where  progress  has  been  most 
notable 

Since the adoption of the Action Plan, progress on its implementation has been advancing in 
most  fields.  Among  the  actions  where  most  notable  progress  has  been  made,  the  following 
could be mentioned: 

•  European Health Insurance Card: the replacement of form E 111 by the European 
Health  Insurance  Card  on  1  June  2004  has  been  decided  upon  (the  Spring 
European  Council  of  2003  having  urged  its  introduction).  In  addition  important 
progress  has  been  made  in  the  negotiations  of  the  modification  of  Regulation 
1408/71  on  the  coordination  of social security schemes aimed  at facilitating this 
introduction.  

•  Important progress has also been made in the negotiations on the proposal aimed 
at  simplifying  and  modernising  the  Regulation  1408/71  on  the  coordination  of 
social security schemes.   

•  Political  agreement  was  reached  in  the  Council  on  22  September  2003  on  the 
important proposal on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members 
to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. 

•  The  launch  of  the  European  Job  Mobility  Information  Portal  combining  an 
enhanced version of the EURES site with information on job opportunities, living 
and  working  conditions,  regional  labour  market  information  has  substantially 
improved and simplified the access to practical information on questions related to 
job  mobility.  The  Barcelona  Spring  European  Council  of  2002  called  for  the 
setting  up  of  such  a  facility  by  the  end  of  2003.  The  launch  of  the  PLOTEUS 
portal  on  learning  opportunities,  now  also  available  within  the  European  Job 
Mobility  Information  Portal,  has  equally  simplified  the  access  to  information 
related to mobility for learning purposes. 

•  The  adoption  by  the  Commission  of  the  proposal  for  a  decision  on  the  new 
Europass  is  a  major  step  towards  the  rationalisation  and  streamlining  of 
transparency instruments and related networks, which will provide citizens with a 
more effective service. 

•  The Commission's Communication on Immigration, Integration and Employment 
marks  a  significant  step  forward  in  the  development  of  a  balanced  policy 
approach,  in  particular  the  recognition  that  any  labour  market  related  initiatives 
should  be  taken  in  the  context  of  the  Lisbon  Strategy  and  the  European 
Employment Strategy. 

24 

 
 
  
 
3.2. 

The following areas can be identified as those where progress has been slow 

The  original  timetable  envisaged  for  making  the  European  labour  markets  open  to  all  and 
accessible for all could require some re-appraisal in the light of the additional time needed for 
the legislative process for some measures and changes in the economic context. Progress in 
the following areas is slower than expected: 

•  The  proposal  for  a  Directive  on  the  recognition  of  professional  qualifications, 
tabled by the Commission in March 2002, still awaits the first reading (despite the 
Spring European Council of 2003 having urged rapid progress to be made on its 
adoption). The Common Position of the Council should be reached in 2004. 

•  The  proposal  for  a  Directive  on  the  conditions  of  entry  and  residence  of  third-
country  nationals  for  the  purpose  of  paid  employment  and  self-employed 
economic activities40 has been strongly resisted in the relevant Council Migration 
Admission  Working  Group.  It  seems  more  difficult  than  expected  to  enable 
common  rules  to  be  established  to  manage  the  immigration  of  third  country 
nationals for economic purposes. 

•   Little progress has been made on developing commonly agreed ICT and e-skills 

definitions. 

Despite  the  adoption  by  the  Council  of  its  Resolution  on  Skills  and  Mobility  in  June  2002, 
progress is still lacking in many Member States with regard to the following areas: 

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

particular in the areas of ICT skills; 

•  Promoting  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; 

•  Equipping  young  people  with  the  basic  skills  relevant  to  the  labour  market  and 

needed to participate in lifelong learning; 

•  Promoting  initiatives  for  workers,  including  a  strong  component  of  training,  to 

enter, remain and progress in the labour market; 

•  Increasing,  where  appropriate,  the  transferability  of  social  security  rights, 

including pensions, across the European Union. 

It is important to continue to overcome obstacles to occupational and geographic mobility by 
Member  States  adopting  appropriate  measures  in  line  with  the  Council  Resolution,  and  to 
provide information on that through the recognised processes. 

40 

COM(2001)386 

25 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
3.3. 

Areas where additional effort could be beneficial 

Human capital development, and the place of occupational and geographic mobility as part 
of that development, will remain a major issue for the Structural Funds in general and the 
ESF in particular, both in the context of the mid-term  review  (2003-2004)  of  the  Structural 
Funds, as well as in the next programming period from 2007 onwards. The conclusions of the 
Commission on this subject will be contained in the Third Cohesion Report to be adopted by 
the Commission early in 2004. In October 2003, the joint meeting of Ministers of Education 
and of Employment and Social Affairs from the EU and the acceding countries underlined the 
importance of a structured co-operation that will support the development of human capital. 

There is acknowledgement of the shared responsibility of the multiple stakeholders: national, 
regional and local public bodies and administrations, social partners and civil, in promoting a 
lifelong  learning  culture  centred  on  the  individual.  There  is  general  agreement  on  the 
responsibility of the State for funding initial education and training, as well as acceptance of 
free  access  to  basic  and  further  education  and  training  programmes  for  adults  who  lack 
educational  qualifications.  While  many  countries  demonstrate  recognition  of  the  importance 
of  shared  ownership  by  social  partners,  for  example  in  designing  and  implementing  dual-
system approaches, this recognition is less evident in acceding and candidate countries. 

The statistical monitoring of lifelong learning and human capital through the European 
Statistical System needs to be improved. Relevant comparable data are lacking on some key 
aspects like participation in non-formal education and informal learning or the skill level of 
the adult population. 

People with low levels of education and qualification, older workers, marginalised population 
groups  or  those  living  in  disadvantaged  areas  or  outlying  regions,  and  people  with  learning 
difficulties  are  often  comparatively  unacquainted  with  the  opportunities  that  exist  through 
education and training. This also restricts their ability to participate effectively in the labour 
market. One of the fundamental challenges of the future will be to increase the awareness of 
the disadvantaged groups of the advantages of education and training and to make the systems 
more attractive, more accessible and tailored more closely to their needs. 

Reflection  on  further  extension  of  the  recognition  of  professional  qualifications  to  third 
country  nationals  generally  will  continue  once  the  Directive  on  the  recognition  of 
professional qualifications has been finally adopted. 

The  European  labour  market  cannot  function  effectively  and  smoothly  without  a  European 
framework to stand as a common reference for the recognition of qualifications (as stressed 
in the Communication taking stock of the implementation of the "Education & Training 2010" 
work programme). A framework of this kind in Europe should encompass higher education as 
well  as  vocational  education  and  training  and  be  based  on  the  national  frameworks  which 
themselves  must  be  coherent  and  cover  the  various  levels  of  initial  and  continuing  training. 
Such a common European framework of reference for qualifications which is transparent to 
both  learners  and  employers  and  integrates  learning  at  all  levels  (general  and  vocational, 
secondary and tertiary, and acquired in a formal as well as in non-formal way) is required to 
link  education  and  employment  in  Europe  smoothly,  but  also  to  facilitate  the  individual’s 
lifelong learning pathway. The necessary mutual trust can only stem from quality assurance 
instruments  which  are  appropriately  compatible  and  credible  so  that  they  can  be  mutually 
accepted  and  shared.  In  this  connection,  the  "Common  Quality  Assurance  Framework  "  for 
the  development  of  quality  vocational  training  (as  part  of  the  follow-up  to  the  Copenhagen 

26 

 
 
  
 
Declaration)  and  the  creation  of  a  platform  for  quality  assurance  or  accreditation  in  higher 
education (in conjunction with the Bologna process) should be top priorities for Europe. 

On the ICT skills front, the emergence of global sourcing and of switching ICT software and 
services  operations  to  outsourcing  companies  is  causing  growing  concern  in  the  U.S.  and  a 
number of EU Member States. Companies with global functions and markets will utilize any 
opportunities  for  growth  to  exploit  available  talented  workforce  for  the  global  creation  and 
delivery of their products. Most vulnerable areas for the loss of competitiveness in Europe are 
in competitive practitioners working in R&D product creation. This also has greatest impact 
on  the  creation  of  employment  down  the  line  and  relates  closely  to  volumes  of  intellectual 
property  rights  and  shadowing  the  impact  on  research  and  education  as  lost  opportunities  if 
Europe cannot compete. It is important to invest more strongly in EU core comparative and 
competitive advantages, as well as to do what is possible to clarify current developments so 
that the debate is based on facts. It is crucial to bring together the stakeholders and the social 
partners  to  confront  the  implications  of  these  trends  and  to  identify  appropriate  responses. 
Traditional  surveys  or  employment  statistics  are  not  necessarily  the  best  tools  for  basing 
policy  decisions  on  governmental  or  business  level  in  this  field.  New  thinking  has  to  be 
introduced both towards longer-term scenario-based work as well as shorter-term monitoring 
by  innovative  barometers.  New  ways  of  Industry-Government  dialogue  have  to  be  found  in 
2004  to  address  these  dynamic  challenges  in  e-business.  These  will  be  explored  by  the 
European e-Skills Forum in its report to the Commission scheduled for release in June 2004. 

The  role  of  the  information  society  in  the  development  of  skills,  knowledge  and 
competencies has to be recognised and its potentialities put in practice. In this context, it may 
be  worth  emphasising  the  emergence  of  cyber  organisations  or  truly  virtual  organisations 
which provide alternatives to mobility requirements by allowing companies to take advantage 
of location independence and multilocational skills. While this type of work organisation still 
represents a minor and emerging paradigm it may grow and provide a serious alternative and 
response  to  mobility  issues.  The  development  of  indicators  to  monitor  this  phenomenon  of 
"virtual  mobility"  based  on  networking  and  knowledge  sharing  would  ensure  a  better 
understanding of its potential. 

27 

 
 
  
 
1) 

Levels of occupational mobility and job turnover 

ANNEX 

Despite  slight  fluctuations  in  the  numbers  changing  jobs  in  individual  Member  States,  the 
overall  movement  of  workers  at  EU  level  between  jobs  and  sectors  has  not  grown 
significantly. Only 15.2% of people from Member States changed residence over the last ten 
years  for  occupational  reasons  (Eurobarometer  54/Feb  2001).  Subsequently  this  will 
negatively  impact  on  productivity  growth  (Employment  in  Europe,  2003).  Sectoral  mobility 
and an adaptable workforce are essential elements in a strategy for productivity growth.  

Rate of Employees by duration of current employment 

Rate of Employees by 
duration 

Rate of Employees by 
duration of 

1 year  1-2 yrs

of current employment 2000  Current employment 2002 
less than  Between  more than  less than Between More than 
1 year  1-2 yrs 
3.78 
14.8 
15.5 
24.5 
13.0 
23.9 
23.6 
16.9 
23.9 
12.77 
12.4 
21.1 
16.4 
16.6 
20.4 
17.5 

AT 
BE 
DE 
DK 
EL 
ES 
FIN 
FR 
IE 
IT 
LU 
NL 
PT 
SE 
UK 
EU-15 
41 
Source: Eurostat – Labour Force Survey, spring data 

2 yrs. 
: 
76.8 
74.2 
64.4 
78.0 
66.4 
67.8 
73.0 
68.5 
78.8 
79.8 
74.1 
73.4 
73.6 
66.7 
72.8 

2 yrs. 
93.0 
75.4 
73.7 
61.7 
79.3 
64.9 
67.2 
73.2 
62.5 
78.8 
78.6 
67.7 
73.5 
73.4 
66.9 
72.0 

: 
13.2 
15.0 
22.3 
13.4 
22.3 
21.6 
16.3 
18.5 
12.5 
10.2 
12.8 
16.1 
15.0 
20.1 
16.4 

: 
10.0 
10.8 
13.3 
8.6 
11.3 
10.6 
10.7 
13.0 
8.7 
10.0 
13.1 
10.5 
11.4 
13.2 
10.9 

3.2 
9.8 
10.8 
13.8 
7.7 
11.1 
9.2 
9.9 
13.5 
8.5 
9.0 
11.1 
10.0 
10.0 
12.7 
10.5 

41 

Using a more recent dataset, there are slight differences in figures for 2000 in the Action Plan on Skills 
and Mobility and those presented here. 

28 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
2) 

Impact of educational levels on employment and unemployment 

The  higher  the  educational  level  the  greater  the  employment  rate.  Hence  the  lower  the 
educational  level  the  larger  the  individual's  risk  of  unemployment.  The  variation  in 
employment rates across EU-15 is most noticeable in the low-skilled population, contrasting 
from 41% Belgium to 67% Portugal. Less variation is seen in the high-skilled population with 
figures ranging from 78% Spain to 89% Portugal. 

Employment, unemployment by education levels in 2002 (age 15-64) 

Total 
Education 
UR 
4.9 
6.9 
8.6 
4.3 
9.8 
11.1 
10.5 

  ER 
68.2 
59.7 
65.4 
76.4 
56.9 
58.4 
69.1 

62.9 
65 
55.4 
63.6 
74.5 
68.6 
74 
71.5 
64.2 

8.7 
4.3 
9.3 
2.6 
2.6 
4.8 
5 
5.1 
7.7 

AT 
BE 
DE 
DK 
EL 
ES 
FIN 

FR 
IE 
IT 
LU 
NL 
PT 
SE 
UK 
EU-15 

High 

  Medium

Low 

ER 
85 
82.8 
83 
87 
79.8 
77.5 
85.5 

79.2 
84.8 
81.8 
83.6 
86.8 
88.6 
86.2 
87.3 
82.8 

UR 
1.8 
3.5 
4.3 
3.7 
6.8 
8.7 
4.1 

5.5 
2.3 
5.6 
(1.7) 
1.7 
4 
2.7 
2.6 
4.6 

ER 
72.9 
65.7 
69.8 
80.6 
55.6 
58.2 
72.8 

69.8 
71.2 
64.8 
69.1 
79.8 
64.7 
79.6 
77.3 
70.5 

UR 
4.8 
6.6 
8.7 
3.6 
12.8 
11.4 
10.4 

7.7 
3.8 
8.8 
(1.5) 
2.1 
5.3 
4.8 
5 
7.3 

ER 
48.2 
40.8 
43.6 
60.4 
49.2 
52.8 
48.9 

46.6 
48.1 
45.3 
50.8 
61.7 
67.3 
58.2 
50.9 
49.4 

UR 
8.3 
11.3 
13.5 
6.7 
8.5 
12.4 
19.1 

13 
7 
10.8 
4.7 
3.7 
4.8 
8.1 
10.1 
10.8 

Source:  Eurostat,  Labour  Force  Survey, 
spring data 

Notes:  

–  Data in brackets may lack reliability due to the small sample size 

–  Educational levels are defined as "high" if the individual has completed tertiary education, 
as  "medium"  for  upper-secondary  education,  and  as  "low"  if  less  than  upper-secondary 
education.  Employment  and  unemployment  rates  in  the  column  "total  education"  are 
calculated on the basis of the LFS for all individuals with non-missing information on the 
educational attainment level. They might differ from the rates which are calculated on all 
observations, including those with missing information on the educational attainment level. 

29 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
3) 

Employment growth in high skilled sectors 

There  are  always  labour  market  demands;  therefore  the  intensity  of  the  mobility  of 
employment  across  different  industries  needs  to  meet  these  demands.  For  total  employment 
the relative small values of France, Belgium and the UK suggest that no significant changes 
occurred  in  the  employment  composition.  Ireland,  Italy  and  Luxembourg  on  the  other  hand 
transformed  their  employment  structures  by  more  than  10%.  In  respect  to  the  high-skilled 
sector Austria, Finland and Luxembourg had the most noticeable mobility into this sector, of 
at least 15%. Therefore mobility within the employment structures of Member States by level 
of  education  appears  smaller  for  low  to  medium  skilled  employment  than  for  high-skilled 
employment.   

Intensity of change in the employment structure by level of skills 

30 

 
 
  
 
 
4) 

Educational attainment levels 

The  percentage  of  25-64  year  olds  who  have  successfully  completed  upper  secondary 
education  increased  by  almost  7  percentage  points  between  1997  and  2002.  Therefore  the 
educational attainment of the working age population is improving, with Denmark, Germany, 
Sweden and the UK leading the way. Educational attainment in Europe is running under 80% 
compared to Canada, U.S, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, who are all above the 80% 
threshold (Comm. DG Education & Culture (EAC), 2003).   

%  of  people  with  at  least  upper  secondary  education  by 
age group in 2002 
25-34 

35-44 

45-54 

55-64 

Total 
(25-64) 
78,2 
60,3 
83 
80 
52,7 
41,6 
74,7 
64,1 
60,3 
44,3 
61,6 
67,6 
20,6 
81,4 
81,7 
64.6 

AT 
BE 
DE 
DK 
EL 
ES 
FI 
FR 
IE 
IT 
LU 
NL 
PT 
SE 
UK 
EU - 15 

85,2 
76,1 
84,9 
85,2 
74,2 
58,9 
87,6 
78,5 
77 
59,7 
68,4 
77,3 
35,3 
91,5 
89,5 
74.7 

82,8 
65,3 
85,6 
80,7 
61 
46,1 
84,4 
67,5 
65,1 
49,6 
64,4 
71,9 
20,1 
87,1 
86,3 
69.2 

74,6 
53,9 
83,9 
80,4 
44,9 
31,4 
71,8 
58,8 
50,6 
38,8 
58,3 
62,8 
14,6 
78,9 
77,3 
60.8 

Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey, Spring data 

Note: Including GSCE levels in the UK 

66,9 
40,6 
76,8 
72,4 
28,9 
17,8 
52,8 
46,4 
36,8 
23,5 
50,8 
54,1 
8 
66,8 
67,1 
49.6 

31 

 
 
  
 
 
 
5) 

Early schools leavers 

The  rate  of  early  schools  leavers  has  steadily declined  by  2  percentage  points  from  1999  to 
2002 (Eurostat, LFS). The youth sector is staying longer in education thereby strengthening 
their  position  in  gaining  a  foothold  into  the  labour  market  in  the  future.  The  adopted 
benchmark set down by the Council in May 2003stated that the share of the population aged 
18-24 with only lower secondary education and not in education or training should decrease 
by  10%  (Comm,  EAC,  2003).  Presently  73.8%of  20-24  year  olds  have  completed  upper 
secondary education which is 11% under the adopted benchmark (Comm, DG, Education And 
Culture, 2003).  

%    of  18-24  year  olds  having  achieved  lower 
secondary  education  (ISCED  level  2)  or  less  and 
not attending further education or training 

AT  
BE  
DE  
DK  
EL  
ES  
FI  
FR  
IE  
IT  
LU  
NL  
PT  
SE  
UK  
EU15  

2000 
10.2 
12.5 
14.9 
11.6 
17.1 
28.8 
8.9 
13.3 
: 
25.3 
16.8 
15.5 
42.9 
7.7 
18.3p 
19.4p 

2001 
10.2 
13.6 
12.5 
8.8 
16.5 
28.6 
10.3 
13.5 
: 
26.4 
18.1 
15.3 
44.3 
10.5 
17.6p 
18.9p 

2002 
9.5 
12.4 
12.6 
8.44 
16.1 
29 
9.9 
13.4 
14.7 
24.3 
17 
15 
45.5 
10.4 
17.7p 
18.5p 

Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey – Spring data  

Notes:  

–  break in 2000 for PT and FI, 2001 for SE 

–  In FR, data lack comparability with the other country data due to different reference period (one week 

preceding the survey).  

–  In DK and LU, the high degree of variation of results over time is partly influenced by a low sample 

size. 

–  Estimations  are  provided  on  the  basis  of  the  available  country  data  for  EU-15  (2000-2001). 

32 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
6) 

Basic Skills 

To  gain  and  seek  employment,  and  in  turn  ensure  social  inclusion,  individuals  need  a  basic 
foundation  of  skills  and  knowledge.  In  an  increasingly  knowledge-based,  service–sector 
economy  in  the  EU,  to  retain  a  competitive  labour  market  edge  these  basic  skills  and 
competencies  must  be  continually  built  upon  and  updated  for  individuals  to  improve  their 
labour market position and mobility options. 

Note: trend line does not take non-OECD countries into account 

Source: OECD PISA database, 2001, Table 3.6. 

Performance  in  education  needs  to  be  understood  in  an  economic  context.  Generally  the 
higher the GDP per capita the better the performance level in combined reading, mathematical 
and scientific literacy, which is evident in Austria, Belgium and France (OECD, Programme 
for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2000). But countries like Finland and the Czech 
Republic  achieved  a  higher  average  score  on  the  PISA  assessment  than  would  have  been 
predicted on the basis of their GDP per capita. 

Countries with a lower performance level than would have been predicted from their GDP per 
capita  were  Greece,  Portugal,  Germany  and  Denmark.  In  light  of  enlargement,  accession 
countries have a better performance rate than most EU member states. 

33 

 
 
  
 
 
7) 

Participation of adult workers in training 

Since 1997 the participation of adults in training across EU has increased by 2.8% to reach 
8.5%  in  2002.  This  is  benchmarked  to  increase  to  12.5%  by  2010  (Comm,  European 
Employment  Strategy,  2003).  Increasing  training  opportunities  need  to  be  made  available,  , 
especially for persons with low to medium levels of educational attainment and older persons 
with a need for further training to enhance their labour market position. There are disparities 
in the rates of participation among Member States, but generally there is an overall increase in 
participation from 5.7% in 1996 to 8.5% in 2002 (EU-15), (Eurostat, LFS, 2003). 

High-Education 
Attainment 

2000 

2002 

17.3 

15.2 

13.7 

12.0 

7.4 

8.4 

Percentage of adults (25-64 years) 
participating in education and training 

All 

Male 

Female 

Older (55-64) 

Low  Education 
Attainment 

2000 

2002 

2000 

2002 

2000 

2002 

2000 

2002 

2000 

2002 

Medium 
Education 
Attainment 
2000 

2002 

IE  

IT  

LU  

NL  

PT  

SE  

AT  

BE  

DE  

8.3 

6.8 

5.2 

7.5 

6.5 

5.8 

9.2 

7.6 

5.6 

7.6 

6.8 

6.1 

7.4 

6.0 

4.8 

7.4 

6.3 

5.5 

2.8 

2.2 

1.0 

DK  

20.8 

18.4 

17.9 

16.2 

23.8 

20.7 

11.0 

EL  

ES  

1.1 

5.1 

1.2 

5.0 

1.1 

4.6 

1.2 

4.5 

1.1 

5.6 

1.1 

5.4 

FI  

19.6 

18.9 

17.7 

16.5 

21.6 

21.4 

FR  

2.8 

2.7 

7.7 

4.6 

7.7 

2.6 

: 

5.5 

5.7 

2.4 

6.5 

4.5 

8.9 

3.1 

: 

5.4 

3.9 

3.0 

8.8 

4.7 

6.4 

: 

5.5 

4.8 

: 

0.8 

8.3 

0.4 

: 

0.9 

: 

1.9 

2.8 

1.2 

9.3 

: 

0.8 

8.5 

0.4 

3.0 

0.7 

15.6 

16.4 

16.4 

16.9 

14.7 

15.9 

6.4 

6.5 

3.4 

2.9 

3.3 

2.4 

3.5 

3.3 

: 

: 

9.1 

1.1 

(2.0) 

(1.1) 

2.5 

2.4 

1.9 

1.7 

2.5 

2.2 

8.5 

6.8 

5.6 

7.4 

6.8 

6.1 

11.3 

10.6 

19.6 

18.1 

30.7 

24.5 

(0.1) 

: 

1.2 

8.7 

1.0 

: 

1.7 

1.2 

8.2 

1.0 

3.2 

1.0 

1.9 

9.4 

0.8 

1.9 

9.0 

2.1 

8.6 

2.0 

2.2 

13.0 

11.4 

18.8 

18.0 

30.2 

28.4 

2.3 

: 

10.3 

5.6 

2.3 

7.1 

9.1 

8.9 

6.9 

6.1 

: 

15.4 

10.0 

9.0 

11.4 

17.6 

17.9 

18.2 

20.8 

22.6 

14.0 

12.4 

10.7 

9.0 

21.6 

18.4 

19.2 

15.7 

24.1 

21.2 

13.9 

11.3 

14.4 

10.5 

18.6 

17.3 

30.8 

25.2 

UK  

21.1 

22.3 

17.9 

18.6 

24.4 

26.3 

12.5 

14.0 

EU-15   8.5 

8.5 

8.1 

7.9 

8.9 

9.2 

3.0 

3.3 

7.1 

2.5 

7.7 

2.3 

20.1 

21.0 

34.8 

35.7 

9.9 

9.9 

16.0 

15.8 

Source: Eurostat, LFS, spring data. 

Notes: 

–  Data in brackets may lack reliability due to the small sample size. The symbol"-" is used when the data 

is either not available or extremely unreliable. 

–  Break in 2000 for PT and FI, 2001 for SE 

–  In FR, data lack comparability with the other country data due to different reference period (one week 

preceding the survey).  

–  Estimations are provided on the basis of the available country data for EU-15 (2000). 

34 

 
 
  
 
 
 
8) 

ICT skills shortages 

The  increase  in  digital  literacy  and  development  of  skills  in  the  field  of  information  and 
communication technologies is slow2. In Europe productivity growth increased only in ICT–
producing sectors. While faster growth in productivity occurred in Europe than in the US in 
ICT producing services, ICT-using manufacturing and the non-ICT sectors, performance was 
weaker  in  the  ICT-using  services  sector  and  in  turn  for  the  larger  European  economy 
(Employment  in  Europe,  2003).  This  highlights  the  needs  for  the  extension  of  technologies 
throughout Europe. 

Despite  the  relaxing  of  job  permit  rules  that  allow  easier  entry  into  Europe  for  skilled  ICT 
workers  from  outside  the  European  Union,  an  internal  supply  has  not  been  generated 
sufficiently to affect the demand. A recent study revealed that at the end of 2000 only 5.6% of 
internet networking professionals in 13 major Western EU countries were women3. This is a 
labour force sector that needs increased encouragement to obtain training and skills to assist 
in decreasing the shortage in this sector. 

The ICT skills gap seems no longer a matter of serious concern for the ICT sector, whereas 
other  issues  are  entering  into  the  limelight.  The  cyclical  nature  of  the  ICT  sector  and  its 
current economic stagnation has understandably produced a loss of confidence. Layoffs have 
caused  the  expected  “signalling”  from  the  labour  market  to  young  people  considering  their 
future  careers,  and  this  has  already  resulted  in  a  fall  in  applications  for  ICT  courses  at 
Universities. Major qualitative changes are to be expected and the debate has largely shifted 
from  purely  technical  ICT  skills  to  the  broader  definition  of  e-skills  incorporating  ICT,  e-
business and so-called “soft” skills. 

35 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
 
 
9) 

Demographic developments: change of working age population and composition 
by age groups 

Demographic trends predict that the composition of the workforce will change. There will be 
a decrease of younger workers contrasting with a growth in ageing workers. 

Source:  UN  Population  Division,  2002,  Source:  UN  Population  Division,  2002  in  World  Annual  World  Bank 
Conference on Development Economics, 200242 

While  one  out  of  every  10  people  in  the  world  is  older  than  60  years  today,  this  ratio  is 
projected to increase to one out of 5 by 2005 and to 1 out of 3 by 2150 (Annual World Bank 
Conference  on  Development  Economics,  2002).  If  such  predictions  hold  true,  then  over  the 
next few decades the labour force will not only become more divergent but the age profiles of 
populations  will  show  greater  variation  due  to  the  differential  speed  of  population  ageing 
between developed and developing countries 

42 

There may be slight differences between EUROSTAT and UN data. 

36 

 
 
  
 
 
                                                 
10) 

Levels of geographical mobility 

The  increase  in  geographical  mobility  is  minute,  growing  from  1.45%  in  1998  to  1.50%  in 
2001. Therefore European workers remain remarkably static. 

Men 

Women 

% of employed people (15-46 yrs) that moved in 1 year from 
another  region  within  the  Member  State  or  from  another 
Member State 
All 
15-64 yrs. 
1998 
5.46 
1.22 
1.25 
0.43 
0.58 
0.18 
1.48 
1.77 
: 
1.78 
1.18 
2.01 
1.29 
1.03 
: 
1.45 

AT 
BE 
DE 
DK 
EL 
ES 
FI 
FR 
IE 
IT 
LU 
NL 
PT 
SE 
UK 
EU-15 

2001 
: 
1.08 
1.45 
0.40 
0.24 
0.48 
1.35 
2.03 
: 
0.71 
0.90 
: 
1.35 
2.15 
2.36 
1.50 

2001 
5.79 
1.89 
1.38 
0.60 
0.20 
0.44 
1.45 
1.88 
: 
0.50 
0.70 
: 
1.33 
2.08 
2.32 
1.47 

1998 
5.74 
1.34 
1.23 
0.38 
0.39 
0.20 
1.25 
1.59 
: 
1.64 
1.43 
2.30 
1.25 
1.03 
: 
1.43 

2001 
6.06 
0.74 
1.50 
0.26 
0.27 
0.50 
1.26 
2.15 
: 
0.83 
1.04 
: 
1.36 
2.21 
2.40 
1.51 

1998 
5.24 
1.14 
1.27 
0.49 
0.62 
0.18 
1.69 
1.86 
: 
1.86 
1.03 
1.79 
1.31 
1.04 
: 
1.46 

Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey, spring data 

37 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
11) 

Commuting mobility 

While most Europeans are non-geographically mobile (0.1% changed their official residence 
between  two  European  countries  in  2000,  (LSF,  Eurostat))  they  do  enter  into  more  flexible 
forms  of  employment  mobility,  such  as  cross-border  commuting  in  frontier  zones,  long-
distance  commuting  and  temporary  migration.  Commuting  between  Member  States  and 
outside the Union has been predominantly on the increase since 1996. Most of this increase 
can  be  attributed  to  commuting  between  EU  Member  States  rather  than  between  the  Union 
and  the  surrounding  countries  (this  is  relating  to  14  Member  States,  excluding  Sweden). 
(Comm,  DG  Employment  and  Social  Affairs  (EMPL),  2002).    Belgium,  Luxembourg,  and 
Austria have large scale commuting activities between other Member States with the majority 
of commuters being male. 

Neighbouring  countries  and  geography  are  factors,  which  are  generally  considered  to 
determine  the  feasibility  of  commuting.  This  is  particularly  evident  in  Belgium  where  just 
fewer than 2% of employed residents in 2000 worked in another country, the vast majority of 
which was in another part of the Union, e.g. France, Luxembourg. In France slightly over 1% 
worked outside the Union, in Switzerland. In Finland and the UK commuting activity is on a 
very  small  scale  in  comparison  mainly  due  to  its  geographical  location.  Contrary  to  such 
factors  promoting  or  preventing  commuting,  the  Netherlands  and  Germany  have  a  similar 
geographical location to that of Belgium and France, yet their commuting activity is relatively 
low. This suggests that there are some differences in attitudes towards commuting to work in 
other countries (Comm, DG Empl, 2002) 

Proportion of employed commuting abroad, 1992, 1996 and  2000

% total

Commuting outside the Union

Commuting between Member States

2.0

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

2.0

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

B

DK

D

GR

E

F

IRL

I

L

NL

A

P

FIN

UK

EU

Mobility and Migration Update, 2001/0082, Employment and Social Affairs DG, Unit A1, 2002 (Studies Management and 
Research Tool (SMART) 

Unlike in the case of immigration, where there is a large concentration of young immigrants, 
those in work who are likely to be involved in international commuting on average tend to be 
in  their  30s  and  40s  rather  than  their  20s.  This  is  especially  evident  among  males;  0.7%  of 
men aged 30-39 in employment in the Union commuted to work across national borders and 
0.6%  of  those  aged  40-54,  as  opposed  to  0.4%  of  those  under  25  and  a  slightly  lower 
proportion of those 55 and older. 

On  average,  approximately  ½%  of  those  in  employment  in  the  EU  commuted  to  work  in 
another country in 2000, around half of these commuters travelled to another Member State 

38 

 
 
  
 
 
and  half  to  a  country  outside  the  Union,  most  of  them  to  Switzerland.  (Comm,  DG  Empl, 
2002). 

Men and women by age group commuting intra-EU and extra-EU in the Union,
1999/2000

% total

Extra-EU
Inta-EU

Left bar men, right bar women

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

15-24

25-29

30-39

40-54

55-64

65+

Total

Extra-EU = commuting outside the Union 

Intra-EU = commuting inside the Union. 

Mobility and Migration Update, 2001/0082, Employment and Social Affairs DG, Unit A1, 2002 (Studies Management and Research Tool 
(SMART) 

39 

 
 
  
 
 
12) 

High employment regions and skills needs in EU 25 

The  following  maps  (based  on  scenarios  of  annual  employment  growth  of  1%  or  1,5% 
starting from 2003) indicate which regions are expected to have the highest employment rates 
up to 2010, and therefore likely to face the largest deficits of skilled labour: for example south 
of  UK,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Netherlands,  central  France,  southern  Germany,  western  Austria 
and the centre of Portugal. 

40 

 
 
  
 
Employment rate in 2010 with 1 % annual growth of employment* 

37,9 - 50,0

50,1 - 60,0

60,1 - 65,0

65,1 - 70,0

.

70,1 - 75,0

75,1 - 80,0

80,1 - 87,5

Açores

50 Km

Madeira

20 Km

Canarias

110 Km

Guadeloupe

10 Km

Martinique

10 Km

Reunion

10 Km

Guyane

Malta

10 Km

Cyprus

100 Km

30 Km

(RU)

Source : Eurostat LFS and 2000 Demographic Projections (Baseline scenario) 
Demographic projections for CY, EE, LV, LT, SI : UN World Population Prospects, 2002 Revision (Medium Variant). 
Regional demographic projections for CZ, HU, PL, SK : Commission services. 
* Employment in all regions starting from LFS Spring 2003, except B, D, L and A starting from LFS Spring 2002. 
All at Nuts 2 level, except at Nuts1 : Berlin DE3, Sachsen DED, London UKI, Wales UKL, Scotland UKM 
Cornwall, Isle of Scilly UKK3 and Devon UKK4 are aggregated. 

41 

 
 
  
 
 
  
Employment rate in 2010 with 1.5 % annual growth of employment 
Starting from year 2003* 

Source : Eurostat LFS and 2000 Demographic Projections (Baseline scenario) 
Demographic projections for CY, EE, LV, LT, SI : UN World Population Prospects, 2002 Revision (Medium Variant). 
Regional demographic projections for CZ, HU, PL, SK : Commission services. 
* Employment in all regions starting from LFS Spring 2003, except B, D, L and A starting from LFS Spring 2002. 
All at Nuts 2 level, except at Nuts1 : Berlin DE3, Sachsen DED, London UKI, Wales UKL, Scotland UKM 

Cornwall, Isle of Scilly UKK3 and Devon UKK4 are aggregated. 

42 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
13) 

Foreign language learning 

The  objective  of  promoting  the  learning  of  languages  in  addition  to  the  mother  tongue  has 
been  long  pursued  by  the  Community  (Comm,  EAC,  2003)  .  Knowledge  of  languages  is 
denoted as one of the main competencies that the knowledge-based society of Europe needs. 

There are different levels of language attainment between age groups. More people in the 15 - 
24 age group have foreign language skills than in the 25 - 39 age group, who in turn are better 
at  foreign  languages  than  those  in  the  40  -  54  age  group.  67%  of  managers  have  foreign 
language  skills  compared 
retired  people  and  27%  of  homemakers 
(Eurydice/Eurostat). 

to  17%  of 

English EN 

Français FR 

Deutsch D 

Italiano I 

Español ES 

Nederlands NL 

Elinika GR 

Português PO 

Svenska SV 

Dansk DK 

Suomi FIN 

Gaeilge/ Irish 

Lëtzebuergesch L 

Total % who speak as 
Mother tongue or foreign 
language 

% who speak as mother 
tongue 

% who speak as foreign 
language 

56.4 

35.2 

33.6 

19.0 

17.1 

6.5 

3.4 

3.3 

3.3 

1.9 

1.5 

0.6 

0.2 

15.9 

16.0 

23.3 

16.0 

10.5 

5.5 

2.9 

2.8 

2.3 

1.5 

1.4 

0.2 

0.1 

40.5 

19.2 

10.3 

3 

6.6 

1 

0.5 

0.5 

1 

0.4 

0.1 

0.4 

0.1 

Eurobarometer 54 ‘Europeans and Languages’ 2001 

As  regards  the  range  of  languages  spoken  by  Europeans  :  41  %  speak  English  as  a  foreign 
language; 19 % speak French, 10 % speak German, 7 % speak Spanish and 3 % speak Italian. 
No other language achieves even 1% (Comm, EAC, 2003). 

There are also geographical differences in levels of attainment, for example 66% of people in 
the United Kingdom can only speak one language, compared to only 13% of Danes, Swedes 
and Dutch people with an EU average of 47%. 

43 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
F o re ig n  L a n g u a g e  s k ills  b y  c o u n try

8 7 .7

8 6 .5

8 5 .6

6 7 .6

6 3 .2

5 7 .2

5 3 .2

5 2 .9

5 2 .7

1 0 0

9 7 .8

e
g
a
u
g
n
a

l

r
e
h
t
o
1

t
s
a
e

l

t
a
k
a
e
p
s
n
a
c
o
h
w
s
t
n
e
d
n
o
p
s
e
r

f
o
e
g
a
t
n
e
c
r
e
p

9 0

8 0

7 0

6 0

5 0

4 0

3 0

5 1 .5

5 0 .3

4 9 .3

4 6 .6

4 3 .7

3 4 .1

L

D K

N L

S

F IN

B

D

I

G R

E U  1 5

A

IR L

F

E

P

U K

(Comm, EAC,2003) ( Eurobarometer 54 ‘Europeans and Languages’ 2001) 

On  average  42%  of  primary  pupils  and  90%  of  upper  and  lower  secondary  school  students 
learn  English.  English  is  a  compulsory  subject  in  seven  (plus  UK  and  Ireland)  of  the  15 
Member States. As a second language French is predominantly chosen by European countries 
(3%  of  primary  pupils  and  24%  secondary  students  learn  French),  whereas  German  is  a 
popular  language  for  acceding  countries  (12%  of  primary  pupils  and  30%  of  secondary 
students learn German) (Comm, EAC, 2003). 

Average number of foreign languages learned per pupil in 
lower/upper secondary education 2000

ISCED level
2 2000

ISCED Level
3 2000

3,5

3

2,5

2

1,5

1

0,5

0

e
g
a
r
e
v
a

AT

BE

BE fr BE vl

DE

Dk

ES

FI

FR

GR

IE

IT

LU

NL

PT

SE

UK Eu-15

countries - EU-15

Source: Eurostat- Education statistics. 

44 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes: 

Irish, Letzeburgesch and regional languages are excluded, although provision may be made in 
certain Member States. 

Greece: Data refer to year 1999 

Finland:  The  national  language  taught  in  schools  where  it  is  not  the  teaching  language  is 
counted as a foreign language 

Sweden: At ISCED 3, data refer only to graduates in year 2000 

United  Kingdom:  All  pupils  at  secondary  education  level  in  England,  Wales  and  Northern 
Ireland learn at least one foreign language, but there is no data on the number of pupils who 
learn more than one. 

45 

 
 
  
 
14) 

Migration 

In northern Europe family reunions topped the list of explanations for reason of immigration, 
with 50% in Sweden, 40% France, 36% Denmark, 33% Finland, 27% UK. In contrast labour 
immigration was the prominent reason for immigration in southern European countries. 61% 
of  cases  in  Italy  stated  that  employment  was the  reason  for  legal  entry,  46%  Portugal,  30% 
Spain (Employment in Europe, 2003). 

Immigration of third-country citizens 

Immigration  can  attract  highly  skilled  third  county  nationals  who  assist  in  promoting  more 
sustainable economic expansion. There is a consistent increase in the share of skilled workers 
entering Europe, with a parallel decrease of 19 percentage points in the share of low skilled 
entrants. 

46 

 
 
  
 
 
EU: skills composition of non-EU national, by year arrival. 

47