European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (COM(2006)0032 - C6-0047/2006 - 2006/0010(CNS))
Date: 2006-04-04
Institutions: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: EU employment policy, European Employment Strategy, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment

C 293 E/140

Tuesday 4 April 2006

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

2.12.2006

9.29. Taisnieres (FR) — Oltingue (CH) gas pipeline

9.30. Gas pipeline from Denmark to Poland, possibly via Sweden
9.31. Nybro (DK) — Dragør (DK) gas pipeline, including connecting pipeline to the storage at Stenlille

(DK)

9.32. Gas network from the Barents Sea resources to the European Union, via Sweden and Finland

9.33. Gas pipeline from the Corrib field (IE), offshore

9.34. Gas pipeline from Algerian resources to Italy, via Sardinia with a branch to Corsica and via

Tunisia

9.35. Gas network from resources in the Middle East to the European Union

9.36. Gas pipeline from Norway to the United Kingdom
9.37. Pécs (HU) — Croatia connection
9.38. Szeged (HU) — Oradea (RO) connection

9.39. Vecsés (HU) — Slovakia connection
9.40. Beregdaróc (HU) — Ukraine capacity increase

10. Actions improving the functioning of the interconnected gas networks within the internal market

(No specifications defined yet)

P6_TA(2006)0119

Guidelines for the Member States' employment policies *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for
the employment policies of the Member States (COM(2006)0032 — C6-0047/2006 — 2006/0010
(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2006)0032) (1),

— having regard to Article 128(2) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament

(C6-0047/2006),

— having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A6-0086/2006),

Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty;

Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to amend the Commission proposal substan-

1.

2.

3.

4.
tially;

5.

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

2.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 293 E/141

Tuesday 4 April 2006

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 1

Recital 1a (new)

(1a)
Following the new challenges set by enlargement of the
EU in May 2004, the employment guidelines laid down for
the period 2005-2008 have taken on particular importance
and new implications for the employment of young and older
people, workers' health, combating work-related accidents at
European level, the integration of vulnerable social groups,
combating social exclusion, outlawing illegal working, improv-
ing the quality and the stability of jobs and the establishment
of equal rights and opportunities for men and women, which
should be evaluated with indicators per guideline to measure
progress in gender equality.

Amendment 2

Recital 1b (new)

(1b) The Employment Guidelines cannot be implemented
without the effective implementation of Community legislation
by individual Member States, in particular that relating to
anti-discrimination policy under Article 13 of the Treaty, and
health and safety legislation. The Commission must improve
its monitoring and enforcement procedure.

Amendment 3

Recital 1c (new)

(1c) Successful labour market integration requires an even
greater variety of support measures which create channels for
inclusion and combat discrimination.

Amendment 4

Recital 1d (new)

(1d) According to the conclusions of the Spring European
Council held on 22 and 23 March 2005, the objectives of full
employment, job quality, labour productivity and social cohe-
sion must be reflected in clear and measurable priorities:
attracting and retaining more people in the labour market on
the basis of the principles of equal opportunities and equal
treatment of men and women and the modernisation of social
protection systems; reducing administrative costs, particularly
for small and medium-sized enterprises; improving the adapt-
ability of workers and businesses and increasing the flexibility
of working hours and labour markets; increasing investment
in human capital by improving training and skills.

C 293 E/142

Tuesday 4 April 2006

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

2.12.2006

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 5

Recital 1e (new)

(1e)
Further progress must be made in removing barriers
and restrictions to people's freedom to move from one Member
State to another (Guideline 21), particularly in the context of
workers' mobility,
including researchers and other profes-
sionals (Guideline 23) with a view to achieving a Europe
without borders within the internal market and in order to
put an end to the inconsistencies in this area generated by
Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 con-
cerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-
term residents (*), which grants this right without restriction
to third-country nationals who have been resident in the Euro-
pean Union for more than five years.

(*) OJ L 16, 23.1.2004, p. 44.

Amendment 6

Recital 1f (new)

(1f) As the employment guidelines cannot be followed with-
out adequate funding the Member States should take these
objectives into account when adopting the Financial Perspec-
tive 2007–2013.

Amendment 7

Recital 2

(2) 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.

(2)
In order to ensure that they enjoy the stability which
they require if they are to be successfully implemented, the
Employment Guidelines and the Broad Economic Policy Guide-
lines should be fully reviewed only every three years, while in
the intermediate years until 2008 their updating should remain
strictly limited. For
this reason the European Parliament
should play a more active role in the intermediate years, with
particular regard to the monitoring of the Member States'
implementation of the guidelines.

Amendment 8

Recital 3

(3) 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
in the
the board in accordance with the priorities set out
2005-2008 Guidelines.

(3) 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
in the
the board in accordance with the priorities set out
2005-2008 Guidelines. Member States and the Commission
are reminded that gender mainstreaming and the promotion
of gender equality should be ensured in all action taken, as
equal opportunities and the combating of discrimination are
essential for progress.

2.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 293 E/143

Tuesday 4 April 2006

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 9
Recital 4a (new)

(4a)
In order to promote economic growth and employment
and boost competitiveness, Member States should announce
their research, innovation and research development spending
targets, as well as the measures they propose to take in respect
of investment for the benefit of small and medium-sized enter-
prises and of micro-financing for women's and family-run
businesses which use innovative forms of technology.

P6_TA(2006)0120

Competition policy 2004

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report on competition policy 2004 (2005/2209
(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission report on Competition Policy 2004 (SEC(2005)0805) (the 2004

Competition Report),

— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000,
the Göteborg European Council of 15 and 16 June 2001, the Laeken European Council of 14 and
15 December 2001, the Barcelona European Council of 15 and 16 March 2002, and the Brussels Euro-
pean Councils of 20 and 21 March 2003, 25 and 26 March 2004, and 22 and 23 March 2005,

— having regard to the report of November 2004 entitled ‘Facing the challenge — The Lisbon strategy for

growth and employment’, by the High Level Group chaired by Mr Wim Kok,

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of
the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty (1) and Commission Regulation
(EC) No 773/2004 of 7 April 2004 relating to the conduct of proceedings by the Commission pursuant
to Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty (2),

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concen-

trations between undertakings (3),

— having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 of 21 April 2004 implementing Council
Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC
Treaty (4), Commission Regulation (EC) No 363/2004 of 25 February 2004 amending Regulation (EC)
No 68/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid (5) and Commis-
sion Regulation (EC) No 364/2004 of 25 February 2004 amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 as
regards the extension of its scope to include aid for research and development (6),

(1) OJ L 1, 4.1.2003, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 123, 27.4.2004, p. 18.
(3) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 140, 30.4.2004, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 63, 28.2.2004, p. 20.
(6) OJ L 63, 28.2.2004, p. 22.