Job market: the proposals of the Commission Since the crisis has begun to hit labour markets in 2008, Europe has lost 5.6 million jobs. 23 million people are currently unemployed across the EU, 10% of the active population. But in EU27 economies there are other problems ranging from precarious jobs to closed-end contracts, to poor expertise in certain areas to unequal retributions between men and women for the same job, up to young people’s difficulties in accessing the job market. This situation negatively affects innovation with consequences on family budgets and surging problems experienced by pension and welfare systems. At the same time, some employers are reporting difficulties in recruiting, especially for high-skill jobs, such as the ICT or health sectors. For these reasons on November 23 the Commission launched its flagship initiative ‘An Agenda for new skills and jobs’, included in the Europe 2020 strategy. “It sets out 13 key actions aimed at reforming labour markets, upgrading skills and matching them with market demand to boost employability and make it easier to move jobs, to improve working conditions and job quality, and to create jobs”, pointed out László Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. “Our priority is to get people working. We simply cannot afford an unemployment rate of close to 10%”, he added. This initiative is set to boost the EU employment rate to reach 75 % of men and women aged 20-64 by 2020″. Concrete actions, due to be implemented across the EU regard the reform of the job market (“flexicurity”), incentives to invest in formation, improved working conditions, to improve working conditions with less administrative burdens or lowering the taxes on labour and mobility.European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid CorpsSelection, training and deployment of volunteers in areas of the planet experiencing natural disasters or humanitarian crises: it is the primary objective which the EU Executive ascribes to the Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps provided for in the Lisbon Treaty, proposed a few days ago through a “communication”, a policy paper that examines volunteering in Europe, lays out the needs of such volunteering Corps, and details the conditions for the Corps to make a positive contribution to Europe’s humanitarian operations. The Corps will enable Europeans to express their commitment to our solidarity. It will have strong synergies with existing voluntary organisations and structures “in order to avoid duplication and funding diversion”. “By helping people affected by disasters, we have the opportunity to contribute to a more cohesive European society”, stated Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. On the basis of this proposal the Commission with Member States and local and national stakeholders. “In 2011, the European year of volunteering, some of the ideas identified so far will be tested through pilot actions”. A legislative proposal is envisaged for the year after.Countering “stalking” in EU27 “Stalking is a serious form of persecution, a real and true form of violence against individuals, and against women in particular. Violence is a crime that has to be persecuted by law”: Eva-Britt Svensson, Swedish MEP, is the president of the Commission for Women’s rights at the EU Parliament. On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25) she launched an appeal, signed by a group of women MEPs so as to enforce “severe legislation across EU27”. According to figures, physical and psychological harassment described as stalking (telephone threats, repeated text messages, tailing, physical violence against the predestined victim, vandalism against goods or objects belonging to the victim) are a widespread problem across all of Europe. 90% of the victims are women. Only nine Countries currently have a law that pursues this kind of crime: Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Malta, Ireland, Austria, Great Britain. Svensson explained, “the Parliament wants to send a clear message to national and European societies: violence against women can no longer be tolerated”.
