1999/207/EC: Council Decision of 9 March 1999 on the reform of the Standing Committee on Employment and repealing Decision 70/532/EEC

COUNCIL DECISION of 9 March 1999 on the reform of the Standing Committee on Employment and repealing Decision 70/532/EEC (1999/207/EC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 145 thereof,
(1) Whereas, in its Resolutions of 15 December 1997 on the 1998 Employment Guidelines (1), and of 22 February 1999 on the 1999 Employment Guidelines (2), the Council affirmed that the social partners at the levels would be involved in all stages of the coordinated employment strategy and would make an important contribution to the implementation of the Guidelines and that that contribution would be regularly assessed;
(2) Whereas the social partners' contribution to the coordinated employment strategy should be taken into account both at the level of the Employment Guidelines themselves and in examining their consistency with the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, in order to provide for greater synergy and with a view to incorporating the objective of a high level of employment into the drawing-up and implementation of the Community's policies;
(3) Whereas, in its Resolution of 18 July 1997 on the Commission communication concerning the development of the social dialogue at Community level (3), the European Parliament calls for the Standing Committee on Employment to be reformed as a matter of urgency and for coordination mechanisms to be introduced between that Committee and the Employment and Labour Market Committee; whereas, in its Resolution of 18 November 1998, the European Parliament welcomed the initiatives taken with a view to the reform of the Standing Committee on Employment;
(4) Whereas the Economic and Social Committee in its opinion of 29 January 1997 (4) on the same Commission communication stated that the Standing Committee on Employment was to be given a higher profile;
(5) Whereas, in its communication of 20 May 1998 on adapting and promoting the social dialogue at Community level, the Commission considered that the new context of Community social dialogue and the incorporation of a new employment title in the Amsterdam Treaty justified reforming the Standing Committee on Employment;
(6) Whereas it seems advisable to maintain the structure of the Standing Committee on Employment while making the adjustments necessary to improve its operation; whereas it seems desirable to incorporate this reform into a new decision replacing Council Decision 70/532/EEC of 14 December 1970 setting up the Standing Committee on Employment (5) in the European Communities;
(7) Whereas it is desirable that the social partners' delegations should cover the whole economy but that, in order to allow the efficient and orderly conduct of business in the Committee, the number of their representatives should be reduced; whereas the respective social partners' representation should be adequately coordinated;
(8) Whereas the social partners at national level also play an important role in the implementation, in the Member States, of the coordinated employment strategy; whereas they may be involved in an appropriate manner in the fulfilment of the Committee's functions;
(9) Whereas the Committee may deem it appropriate to meet in restricted formation in accordance with this Decision and with rules set out in its Rules of Procedure;
(10) Whereas Article 1(3) of Council Decision 97/16/EC of 20 December 1996 setting up an Employment and Labour Market Committee (6) provides that that Committee will maintain an appropriate liaison with the Standing Committee on Employment,