In March, die EU Commission presented the so-called guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States. They represent joint priorities for national employment policies. The EU Parliament has now begun to comment on these and debated a first draft report. It was agreed that the proposal by the EU Commission is all right in principle; however, it would have to be amended. What is particularly pleasing from the point of view of the AK is the fact that the rapporteur has already clearly rejected the concept of automatically aligning the normal pension age as demanded by the EU Commission!

Creation of sustainable and high-quality jobs has highest priority

The rapporteur in the EU Parliament in charge of the guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States, Laura Agea, Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group, stresses that the Member States have to approach the extremely serious problem of unemployment both effectively and in due course; apart from that they had to facilitate the creation of sustainable and high-quality jobs. Furthermore, according to Agea, it is particularly essential to tackle long-term and youth unemployment. From the point of the AK, this demand is certainly welcome; however, we want to go a step further and demand a separate guideline to tackle youth unemployment. The joint objective of the EU States to significantly lower youth unemployment in each country by 2020, must also increasingly find its way into the EU-2020 core targets.

Mobility of employees is an opportunity, not an obligation

Also worthy of note is the fact that Agea amends the guidelines of the Commission - in particular in respect of the repeatedly demanded mobility - as defined by the AK: it must be understood as an opportunity to find work in another Member State; it should not represent an obligation because of a lack of jobs in people's native country. Inevitably, this requires accompanying measures, such as improving the transferability of pension rights and the recognition of qualifications.

Rapporteur clearly rejects the concept of automatically aligning the normal pension age

Particularly pleasing from the point of view of the AK is the clear commitment of the rapporteur to reject the coupling of the legal retirement age to the rising life expectancy and the demand to withdraw the Commission’s proposal. In this context, it was and it is still clear in the opinion of the AK that only a high level of employment can be a guarantor for the sustainability of public finances and associated with it the pension system; the concept of automatically aligning the normal pension age does not represent a suitable instrument. The rapporteur takes exactly this to heart. With regard to the vote in May, the AK will continue to do its utmost that this important point will remain in the report.

Further information:

AK EUROPA position on the integrated guidelines

Draft of a report by the EU Parliament on the integrated guidelines

European Commission's Paper on Integrated Guidelines for Employment Policies