IP/08/83
Brussels, 24 January 2008
EU mobilises partners to promote decent work for all The European Commission today announced that it will mobilise the EU's different internal and external policies to help promote decent work for all – the external dimension of the EU's jobs and growth strategy. The initiative comes at a major event organised by different Commission services dealing with the decent work agenda and bringing together key players from national and European authorities, developing countries, emerging economies, civil society and international organisations. The results of today's event will feed into a new package of proposals to be presented by the Commission in September 2008 as a follow-up to its 2006 report on decent work. EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimír Špidla said: "Promoting decent work and fair globalisation has become a key objective for both the international community and the EU, and was firmly backed by EU leaders at the December 2007 European Council." . "This means strengthening the social dimension both inside and outside the EU through more and better jobs, adequate social protection, labour standards and fostering development. We will bring together all relevant policies and instruments at European level to ensure a strong EU contribution to promoting decent work for all at the global level."
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel added: "In many developing countries, low employment can have a significant impact on society – especially the young people. Failing to tackle this crisis will only lead to greater social exclusion and poverty which can lead to increased frustration among young people. Only through supporting developing countries in their efforts to promote employment and decent work can we aspire to reduce poverty and achieve greater social and political stability."
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said: "Free trade and equitable globalisation create jobs, and decent jobs lift people out of poverty, without compromising economic growth. We are promoting this vision in our new generation of bilateral trade agreements, through our work with the ILO, with our Generalised System of Preferences and in our efforts to raise social development issues in the context of the WTO."
The conference taking place today and tomorrow is a follow-up to the May 2006 Commission Communication on decent work and will help prepare a new report planned in September 2008. It will cover the different dimensions of internal and external EU policies that are relevant for promoting decent work for all in the world and aims to:
Better mobilise EU policies to promote decent work Take stock of efforts made at EU and national level so far to promote decent work Contribute to the international agenda on decent work, in particular by cooperating with the International Labour Organisation and wider UN family Further mobilise all relevant actors to foster the social dimension of globalisation
A number of concrete initiatives have been taken in areas such as the strengthening of the interplay between the internal and external dimension of the European Lisbon strategy, the launch of cooperation with emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa on employment and social policy as well as in areas such as EU trade, development cooperation and external relations. The European Council has affirmed its commitment to the decent work agenda both in the EU globalisation declaration and its conclusions of 14 December 2007.
The conference will also help prepare the EU contribution to the 46th session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD) that will take place on 6-15 February 2008 in New York. The priority theme for the session is "Promoting employment and decent work".
For more information see:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/international_cooperation/decent_work_en.htm Conference programme http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/international_cooperation/decent_work_conf2008_en.htm
