Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-11-Speech-2-130"
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"en.20030311.6.2-130"2
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"Mr President, I also wish to join with the others in thanking the rapporteur for his work on a very important topic which has become even more so in the last year because of the increase in unemployment across many economies in the European Union.
If we wish to be serious about how we develop people's opportunities and give them the tools of freedom and independence, then giving and assisting in employment is one of the most important tools for combating poverty and exclusion. Whatever side of the political divide we come from, we all agree that more needs to be done to achieve a more effective Europe-wide employment strategy. Many of the proposals in Mr Mann's report and some of the amendments will help towards this final goal.
However, we must also learn from the mistakes of the past. In particular, the guidelines need to be simplified and reduced. Appropriate targets have to be put in place to guarantee the delivery of proper results rather than a mere tinkering with figures. We need to create proper conditions for full and stable employment to improve quality and productivity at work and labour market cohesion. We need to ensure that all employment policies are people-centred, not merely a response to an urgent need in one or other Member State.
Our strategy requires not only that people be given training and skills but also that there be no discrimination between men and women. This year, in particular - the International Year of the Disabled - we should also be working more actively towards integrating people with disabilities into the workforce.
We must maintain and improve the incentive to work. The most effective way is by guaranteeing proper wages and ensuring that people can maintain as much of their own earning potential as possible to reduce labour taxes. However, this is where we differ from some of the speakers and from the proposal in Mr Mann's report, in particular Paragraphs 11 and 13, which deal with taxation. These issues are exclusively for Member States. If a Member State, or a group of Member States, wishes to follow the best practices of another Member State, then so be it. However, you can look at all the models that you wish and analyse all the processes that have been put in place but the only way of increasing employment that has been successful is the reduction of labour costs.
My last point concerns my own amendment to Paragraph 24. The purpose is to boost consumer confidence through proper corporate social responsibility, which can create and contribute to higher innovation performance. The idea is to distinguish between how an enterprise relates to internal stakeholders, shareholders and employees. Corporate social responsibility can also have beneficial effects in terms of building good relationships with consumers, suppliers and others. If we can deal with the question of taxation, we can all support this report. However, the question of taxation has to remain outside the responsibility."@en1
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