2004/689/: Council Decision of 4 October 2004 establishing a Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2000/436/EC
Date: 2004-10-04
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European social policy, committee (EU), social security

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Official Journal of the European Union

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 4 October 2004

establishing a Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2000/436/EC

(2004/689/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular Article 144 thereof,

establishing the European

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

In its Communication ‘A Concerted Strategy for moder-
nising social protection’ of 14 July 1999 the Commission
made suggestions for the enhancement of cooperation in
the field of social protection by, among other things,
setting up a group of high-level officials.

(2)

In its Resolution of 16 February 2000, the European
Parliament welcomed the Commission's communication
and the creation of such a group.

(3)

In its Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on the
cooperation for modernising and
strengthening of

(4)

(5)

social protection systems

improving social protection (2), the Council supported the
to establish a mechanism for
Commission's proposal
enhanced cooperation, brought about by the work of
the group of high-level officials, for the implementation
of this action. The Council stressed that this kind of
cooperation should cover all forms of social protection
and, where necessary, help the Member States to improve
and strengthen their
in
accordance with their national priorities. It also recalled
the competence of the Member States for the organi-
sation and financing of social protection and endorsed
the four broad objectives within the overall challenge of
modernising social protection systems as identified by
the Commission: namely to make work pay and
safe and
provide secure income,
social
pension
inclusion and to ensure high quality and sustainable
health care;
it also underlined that equality between
women and men must be mainstreamed in all activities
aiming at
the Council
these four objectives. Finally,
relating to finance are
the aspects
recognised that
common to all the objectives.

to make pensions
to

sustainable,

promote

systems

The Conclusions of the Lisbon European Council on 23
and 24 March 2000 acknowledged the importance of
social protection in further developing and modernising
an active and dynamic welfare state in Europe, and called
upon the Council
to strengthen cooperation between
Member States by exchanging experiences and best
practice on the basis of improved information networks.

At Nice and at its subsequent meetings, the European
Council has regularly endorsed the work done by the
Social
the
promoting
Community policy exchange on social protection.

Committee

Protection

in

(1) Opinion delivered on 10 February 2004 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(2) OJ C 8, 12.1.2000, p. 7.

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(6)

(7)

The Social Protection Committee set up by Council
Decision 2000/436/EC of 29 June 2000 (1) has clearly
demonstrated its utility as an advisory body for both
the Council and the Commission and has contributed
the Open Method of
actively to the development of
Coordination, as established in the Lisbon European
Council.

The Committee shall work, as appropriate, in cooperation
3.
with other relevant bodies and committees dealing with social
and economic policy matters,
the Employment
Committee and the Economic Policy Committee.

such as

Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Nice on
1 February 2003, a Social Protection Committee with
additional tasks should replace the existing Committee
of the same name, in order to permit the work already
done
continued. Decision
2000/436/EC should therefore be repealed as from the
date on which the new Social Protection Committee
takes up its functions,

latter

the

by

be

to

In fulfilling its mandate,

4.
the Committee shall establish
appropriate contacts with the social partners and social non-
governmental organisations, account being taken of
their
respective roles and responsibilities in the social protection
sphere. The European Parliament
shall also be informed
regarding the activities of the Committee.

Article 2

shall

The Committee

1.
two representatives
appointed by each Member State and two representatives of
the Commission. The representatives may be assisted by two
alternates.

consist of

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

1.
A Social Protection Committee (hereinafter referred to as
the Committee), with advisory status, is hereby established to
promote cooperation on social protection policies between
Member States and with the Commission,
in full compliance
with the Treaty and with due regard for the powers of the
Community's institutions and organs.

Member States and the Commission shall use their best
endeavours to achieve a gender balance in the composition of
delegations.

The Committee may call on external experts where its

2.
agenda so requires.

2.

The tasks of the Committee shall be:

The Committee shall establish contacts with represen-

3.
tatives of the candidate countries.

(a)

to monitor the social situation and the development of
social protection policies in the Member States and the
Community;

The Committee shall elect its chairperson from among the
1.
representatives of the Member States for a non-renewable term
of two years.

Article 3

(b) to promote exchanges of information, experience and good
practice between Member States and with the Commission;

(c) without prejudice to Article 207 of the Treaty, to prepare
reports, formulate opinions or undertake other work within
its fields of competence, at the request of either the Council
or the Commission or on its own initiative.

(1) OJ L 172, 12.7.2000, p. 26.

The chairperson shall be assisted by four vice-chairpersons of
whom two shall be elected by the Committee from among its
members for a term of two years. The third shall be a repre-
sentative from the Member State holding the Presidency of the
Council and the fourth shall be a representative from the
Member State that will hold the next Presidency.

2. Meetings of
chairperson, either on his or her own initiative or at
request of at least half of the members of the Committee.

the Committee shall be convened by the
the

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The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.
3.
Expenses shall be reimbursed in accordance with the adminis-
trative rules in force.

or an alternate member of the Committee or by a Commission
official, appointed by the Committee.

4.
The Commission shall provide the analytical and organi-
sational support for the Committee. It shall designate a member
of its staff as Secretary, who shall act on the instructions of the
Committee when assisting the Committee in carrying out its
tasks.

The Commission shall liaise with the General Secretariat of the
Council with regard to the holding of meetings.

Article 4

The Committee may entrust the study of specific questions to
its alternate members or may establish working groups to this
end. In such cases, the chair shall be taken by either a member

The working groups may call upon experts to assist them.

Article 5

Decision 2000/436/EC shall be repealed as from the date of the
first meeting of
the
Committee shall take place no later than four months after
the date of adoption of this Decision.

the Committee. The first meeting of

Done at Luxembourg, 4 October 2004.

For the Council
The President

A. J. DE GEUS