Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-286"
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"en.20020924.12.2-286"2
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"Mr President, this debate is nearing its end and I think that we are all agreed that the employment strategy has not borne fruit everywhere, or at least not the same fruit. But what is important is that all the Member States are starting to change the way they design their national policies, mainly by shifting their priorities from managing unemployment to managing an increase in employment.
Mr Schmid's report highlights a series of issues which our committee voted in favour of, the purpose of which is to supplement and enhance the Commission communication so as to strengthen this strategy which started in Luxembourg. I should like to focus in my speech on a number of issues which other honourable Members have also raised this evening.
First of all, the involvement of local regional authorities and non-governmental organisations is less than satisfactory. The Commissioner referred to local action plans submitted and implemented by local agencies which might set an example, but they are, I think, the exception rather than the rule. I think, as Mr Andersson said, that we need to study these examples and find out exactly how and why they benefited some regions and not others.
I should like to mention something that has happened in my country, which has made me sit up and think. Greece is preparing for local and regional elections and absolutely no-one has highlighted the part which local agencies can play in creating jobs. Everyone trumpets how important they are in keeping the place clean, creating green spaces, with the odd allusion to social policy for good measure; but never that they can mobilise local forces and create jobs. And as for non-governmental organisations, they are even worse off and, unless they are officially involved in social dialogue, local society will not, I fear, look on them as serious, efficient partners.
Another issue is unemployment among women, which the spokesman for the Committee on Women's Rights, Mr Mann, highlighted. I think that here too, despite the increase in the number of jobs, the Member States need to show serious commitment and consistency in adopting quantitative targets for making qualitative improvements to women's jobs and creating new jobs. This relates directly to the issue raised this evening, an issue which I too vigorously endorse, namely the need to coordinate employment policy and social policy.
It is here that the serious question of creating the conditions needed in order to reconcile work and family life raises its head. This is a question of social policy, for which the Member States are responsible; but it is also a question of social responsibility, an issue of concern to the European Parliament and for which the social partners are responsible.
So, as we can see, huge efforts are needed to ensure that the employment strategy operates at several levels, not forgetting the serious role which national and – where they exist – regional parliaments should play; because employment policy really is an issue to which they have paid scant attention."@en1
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