Proposal for a Council Decision Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States
Date: 2006-01-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU employment policy, European Employment Strategy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 25.1.2006 
COM(2006) 32 final 

2006/0010 (CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  new  Lisbon  strategy  operating  from  2005  onwards  is  based  on  a  new  cycle  of 
governance, with an integrated package of guidelines remaining in principle valid until 2008. 
Based  on  the  integrated  guidelines,  which  encompass  economic,  social  and  environmental 
dimensions, Member States have drawn up their national reform programmes, which set out 
their three year strategy to deliver growth and jobs. 

The  assessment  of  the  national  reform  programmes  by  the  Commission  is  set  out  in  the 
Annual Progress Report and in the accompanying draft Joint Employment Report, which will 
be adopted in accordance with the procedure of article 128(1) of the Treaty. The assessment 
leads to the following overall conclusions as regards national employment policies: 

–  all  programmes  attach  high  importance  to  attracting  and  retaining  more  people  in 
employment,  but  the  chances  of  ensuring  effective  delivery  would  be  enhanced  if  they 
were based on lifecycle approaches to facilitate swift employment transitions throughout a 
career; 

–  the importance of further measures to improve the adaptability of workers and enterprises 
is  frequently  neglected.  Greater  attention  should  be  given  to  establishing  conditions  of 
"flexicurity" and better links between the tax and benefits systems, and to actively involve 
the social partners;  

–  although  the  crucial  importance  of  developing  the  skills  needed  in  knowledge-based 
economies  is  acknowledged,  the  need  of  stepping  up  investment  and  achieving  a  real 
breakthrough should better be reflected in the policy response; 

–  Member  States  should  demonstrate  their  commitment  to  the  new  Lisbon  agenda  by 
ensuring  that  spending  is  targeted  to  support  the  Lisbon  strategy,  by  promoting  public 
ownership and by involving the social partners in the governance process.  

These  conclusions  confirm  the  policies  and  the  reform  agenda  expressed  in  the  current 
Employment Guidelines. For procedural reasons laid down in article 128(2), their validity for 
2006  needs  to  be  confirmed  by  a  Council  decision,  following  consultation  of  the  EP,  the 
Committee of Regions, the Economic and Social Committee and the Employment Committee. 

The Commission considers it appropriate, at this stage of the three year governance cycle, not 
to propose Employment Recommendations in the sense of art. 128§4 of the Treaty, but draws 
Member States' attention to the priorities and conclusions of the detailed country assessments 
contained in the Annual Progress Report.  

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2006/0010 (CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 
128 (2) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament2, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee3, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions4, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The  reform  of  the  Lisbon  Strategy  in  2005  has  placed  the  emphasis  on  growth  and 
jobs.  The  Employment  Guidelines  of  the  European  Employment  Strategy  and  the 
Broad  Economic  Policy  Guidelines  have  been  adopted  as  an  integrated  package5, 
whereby 
the 
implementation  of  the  employment  and  labour  market  objectives  of  the  Lisbon 
Strategy. 

the  European  Employment  Strategy  has 

leading  role 

the 

in 

The  Employment  Guidelines  and  the  Broad  Economic  Policy  Guidelines  should  be 
fully reviewed only every three years, while in the intermediate years until 2008 their 
updating should remain strictly limited.  

The examination of the Member States' National Reform Programmes contained in the 
Commission's Annual Progress Report and in the Joint Employment Report shows that 
Member  States  should  proceed  with  employment  policy  reforms  across  the  board  in 
accordance with the priorities set out in the 2005-2008 Guidelines. 

(4) 

In view of the integrated nature of the guideline package, Member States should fully 
implement the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. 

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2 
3 
4 
5 OJ L 205, 6.8.2005 p. 21 ff (Employment Guidelines) and p. 28 (Broad Economic Policy Guidelines)  

OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 

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HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 

Article 1 

The  guidelines  for  Member  States'  employment  policies  as  set  out  in  the  annex  to  Council 
decision  2005/600/EC  of  12  July  2005  on  guidelines  for  the  employment  policies  of  the 
Member States are maintained for 2006 and shall be taken into account by the Member States 
in their employment policies.  

Article 2 

This decision is addressed to the Member States. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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