Comisia Europeana si “noua agenda sociala”
Scris de sketis pe mai 9, 2008
Stirea suna astfel:
The new package is set to contain several pieces of legislation, including a long-awaited proposal on patients’ cross-border healthcare rights as well as proposals on anti-discrimination, educational issues and workers’ rights, Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Špidla announced at a conference in Brussels on 6-7 May.
Cross-border healthcare
The healthcare proposal, meant to improve conditions for patients looking for treatment in other member states, has been delayed since December. It aims to facilitate the mobility of patients and professionals by improving the cross-border interoperability of electronic health records.
European Works Council
The Commission also proposed revised legislation on the European Works Council as part of the package. The current law, which dates from 1994, gives workers the right to consultation and information on company decisions, but trade unions have been calling for it to be revised due to its poor implementation by companies.
Commissioner Špidla criticised the social partners for responding too slowly to the Commission’s proposals and not having properly used the public consultation, which ended in April, to come up with their own initiatives.
Although Špidla still prefers a common approach with the social NGOs, he said the Commission would go ahead with a directive alone if the partners were not willing to cooperate.
Anti-discrimination
The Commission initiative also addresses anti-discrimination issues, looking for ways to tackle gender equality by closing pay gaps and facilitating better conciliation between private and professional life. Women’s salaries still lag 15% behind those of men, Špidla said.
Modernising education systems
Finally, the Commission said it is also planning to come forward with initiatives on skills and supporting the member states in their efforts to modernise their education systems to further reduce unemployment rates, especially among young people. These proposals are also set to include new ideas on multilingualism, seeing as languages are an “important part of the skills set required in Europe”.
