EU in brief" "
Aiming at quality of employment, and not just quantity of jobs: that’s one of the main objectives indicated in the new European strategy for employment defined by the European Commission. In a communication adopted in recent days, the Commission spelt out three priorities: pursuing the goal of full employment, increasing quality and productivity of work, promoting a labour market that may favour integration. The discussion on employment will dominate the agenda of the spring meeting of the European Council on 21 March. In early April, the Commission will then present its formal proposals for the new guidelines and recommendations on employment that will hold good until 2010. “In the current context of economic uncertainty and far-reaching social changes explained the European Commissioner for employment and social affairs, the Greek Anna Diamantopoulou we need a new, simpler and more effective strategy to permit the changes to be managed in a coordinated way”. Over the last five years, it is estimated that the European strategy for employment has induced the creation of over 10 million jobs and a reduction of long-term unemployment from 5.2% to 3.3% in the fifteen countries of the EU.
