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BackIn view of the challenges Europe is faced with today, there is “no time for business as usual”; at least this is what it says in the renewed Programme of the EU Commission. This is an indication that the EU Commission intends to use the present Work Programme to commit itself to courageous, carefully targeted and pragmatic measures, which make it possible to overcome these challenges and to emerge strengthened from the crisis in the spirit of European solidarity and responsibility. However, it is also an established fact, declared the Commission that in many areas the ambitious political targets – high level of environmental protection, high social and employment standards, energy security, a thriving economy that benefits all, a migration policy that reflects our common values – will only be achieved through a common approach at European level. However, in recent years, proposals by the Commission Barroso I and II, time and again had undermined in particular the high social and employment standards. Hence, that is why it is even more encouraging today that the Juncker Commission is now committing itself to high social end employment standards in Europe.
New impetus for jobs – equal pay for equal work
In its Work Programme, the Commission is right to acknowledge that it requires considerable efforts to get people back into work. That is why in particular the planned Skills Agenda shall promote lifelong investments in people – from vocational and university education up to achieving digital and high technology competence as well as life skills. Particular attention will be paid to the work-life balance of working parents and the target of increasing women's participation in the labour market. The Women on Boards Directive should be adopted in 2016. Apart from that, the Commission will continue its practical work to promote gender equality. Also to be welcomed is the initiative of the Commission to revise the Posting of Workers Directive to address unfair practices leading to social dumping and brain drain by ensuring that the same work in the same place is rewarded by the same pay.
EU Semester: stronger focus on employment and social protection
It has been planned that within the scope of the EU Semester 2016 an even stronger focus will be placed on the performance capability of the Member States in the area of employment and social protection. To achieve this, a European pillar of social rights will be developed. In doing so, the Commission will pursue two complementary work strands: firstly, the modernisation of existing social policy legislation and closing current gaps to take today's work environment into account and to ensure that new models of work will maintain a fair balance in the relationship between employers and workers; secondly, based on best practices in the Member States to identify social benchmarks, in particular with regard to the flexicurity concept, with a view to upwards convergence – in particular in the euro area – as regards the functioning of the labour market, skills and social protection. From the point of view of employees, these proposals all sound very logical and comprehensible. However, it will be vital that the Commission involves its social partners in all its schemes and programmes; only then concrete measures will be met with broad approval.
Further information:
EU press release on the Work Programme of the EU Commission
Work Programme of the EU Commission