Mobility and technologies

Among its multiple commitments in the political and institutional field – a large part of which are still aimed at curbing or alleviating the economic crisis – the Commission has also been occupied in recent days with various provisions and proposals regarding work and business development, including professional mobility, seasonal work and the new technologies. Mobility and professions. “Still too few Europeans exploit the right to move to another country of the Union to work”: the Commission has conducted a survey on professional mobility, which is defined as “one of the main advantages of the single market”. Without ignoring the difficulties and drawbacks that still continue to hamper the prospect of leaving one’s own home and moving abroad to find work, the findings of the survey commissioned by the Executive show that “one European out of two would be willing to move abroad if unable to find a job at home”. At the present time approximately 11.3 million Europeans live in a country of the Union other than the one in which they were born and brought up: “This is 4 million more than there were ten years ago, but they still represent only 2.3% of the population”. The Commission has long been promoting professional mobility: the positions adopted by the Commission on the matter don’t meet with unanimous support, but in various economic, academic and trade-union circles there is widespread recognition that professional mobility, especially if referred to the young, can be considered an opportunity to exercise one’s own profession, bearing in mind the fact that EU rules tend to protect persons who move abroad to seek work. “The mobility of workers can help reduce unemployment by helping to match labour demand and supply”, explained Commissioner László Andor on 13 July. “Europeans are conscious of this, but the fact is that many obstacles still need to be overcome to go to work in another country of the EU”, including those regarding the full recognition of academic qualifications, social security entitlements and the necessary language skills. The EU, together with member states, ought in the near future to tackle this question anew, as emphasized by Commissioner Andor himself.Seasonal workers. The Commission has also proposed a Directive on seasonal work with the aim of establishing “a common procedure for the entry and residence in the Union of seasonal workers who are citizens of third countries” and defining their rights. The initiative in question forms part of a package of measures as part of the action plan on legal immigration, approved by the Stockholm programme in December 2009. Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Internal Affairs, has explained: “EU employers increasingly depend on non-European manpower in such sectors as agriculture, horticulture and tourism, mainly because EU citizens are increasingly less willing to be employed in this type of seasonal work”. “For our part, we must offer seasonal workers from third countries, who are often vulnerable, better conditions of work and a secure legal status that will protect them from exploitation”. The Commission’s proposal, which now passes to the scrutiny of the European Council and Parliament, establishes a simplified procedure for the admission of seasonal workers from third countries, fixes a standard period of residence (six months per calendar year), and makes provision for a three-year multi-seasonal work permit or a facilitated procedure for subsequent seasons.New technologies. “Hardly anyone would have forecast ten years ago that the business world would look as it does today. We no longer use typewriters and most information is available and exchanged electronically. How will the industrial world look in ten years’ time?”. It is the recognition of such transformations that has led to the establishment within the EU earlier this week of the high level expert group on key enabling technologies. The key enabling technologies in question include nanotechnology, micro- and nanoelectronics including semiconductors, advanced materials, biotechnology and photonics. They are – in the view of the Executive – “of exceptional importance for shaping the industrial future of the EU”. The global market volume of such technologies “is estimated by experts at between 500 and 570 billion euros annually. The expected annual growth rates range between 5 and 46%”: they are used, for example, in traditional sectors such as electronics, the automotive, chemicals or pharmaceuticals industries, mobility, transport, and communications. According to the Commissioner for Industry Antonio Tajani, “the EU needs to work on policy measures to ensure that key enabling technologies are commercialized effectively and the results of its R&D are successfully capitalized”. The Commission will present a report on the work of the Group, aimed at better exploring the potential of these technologies, to the Council and to the Parliament in 2011.