European Union News - Social Affairs

The European Parliament voted on December, 17th, against the Council's proposal on working time regulation, adopting by absolute majority the amendments proposed by Spanish rapporteur Alejando Cercas.  MEPs expressed their disagreement to exceptions to the 48 hours-maximum working time calculated over a reference period of 12 months and say the opt-out must end three years after adoption of the directive, adding that any period of on-call time should count as working time. A conciliation committee with the Council is now likely.

The European Commission moved to help those citizens who lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis by improving the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). The proposal to revise the EGF aims to bring its operations closer into line with its objective of solidarity towards workers who have lost their jobs, specially in these times of economic crisis. The new proposals will make the EGF a more effective crisis response instrument, helping more people to find their way back into the labour market.

Representatives of employers and workers at EU-level presented a report on how they have implemented their framework agreement on work-related stress. Stress is a serious work- related health problem and considered the primary cause of lost working days in Europe. The objective of the agreement is for workers and employers to work together at better identifying, preventing and managing stress.

The Official Journal of the European Union, OJEO, published on December, 5th, 2008, the Directive 2008/104/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of November, 19th, on temporary agency work, which ensures the protection of temporary agency workers and recognises temporarywork agencies as employers.

The European Commission has launched a debate on the future shape of European disability policy ahead of the European Day of People with Disabilities on December, 3rd. The conference "Acting locally for a society for all", taking place in Brussels between December 1st and 2nd, will bring together key players in the disability field to discuss follow-up to the current European Disability Action Plan.

November, 25th, will mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The European Commission underlines its commitment to fight any form and expression of gender-based violence and to protect and reintegrate victims, in close cooperation with Member States and civil society organisations.

A European Commission report recently published shows that mobile workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 had a positive impact on Member States' economies and have not led to serious disturbances on their labour markets. For that reason, the Commission asks for the elimination of worker's mobility restrictions.

Commission Recommendation (C (2008)/5737) on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, OJEU, on November, 18th, highlights the persistence of poverty and joblessness and the growing complexities of multiple disadvantages, calling for comprehensive, integrated policies.

The European Council published on November, 11th, 2008, Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA, adopted on October, 24th, 2008, on the fight against organised crime. This Decision follows Commission's Communication of March, 2004 about the measures to be taken on the fight against terrorism and other forms of serious crimes.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on October 29th, a Decision of the European Parliament and the Council of October 22nd, on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGAF), in accordance with the Interinstitutional Agreement of May 17th, 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management.

It has been published the Directive  2008/94/EC of 22 October 2008 on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer at the Official Journal of the European Union on the 28th October 2008.

A holistic approach to eradicating poverty, which seeks to ensure adequate incomes, quality jobs and better access to social services, is advocated by the EP in an own-initiative report. MEPs call on the Council to agree an EU target for minimum wages to provide for remuneration of at least 60% of the relevant average wage and, further, to agree a timetable for achieving that target in all Member States. MEPs call on the Council to agree an EU-wide commitment to end street homelessness by 2015.