Commission sets out social plans

The European Commission last month published its five-year social agenda. This sets out what it plans to do in a range of employment and social areas between now and 2010.

Its two main priorities are "moving towards full employment", where jobs are also of high quality, and creating "a more cohesive society", where there are "equal opportunities for all".

In most areas member states are to have the key role with the Commission limiting itself to new guidelines and greater co-ordination. However, there are some plans for new Europe-wide legislation and institutions.

The Commission will draft a green paper on labour law, looking at how current legislation deals with new work patterns. There will be a new directive on the protection of personal data collected on employees and revisions to the directives on redundancy and transfers.

The Commission is also proposing a framework for collective bargaining across national borders, either at company or industry level. Although this will be optional, the Commission believes that it is "essential" to enable employers and unions to "formalise the nature and results of transnational collective bargaining".

Other specific proposals are that 2007 should be the European year of equal opportunities and that the Commission will establish a European Gender Institute to promote equality between men and women.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/social_policy_agenda/social_pol_ag_en.html