Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-284"
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"en.20000906.11.3-284"2
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"Mr President, the two basic issues are whether we intend to harmonise social policy and whether the power of the Commission will be extended to cover social policy issues.
I will start with the Lisbon Council resolution, which made clear reference to the need to combine the policies of competitiveness and social cohesion, the need to update the social model, to invest in people and to combat social exclusion. Under the Treaties, it is naturally impossible for the Commission to put forward policy on issues relating to social policy But we feel that, in the wake of Lisbon, there is agreement within the Council, and the Council has unanimously decided to cooperate in the field of social policy and to extend the method of open cooperation to issues such as social exclusion and social protection.
I am bound to say that the agenda that was tabled in June, in relation to which there was special cooperation with Parliament and with the rapporteur of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Mrs Van Lancker, accurately describes the measures and actions relating to social policy under the Treaty, but it also categorically states that the harmonisation of social polices is not on the cards. Harmonisation is deemed to be impossible. But our objectives can be achieved using methods such as social dialogue, the Structural Funds, especially the European Social Fund, which has a large budget, mainstreaming, political analysis, research and, finally, legislation.
In July 1999, the Commission presented a communication entitled ‘A Concerted Strategy for Modernising Social Protection’. This put forward a two-pronged approach. The first is to combat social exclusion and the second concerns future cooperation on issues of social protection and pension systems. To achieve these goals, the Commission is giving priority to the enactment and implementation of social indicators, which are necessary to assess polices, to specify objectives relating to poverty and culture, which will be discussed during the course of the French Presidency, and to reach agreement on axes concerning the viability of pensions."@en1
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