Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - EURES Activity Report 2002 - 2003 presented by the Commission in accordance with Article 19 (3) of Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 "Towards a single European labour market: the contribution of EURES"
Date: 2004-07-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EURES, activity report, employment policy, labour market

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 12.07.2004 
COM(2004)467 final 

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

EURES Activity Report 2002 – 2003 presented by the Commission in accordance with 
Article 19 (3) of Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 

"Towards a single European labour market: the contribution of EURES" 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Main evolution of the eures network during 2002-2003.............................................. 4 

2.1. 

Reform of the EURES legal base................................................................................. 4 

2.1.1.  Objectives of the reform............................................................................................... 4 

2.1.2.  The new institutional set-up ......................................................................................... 5 

2.2. 

EURES co-operation with Switzerland........................................................................ 5 

3. 

The EURES Objectives & Priorities 2002 / 2003 – main achievements ..................... 6 

3.1. 

Objective 1, Furthering political and operational integration ...................................... 6 

3.1.1.  The fuller integration of EURES in Public Employment Services .............................. 6 

3.1.2.  Strengthening of the link between EURES and 

the European Employment Strategy............................................................................. 6 

3.1.3.  Co-operation with other European programmes and initiatives .................................. 6 

3.1.4.  Preparations for enlargement ....................................................................................... 7 

3.2. 

Objective 2, Modernising the delivery of EURES services......................................... 7 

3.2.1.  Launch of the new European Job Mobility Portal ....................................................... 7 

3.2.2.  Training ........................................................................................................................ 9 

3.2.3.  The use of call centres.................................................................................................. 9 

3.3. 

Objective 3, Improving and developing the service package ...................................... 9 

3.3.1.  Promotion..................................................................................................................... 9 

3.3.2.  Co-operation with employers....................................................................................... 9 

3.3.3.  Other promotional activities......................................................................................... 9 

3.3.4.  Cross-border partnerships .......................................................................................... 10 

3.3.4.1.  Involvement of the social partner organisations ........................................................ 10 

3.4. 

Objective 4, Managing the network more effectively................................................ 10 

3.4.1.  Redefinition of the role and the mandate of the different actors in the network ....... 10 

3.4.2.  Simplification of financial procedures ....................................................................... 10 

3.4.3.  Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 11 

4. 

5. 

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Funding ...................................................................................................................... 11 

Challenges ahead and outlook.................................................................................... 12 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The role of EURES (European Employment Services) is to facilitate labour mobility on the 
European  labour  market  by  providing  services  to  workers  and  employers  wishing  to  take 
advantage  of  the  right  to  the  free  movement  of  workers  in  the  EU  in  accordance  with 
Regulation 1612 of 1968.  

The European Employment Strategy states that action is needed to promote geographic labour 
mobility  in  order  to  achieve  a  labour  market  in  Europe  which  functions  efficiently.  The 
Employment  Guidelines  of  June  2003  state  that  the  transparency  of  job  and  training 
opportunities at national and European level should be promoted in order to support effective 
job matching, and in particular that by 2005 jobseekers throughout the EU should be able to 
consult all job vacancies advertised through Member States' employment services. Achieving 
this  needs  to  be  seen  against  the  traditionally  low  levels  of  geographic  mobility  in  the  EU, 
particularly between Member States, but also within Member States.  

Efforts  to  support  geographic  mobility  need  to  be  combined  with  measures  to  expand 
occupational mobility in order to provide openings for workers to move between sectors and 
regions. The Commission put forward measures to help prepare the European workforce for 
the  future  needs  of  the  labour  market  in  its  Action  Plan  for  Skills  and  Mobility1.  Its 
Communication on European Employment Mobility adopted in February 20042 describes the 
current state of implementation of the Action Plan in which the modernisation of EURES is 
one of the key action points, to enable the network to provide more effective support for the 
increased mobility of workers in the EU/EEA.  

The  modernisation  of  EURES  through  the  reform  of  its  legal  base  is  the  most  important 
development of the network in the period covered by this report (2002-2003). An important 
part of the report is thus devoted to the background and objectives of this change.  

As  all  EURES  activities  carried  out  by  members  and  partners  are  based  on  a  framework  of 
guiding  principles,  EURES  performance  for  the  2002-2003  period  needs  to  be  assessed  by 
comparing actual achievements with the specific objectives and priorities that were laid down 
for this reference period. The latter part of the report is thus structured according to the four 
objectives  that  guided  the  development  of  EURES  for  the  period  covered  in  this  report: 
furthering political and operational integration; modernising the delivery of EURES services; 
improving and developing the service package; and managing the network more effectively. 

While  the  report  provides  information  on  achievements  and  the  development  of  EURES  at 
both European and national level, it also supplements the descriptions with information of a 
more quantitative nature in the cases where such data are available. Most of these data come 
from  questionnaires  submitted  by  the  Public  Employment  Services  (PES)  to  the  EURES 
Co-ordination Office (EURESco) in December 2003. Additional statistical material on labour 
mobility within the EU/EEA can be found in COM(2004)66, referred to above. 

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COM(2002)72. 
COM(2002)66. 

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2. 

MAIN EVOLUTION OF THE EURES NETWORK DURING 2002-2003 

2.1. 

Reform of the EURES legal base 

EURES  was  launched  by  the  Commission  Decision  93/569  on  the  basis  of  Regulation 
1612/68  on  the  free  movement  of  workers.  The  Treaty  itself  (Art.  40,  ex  49)  provides  for 
closer  co-operation  between  national  labour  market  administrations  and  the  mechanisms 
matching job offers and requests.  

in 

its 

institutional  set-up,  particularly 

Experience gained since the launch of EURES in 1994 had shown that the time had come for 
improvements 
the  division  of 
responsibilities  between  the  different  actors  in  the  network;  clearer  decision-making 
procedures;  an  enhanced  level  of  commitment  on  the  part  of  the  partners;  streamlined 
decision-making;  and  improved  capacity  for  smoother  adjustment  in  the  operation  of  the 
network.  

terms  of: 

in 

The  legal  base  of  EURES  also  needed  to  be  better  adapted  to  recent  political  and 
organisational developments in the field of employment in Europe. In light of the Amsterdam 
Treaty, EURES and the issues of geographic mobility needed to be placed more clearly within 
the  European  Employment  Strategy,  more  fully  integrated  into  co-operation  between  the 
Public  Employment  Services,  and  taken  into  account  in  the  ongoing  process  of  PES 
modernisation. Finally, full account needed to be taken of the prospective implementation of 
EURES  in  the  new  Member  States  following  enlargement,  while  at  the  same  time  ensuring 
that  the  network  remained  flexible  and  manageable.  The  functioning  of  EURES  had  also  to 
take  into  account  recent  developments  in  the  field  of  Information  and  Communication 
Technologies (ICT).  

2.1.1.  Objectives of the reform 

The new Commission Decision is designed to underpin occupational and geographic mobility 
in line with the European Employment Strategy and the Action Plan for Skills and Mobility. 
In particular it aims to: 

•  Consolidate  and  strengthen  EURES  as  a  key  tool  for  the  purposes  of  Regulation  (EEC) 
1612/68,  in  particular  for  the  monitoring  of  mobility,  support  of  the  free  movement  of 
workers  and  the  integration  of  the  European  labour  markets  as  well  as  for  informing 
citizens about the relevant EU/EEA legal provisions; 

•  Refocus  the  role  of  the  Commission  in  relation  to  the  established  EURES  High  Level 
Strategy  Group  and  the  EURES  Working  Party  and  strengthen  the  programming  tools  to 
enable  the  Commission  to  concentrate  on  strategic  impulse  and  overall  co-ordination, 
while most operational decisions would be taken by the EURES members and partners; 

•  Allow  for  greater  responsibility  of  the  EURES  members  and  partners  to  implement  the 
relevant  provisions  of  Regulation  (EEC)  1612/68  by  mainstreaming  EURES  into  the 
activities of the Public Employment Services; 

•  Provide  EURES  with  a  structure  that  would  remain  manageable  with  a  larger  number  of 

member states after the 2004 EU enlargement  

•  Allow for greater flexibility for easier adjustment to new technological and other relevant 

developments; 

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•  Develop better tools for the monitoring and evaluation of activities 

2.1.2.  The new institutional set-up 

The new EURES Decision was adopted by the Commission on 23 December 20023. It defines 
the overall objectives of EURES and describes the roles and responsibilities of the different 
actors  in  the  network.  The  Decision  is  supported  by  two  programming  instruments:  the 
EURES Charter (adopted on 4 April 20034) and the tri-annual EURES Guidelines (agreed by 
the EURES High Level Strategy Group on 13 June 2003).  

The  Charter  describes  the  EURES  activities,  the  operational  objectives,  quality  standards, 
obligations of the members and partners and the common models for the exchange of labour 
market  and  mobility-related  information  between  members  and  partners  (in  particular  the 
social partners). The Guidelines describe the EURES priorities and outputs to be achieved for 
a  three  year  period  and  defines  the  conditions  for  financial  assistance  from  the  EU.  They 
enable  EURES  members  to  define  their  respective  tri-annual  activity  plans  in  which  they 
specify  the  main  transnational,  cross-border  and  sectoral  activities  they  plan  to  undertake 
during the three year period. The activity plans also contain a financial plan highlighting the 
financial resources (both national and EU funding) needed to fulfil the plan. The activity plans 
and  the  information  received  annually  on  their  implementation  are  examined  by  the 
Commission with a view to ensure consistency with the Guidelines and the legal framework. 

2.2. 

EURES co-operation with Switzerland 

The  bilateral  agreement  between  the  EU  and  Switzerland  on  the  free  movement  of  workers 
that entered into force on 1 June 2002 foresees that the EU and Switzerland also co-operate 
within the EURES network. Job vacancies and information on living and working conditions 
and the labour market situation in Switzerland have been made available on the EURES job 
Portal.  Swiss  partners  have  also  become  active  members  of  the  EURES  Cross-border 
partnerships  Bodensee  (Lake  Constance),  TransTiroliaGraubünden,  and  Oberrein/Rhin 
Supérieur (Upper Rhine). The numbers of workers crossing the borders between Switzerland 
and  the  EU  are  very  high  and  still  growing:  a  further  development  of  this  EURES  co-
operation is in their interest. 

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OJ L 5 of 10.1.2003, p. 16. 
OJ C 106 of 3.5.2003, p. 3. 

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3. 

THE EURES OBJECTIVES & PRIORITIES 2002 / 2003 – MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS 

The  objectives  and  priorities  that  have  guided  the  EURES  activities  carried  out  by  the 
members and partners in 2002-2003 are, with a few modifications5, similar to the ones for the 
previous reference period and consist of: 1) furthering political and operational integration; 2) 
modernising  the  delivery  of  EURES  services;  3)  improving  and  developing  the  service 
package; and 4) managing the network more effectively. 

3.1. 

Objective 1, Furthering political and operational integration 

3.1.1.  The fuller integration of EURES in Public Employment Services 

The importance attached to labour mobility in the EU and the corresponding role of the PES 
has been highlighted over the reference period, with a particular emphasis on the integration 
of  the  European  dimension  in  all  PES  customer-oriented  services  and  the  development  of 
professional competencies in their staff in international mobility issues. PES in EU-15 employ 
approximately 400 EURES advisers6, with most spending more than half their working time 
on  EURES  services,  which  are  also  delivered  by  regular  PES  staff,  as  part  of  the 
mainstreaming process.  

3.1.2. 

Strengthening of the link between EURES and the European Employment Strategy 

The  European  Employment  Guidelines  for  2002  called  on  Members  States  to  develop  job 
matching policies, tackle bottlenecks in the new European labour markets, improve databases 
on  jobs  and  learning  opportunities  (interconnected  at  European  level),  use  modern 
information technologies and experience already available at European level.  

During 2002 – 2003, the EURES job vacancies database was widened and strengthened. The 
internet  web-site  used  by  the  general  public  to  access  vacancies  was  enhanced  and 
incorporated  into  the  new  European  Job  Mobility  Portal  (described  in  more  detail  in  point 
3.2.1).  During  2003  the  learning  opportunities  Portal,  PLOTEUS,  was  incorporated  into 
EURES in order to enhance the interaction between jobs and learning opportunities. 

3.1.3.  Co-operation with other European programmes and initiatives 

83  %  of  the  PES  report  having  co-operated  with  the  Leonardo  da  Vinci  programme  on 
vocational training,  such  as  joint EURES/Leonardo da Vinci  promotional  activities, and co-
operation  on  the  international  placement  of  unemployed  persons  in  job-training.  Closer  co-
operation in the education and training field has also been evident through the incorporation 
of information on learning opportunities (Ploteus) in the Job Mobility Portal (see above). 

Co-operation between EURES and Interreg has continued, with 56 % of the EURES members 
reporting  co-operation  with  Interreg.  A  number  of  the  PES  have  also  co-operated  with  the 
Equal-programme  on  the  integration  of  disadvantaged  people  (28%),  while  a  few  report 
having co-operated with the Socrates education programme.  

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i.e. emphasising more the contribution of EURES to the EES, the fuller integration of EURES in PES, 
evaluation, promotion of EURES towards employers, and preparations for EU enlargement.  
In addition to the PES EURES advisers, approximately 200 EURES advisers, employed mainly by the 
social partner organisations, work in cross-border regions. 

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3.1.4.  Preparations for enlargement 

The  work  has  focused  on  assisting  the  new  Member  States  with  establishing  their  EURES 
infrastructure, encouraging twinning operations with PES in existing Member States, building 
up  a  network  of  contact  persons,  supporting  the  new  Member  States  in  the  development  of 
their human resources, informing them on the conditions necessary to effectively take part in 
the activities  of the  EURES  network  and helping them draw up tri-annual activity plans for 
the years 2004-2007. 

EURES managers were appointed in all new Member States and participated as observers in 
the  EURES  Working  Party  from  October  2002  onwards,  and  took  part  in  training  sessions 
organised  by  EURESco  on  the  management  of  the  network,  IT  questions,  the  selection  and 
training of EURES advisers, the development of tri-annual activity plans and the management 
of  Community  grants.  EURES  advisers  were  also  appointed  in  all  new  Member  States, 
approximately sixty of them starting their initial training in December 2003 (for completion 
by June 2004). 

The PES in the new Member States were provided with the support to prepare for technical 
connection to the EURES IT systems. A number of the new Member States created national 
EURES web-pages, and all supplied information on living and working conditions and labour 
markets to be included in the EURES job mobility Portal. 

Several  bilateral  co-operation  projects  between  PES  in  old  and  new  Member  States  took 
place, including recruitment projects, and the exchange of information.  

3.2. 

Objective 2, Modernising the delivery of EURES services 

3.2.1.  Launch of the new European Job Mobility Portal 

Action  point  23  in  the  Commission's  Action  Plan  for  Skills  and  Mobility  announced  the 
creation, in 2003, of a "One-Stop European Mobility Information Site" as a means to improve 
information and transparency of job opportunities in Europe. This new Portal – the "European 
Job Mobility  Portal" (http://europa.eu.int/eures) – was a further development of  the  EURES 
web  site,  and  was  launched  on  19  September  2003  together  with  the  Mobility  Information 
Campaign which is described in more detail in point 3.3.3. The Portal provides user-friendly 
access  to  the  information  needed  by  those  contemplating  a  move  for  career  or  for  learning 
purposes. The EURES website has been one of the most visited sites in the Commission. The 
Portal is available at entry level in all official EU languages, with parts of the country-specific 
information in English, French, German and the national language of the country concerned.  

The new Portal makes access to information easier by integrating all services related to labour 
mobility, i.e. employment matters (particularly job offers, CVs), learning and training issues, 
general  working  and  living  conditions,  citizen's  rights,  etc.  As  well  as  implementing  the 
decision of the Barcelona European Council of March 2002 to establish a one-stop European 
Job Mobility Information Web Site by the end of 2003, the Portal also supports the objectives 
of  the  Employment  Guidelines:  develop  the  job-matching  capacities  of  Public  Employment 
Services;  prevent  skills  shortages  and  enhance  occupational  mobility;  promote  geographic 
mobility; and enhance the functioning of labour markets by improving databases on jobs and 
learning opportunities which should be interconnected at European level.  

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The Commission structured the main elements of the new Portal as follows: 

•  Find a job - job vacancies throughout the EEA via the EURES job vacancies database and 

links to other sites, e.g. the Researcher's Mobility Portal7; 

•  CV on-line - Information on jobseekers through the EURES CV database; 

•  Living  and  working  -  living  and  working  conditions  in  the  EEA  countries,  trends  in  the 
labour markets and the transitional arrangements for the free movement of workers from, 
to, and between the new Member States; 

•  Learning – education and training opportunities throughout Europe, e.g. websites of higher 
education institutions, databases of training courses, schools, etc., provided by PLOTEUS, 
managed  by  the  Commission's  Directorate  General  for  Education  and  Culture  (and  for 
which the operational funding is provided under the EURES budget);  

Since  its  launch  in  September  2003,  the  number  of  hits  per  month  on  the  new  Portal  has 
increased  substantially  as  shown  in  the  graph  below8,  with  the  number  of  hits  increasing 
further after a direct link to the Portal was provided for on the http://europa.eu.int home page, 
the official website of the European Union.  

1 8 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

1 6 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

1 4 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

1 2 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

1 0 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

8 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

6 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

4 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

2 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 

0 

0 3 -2 0 0 3 

0 4 -2 0 0 3 

0 5 -2 0 0 3 

0 6 -2 0 0 3 

0 7 -2 0 0 3

0 8 -2 0 0 3

0 9 -2 0 0 3

    1 0 -2 0 0 3

     1 1 -2 0 0 3

1 2 -2 0 0 3

0 1 -2 0 0 4 

   0 2 -2 0 0 4 

Number of hits per month on the European Job Mobility Portal from March 2003 to February 2004 

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http://europa.eu.int/eracareers/index_en.cfm 
Quantitative  information  on  the  number  of  hits  per  month  on  the  portal  does  not  exist  before  March 
2003. It is important to note that the number of hits per month does not equal the number of persons 
having accessed the portal as one person can generate several hits as he/she moves around in the portal 
(hits  represents  the  total  number  of  requests  made  to  the  server  during  a  month).  The  trend  towards 
increased number of hits does, however, indicate increased usage of the portal. 

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3.2.2.  Training 

The  Commission  attaches  great  importance  to  the  qualifications  and  training  of  EURES 
advisers.  In  addition  to  participating  in  training  at  national  level  and  before  taking  up  their 
duties,  all  EURES  advisers  participate  in  an  initial  training  programme  organised  by 
EURESco,  focusing  on  the  European  Employment  Strategy,  European  social  policy  issues 
and the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge relevant to international mobility issues. 

In  the  period  2002-2003,  126  EURES  advisers  completed  the  initial  training  programme. 
More  specialised  knowledge,  such  as  differences  in  social  security  regimes  and  taxation 
policies,  is  the  subject  of  advanced  training  courses;  approximately  400  EURES  advisers 
participated in such courses. 

3.2.3.  The use of call centres 

All  basic  EURES  information  should  be  easily  accessible,  and  new  technology,  including 
call-centres, should be used; thirteen PES reported having such facilities and twelve of them 
indicated being able to provide basic information on EURES through these centres. 

Another  gateway  to  EURES  is  the  helpdesk,  established  to  provide  quick  and  accurate 
answers  to  requests  from  jobseekers,  employers  and  others.  It  registers  and  replies  to  all 
enquiries  sent  by  email,  fax  or  telephone.  A  phone  number  accessible  in  all  EEA  countries 
provides free of charge access to the help desk, but most inquiries are sent by email. 

3.3. 

Objective 3, Improving and developing the service package 

3.3.1.  Promotion 

There  is  a  constant  need  to  provide  jobseekers  and  employers  with  information  about  the 
opportunities  on  the  European  labour  market,  and  many  promotion  activities  have  been 
carried out through the PES national website, job fairs, brochures, leaflets, etc., with EURES 
advertisements being published in magazines and journals.  

3.3.2.  Co-operation with employers 

The  monthly  reports  of  EURES  advisers  confirm  that  EURES  is  more  known  among 
jobseekers  than  among  employers.  A  working  group  on  employers'  needs  met  in  2002  to 
strengthen  the  network's  approach  towards  employers,  a  seminar  was  held  in  Spain  in  May 
2002,  and  the  EURES  Working  Party  adopted  recommendations  in  December  2002  to: 
promote  the  establishment  within  the  PES  of  a  specific  unit  dealing  with  services  to 
employers; make each PES include in their EURES subsidy request for 2003 actions points to 
improve  existing  services  to  employers;  step  up  promotion  activities;  and  evaluate  existing 
services and promotion activities towards employers.  

3.3.3.  Other promotional activities 

The  Commission's  Action  Plan  for  Skills  and  Mobility  announced  an  EU-wide  mobility 
information campaign, which was launched in September 2003 with the slogan "Job Mobility 
– Your future?". In addition to the promotional activities carried out by the EURES members, 
the  campaign  also  included  nine  specific  projects,  ranging  from  an  information  bus  to  a 
photographic competition, to represent a broad collection of initiatives from across the EU and 
to reach a wide range of audiences. The campaign was launched together with the unveiling 

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of the new European Job Mobility Portal which has regularly provided news on the campaign, 
while the campaign has been used to draw the public's attention to the existence of the Portal.  

3.3.4.  Cross-border partnerships 

A  new  cross-border  partnership  around  the  "Lake  Constance"  was  created  in  Autumn  2002 
(EURES  Bodensee).  In  November  2002,  the  Swiss  Canton  Graubünden  joined  the  existing 
partnership TransTirolia.  

Following a feasibility study on the "Guadiana" region along the southern part of the border 
between  Portugal  and  Spain,  the  Commission  proposed  that  the  regional  actors  should  start 
cross-border  co-operation  through  the  national  EURES  activity  plans  of  the  Spanish  and 
Portuguese PES. 

3.3.4.1.  Involvement of the social partner organisations 

The  social  partners  are  active  members  of  the  cross-border  partnerships  where  they  support 
regional labour market initiatives. They are represented by their European associations in the 
EURES  High  Level  Strategy  Group  and  the  EURES  working  party.  The  trade  unions  are 
represented in all EURES cross-border partnerships (with co-ordination being provided by the 
inter-regional  trades  union  councils  and  the  European  Trades  Union  Confederation)  and  are 
active promoters of the EURES services through specific trade union EURES advisers. These 
EURES  advisers  deal  with  many  questions  from  cross-border  workers,  not  only  on  job 
possibilities, but also on living and working conditions, and they contribute to the elimination 
of  obstacles  to  mobility.  The  employers'  associations  are  also  active  partners,  although  not 
represented in all of the partnerships. The ETUC also organised training seminars designed to 
meet  the  needs  of  EURES  advisers  in  border  regions  and  developed  European  information 
material. 

3.4. 

Objective 4, Managing the network more effectively 

3.4.1.  Redefinition of the role and the mandate of the different actors in the network 

One of the most important features of the EURES reform was the creation of the High Level 
Strategy  Group,  made  up  of  the  Heads  of  the  EURES  members  (Heads  of  PES),  with 
observers representing the European social partners. Its main task is to advise the Commission 
on  promoting  and  overseeing  strategic  planning  and  development.  EURES  thus  became 
anchored at the highest level in the PES, which take on a greater  responsibility  for EURES 
and the integration of the European labour markets. 

New  job-descriptions  were  drawn  up  for  the  EURES  managers  in  June  2003  to  enable  the 
PES to identify the most adequate position for a EURES manager in its hierarchy, identify the 
stakeholders of the EURES manager at various levels, and form the basis for training EURES 
managers from the new Member States. Similarly, a new job-description for EURES advisers 
was established in September 2003.  

3.4.2. 

Simplification of financial procedures 

As  enlargement  may  lead  to  the  establishment  of  numerous  new  cross-border  partnerships, 
both between old and new Member States and between new Member States themselves, the 
EURES structure needs to remain manageable. After the EURES reform, the annual subsidy 
requests  of  the  cross-border  partnerships  are  integrated  into  those  of  the  EURES  members. 

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The responsible EURES member (the PES) submits the planned activities of the cross-border 
partnership  to  EURESco  as  part  of  their  national  activity  plan  and  thereby  endorses  these 
activities. For the PES, this implies taking over the administrative responsibility for the cross-
border partnerships and thus a greater involvement in the development of cross-border labour 
markets  and  a  better  co-ordination  of  relevant  activities  therein.  For  EURESco,  it  implies  a 
simplification of financial procedures, as the EURES member responsible for the cross-border 
partnership  is  accountable  to  the  Commission  for  the  management  of  Community  funds 
allocated  to  cross-border  activities.  Furthermore,  it  is  the  EURES  members  that  ensure 
adequate procedures are in place to acquit these responsibilities. 

Financial  procedures  between  EURESco  and  the  EURES  members  have  also  been 
streamlined by a new financial vademecum in order to assist the EURES members with the 
sound management of the grant agreement. 

3.4.3.  Evaluation 

EURES  members  and  partners  are  committed  to  monitor  and  evaluate  all  EURES  activities 
within their responsibility. The objectives and indicators reported to EURESco following the 
2002 and 2003 financing periods were satisfactory.  

EURES  advisers'  monthly  reports  show  that  they  are  contacted  mainly  by  jobseekers;  on 
average 68% of contacts were with jobseekers, with employers representing 7.8%.  

Reliable  data  do  not  exist  to  evaluate  the  number  of  successful  international  placements 
achieved through EURES due the increased use of self-service tools (especially the Internet), 
and  the  trend  towards  private  provision  of  employment  services  in  some  Member  States. 
Jobseekers who do obtain a job abroad through EURES are not obliged to inform EURES.  

At EU level, an external evaluation of EURES is expected to be carried out in 2004-2005 and 
will be available for the next reference period. 

4. 

FUNDING 

The  EURES  budget  available  for  2002  and  2003  was  €  14.5  million  for  each  year.  In  2002 
and  2003,  a  ceiling  of  €  450  000  and  of  €  405  000  respectively  was  set  for  expenditure  on 
technical assistance and administration. In addition to these amounts, EURES was allocated a 
contribution from EFTA (€ 307 587 in 2002 and € 312 825 in 2003) under the terms of the 
agreement  of  the  European  Economic  Area  (participation  of  Norway  and  Iceland).  Actual 
expenditure and distribution of funds between the cross-border partnerships and the PES' for 
the reference period is shown in the table below. 

Actual expenditure 2002 – 2003: 

Crossborder partnerships 

EURES national 

Diverse activities 

Total 

2002 

6.132.491 

4.300.491 

2.396.797 

12.829.979 

2003 

7.443.411 

5.106.768 

2.689.516 

15.239.695 

In  2002  the  available  budget  was  used  for  about  85%,  mainly  due  to  spending  less  than 
forecasted  in  the  cross-border  partnerships  and  on  diverse  activities.  In  2003  the  available 
budget  was  entirely  used;  in  particular  the  increase  in  volume  and  quality  of  the  subsidy 
requests from the cross-border partnerships permitted this full utilisation.  

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5. 

CHALLENGES AHEAD AND OUTLOOK 

The  successful  integration  of  the  new  Member  States  in  the  EURES  network  is  the  main 
challenge. 2002 – 2003 started the build up of a viable EURES network in all new Member 
States, and the coming years will be devoted to strengthening this, with EURES being fully 
integrated into the PES, more EURES advisers being trained, and cross-border partnerships, 
both  between  new  and  old  Member  States  and  between  new  Member  States  themselves, 
possibly  being  established.  Correct  and  timely  information  on  transitional  arrangements  for 
the free movement of workers (provided to EURESco by the EURES national members, and 
including  measures  that  may  restrict  access  to  the  labour  markets  of  the  EEA)  must  be 
provided on the European Job Mobility Portal.  

EURES must develop a common IT platform so that jobseekers throughout the EU/EEA can 
consult  all  job  vacancies  (estimated  at  3  million)  advertised  through  Member  States' 
employment  services  by  2005.  Webservices  technology  will  be  used  to  enable  each  PES  to 
display, in real time, all jobs based on search parameters related to country and job category. 

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