The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its position of 20 May 2008 on Employment Guidelines 2008-2010(1),

–   having regard to the Commission's Communication of 26 November 2008 on A European Economic Recovery Plan (COM(2008)0800),

–   having regard to the Council Decision 2008/618/EC of 15 July 2008 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States(2),

–   having regard to the Commission proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States of 28 January 2009 (COM(2008)0869),

–   having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 11 and 12 December 2008, which set out the EU framework of action to avoid recession and sustain economic activity and employment,

–   having regard to its resolution of 9 October 2008 on promoting social inclusion and combating poverty, including child poverty, in the EU(3),

–   having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas there is a strong interrelationship between economic growth, employment, the fight against poverty and social inclusion,

B.   whereas the current economic crisis presents the unprecedented challenges of increasing unemployment and social exclusion, and whereas the European Union's economic situation is forecast to deteriorate even further, generating decreased or even negative employment growth and increased unemployment in the Union in 2009,

C.   whereas the European Employment Strategy and the Employment Guidelines are the main instruments within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy aimed at addressing labour market challenges,

D.   whereas the Union and the Member States have a shared responsibility for addressing the challenges, opportunities and uncertainties of citizens in respect of globalisation,

E.   whereas the global financial and economic crisis requires the Union to respond in a decisive and coordinated way in order to prevent job losses, support adequate income of citizens and avoid recession, and to turn the present economic and employment challenges into opportunities,

F.   whereas it is therefore urgent to step up efforts at all levels of governance, with the involvement of social partners and other relevant actors, to invest in people and modernise European labour markets, in particular by applying flexicurity approaches, in consultation with the social partners in accordance with national custom and practice,

General: economic recovery and employment policy guidance

1.  Believes that, in the face of a severe worldwide recession and a forecast increase in unemployment of at least 3,5 million in the EU by the end of 2009, the central goals of employment policy for the Union and its Member States must be: to preserve as many viable jobs as possible from the short-term failure of demand; to assist employment creation; and to support both the purchasing power of unemployed workers and their ability rapidly to re-gain employment; calls on the Commission to give a clear signal to Member States that the Employment Guidelines should be implemented in this spirit, and to tackle employment as a priority issue by putting proposals to the 2009 Spring European Council for a European Employment Initiative, with coordinated action by Member States to safeguard employment and create new jobs;

2.  Welcomes the Commission's Communication on a European Economic Recovery Plan and its emphasis on the connection between short-term fiscal stimulus and the long-term Lisbon Strategy and the Integrated Guidelines; underlines in this respect the importance of ensuring that any short-term measures taken by Member States to recover the economy contribute towards achieving the commonly agreed objectives;

3.  Notes as a central dilemma in the current crisis that European economic policy instruments are not yet developed enough to successfully meet the challenges ahead; requires, therefore, a review and an update of the essential policy tools, in particular the Integrated Guidelines, the Stability and Growth Pact, as well as the Sustainable Development Strategy, in order to integrate them under the umbrella of a New Deal for Smart Growth in the European Union;

4.  Stresses the necessity to refocus the Integrated Guidelines against the background of the economic downturn and urges the Council to agree on short-term measures to safeguard the 2008 employment rate and to invest in the fight against climate change, and to call on the Member States and the social partners, in accordance with national practice, to ensure sufficient incomes with special regard to the most vulnerable groups of society; expects the Commission to launch initiatives and present proposals with respect to these goals in time for the forthcoming Spring European Council;

5.  Recalls that coordinated investment by the Member States in the five core Lisbon goals – research, education, active labour market policies, childcare and incentives for private investment – must be a key element in employment policy, and that childcare infrastructure is to be regarded as one of the preconditions for increasing participation, particularly by women in the labour market; encourages the Member States to mainstream these common principles in consultation with the social partners regarding their national reform programmes;

Employment Guidelines 2008-2010: urgent need for a rigorous implementation

6.  Considers that, in implementing the guidelines, the Member States must:

7.  Considers that the Member States must ensure strengthened interaction between the guidelines and the open method of coordination on the Social Protection and Social Inclusion Process;

8.  Considers that the Member States, in cooperation with the social partners and in accordance with their national traditions, must examine and report in their National Reform Plans on how to improve compliance with and implementation of the principles and rules of European social legislation, agreements between the social partners and the fundamental principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination;

9.  Reiterates the importance of using the flexicurity concept in guideline 21 to create a bridge between jobs, and emphasises that this demands a high level of protection in the social security schemes as well as active labour market policies;

10.  Welcomes in this regard the Commission's statement that it is essential: to reinforce activation schemes, in particular the low-skilled workers; to enhance job subsidies and short training courses for vulnerable groups and those most at risk of long-term unemployment; to provide (re)training and new skills needed in less badly affected sectors; to ensure adequate social protection that provides income security, as well as to make a crucial commitment to the social dialogue and the involvement of the social partners;

11.  Underlines the importance of targeted actions for vulnerable groups in times of high unemployment, and in particular of targeted actions for groups of long-term unemployed people, people with disabilities and immigrant groups;

12.  Believes that, in view of the severity of the economic crisis, the Commission must be prepared to take exceptional measures, including a widening of access to the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), which must be able to support workers in a wider range of situations, including temporary workers who have lost their jobs, and a temporary opening of the European Social Fund (ESF) to support employment preservation measures via training schemes;

13.  Believes that the economic crisis requires the strengthening of EU measures to deal with restructuring, in particular the strengthening of information and consultation rights;

14.  Believes that the next reform of the EU Structural Funds should seek to focus the Funds' objectives more closely on the creation of sustainable, high-quality employment;

15.  Stresses, moreover, the importance of education not only to increasing workers" employability but also to improving their mobility, which is important for the functioning of the internal market; emphasises, therefore, the importance of validation of formally and non-formally obtained skills;

16.  Underlines the importance of guideline 23 and of substantial investments in lifelong learning in order to lower the unemployment rate as well as achieve the goal of creating better jobs in Europe; stresses in this context the need for all citizens to have equal access to, and opportunity to take part in, lifelong learning programmes while paying special attention to vulnerable groups; stresses that the ESF and the EGF should be used to finance such actions immediately;

17.  Regrets the fact that those with the lowest levels of initial education, older people, people in rural areas, and people with disabilities are the least likely to participate in education, training and lifelong learning in all countries;

18.  Stresses that improving the delivery of adult learning is essential to raise participation, and that measures to promote effective delivery include availability of learning sites and childcare facilities locally, open and distance learning services for those in remote areas, information and guidance, tailored programmes and flexible teaching arrangements;

19.  Recalls the fact that the unemployment rates among young people in Europe are still too high; recalls also that experience from earlier economic crises shows that young adults who become unemployed on leaving education are substantially less able to enter the labour market; stresses, therefore, the importance of all Member States fulfilling the objective of guideline 18, that every young person who has left school should be offered, within four months, a job, apprenticeship, additional training or other employability measure;

20.  Calls for decisive action to combat the problem of low participation of women in the labour market; recalls that women's employment rates are generally lower, and that it is more common for women than for men to have a part-time job; underlines, therefore, the importance of a policy in which men and women take equal responsibility; in order to achieve this, calls on Member States to urgently fulfil their obligations according to the Barcelona targets;

21.  Notes with concern that part-time employment, in which the majority of workers are women, is proving to be particularly susceptible to the economic crisis;

22.  Considers that in times of high unemployment, there is an obvious risk that regional and social cohesion will suffer, and therefore underlines the importance of guideline 17 concerning the implementation of social and territorial cohesion to prevent deficiencies in this area; calls therefore on the Member States to promote active social integration for all in order to combat poverty and social exclusion by ensuring a decent income and high-quality social services together with access to the employment market through opportunities for recruitment and initial or ongoing vocational training;

23.  Emphasises the importance, especially in the economic crisis, of investments in the welfare sector; considers this to be a sector that is performing a wide range of important community services, as well as employing a large proportion of the population; stresses that the welfare sector therefore needs to be maintained in order to prevent a decline in quality of community services and a rise in unemployment rates;

24.  Notes with regret that it is possible that during this time of economic crisis there may be some pressure on wages in some companies as a voluntary alternative to selective redundancies; emphasises, however, the importance of not letting the crisis put downward pressure on wages in general; considers it important that:

Need for coordinated action in response to the economic crisis

25.  Underlines the importance of proactive and coordinated investments across Member States, including in productive infrastructure, education and climate change, to achieve the goal of raising employment levels, contribute to the creation of quality jobs and ensure social cohesion; emphasises in this context the importance of EU support to the development of modern and sustainable industry;

26.  Underlines the importance of not only creating additional jobs but also of retaining and improving the quality of jobs available today;

27.  Calls on Member States to continue promoting ownership and improving the involvement of all actors concerned, including social partners and other stakeholders, where appropriate, in order to implement the Employment Guidelines effectively;

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28.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.

(1) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0207. (2) OJ L 198, 26.7.2008, p.47. (3) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0467.