Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-277"
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"en.20020924.12.2-277"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should also like to begin by sincerely thanking Mr Herman Schmid for the very expert way in which he has overseen the preparation of this opinion. Thanks to his knowledge, expertise and focus, we have obtained a very stringent report. I also very much agree with his observations to the effect that the European employment policy must be organised to a greater degree from the bottom up rather than from the top down. That is a matter on which I agree with him, in spite of the fact that our political starting points are otherwise very different.
We have all of us raised the issue of whether the European employment policy has worked, and we have of course genuinely obtained a situation in which countries are speaking more of a common language in some areas. Unemployment is nonetheless still high in many countries, and it has almost become a persistent feature of countries that set the trend. There is a lack of structural reform and not enough ability to comply with the employment strategy. What ought therefore to happen? The answer is that we must strengthen the employment strategy by making it more open, because it is important for governments to commit themselves to the strategy on behalf of their electorates.
It is important that we simplify the employment strategy and make its objectives clearer, and the Commission and the Council are both thinking along those lines. It is the correct path to go down. Rather than draw up a long list of quantitative objectives covering every conceivable aspect and then measure success in terms of the amount of reports and paper generated, we must clarify the objectives and ensure good communication.
It is important that we involve the local and regional authorities and both sides of industry. That is something for which Parliament has fought, and it has now become an integral part of the European employment strategy. As pointed out in this opinion, it is both desirable and important for us to involve the national and regional parliaments so as to broaden the public debate and enable national politicians to assess the employment strategy, see what is being done in other countries and learn from their experiences. On the other hand, I think that open coordination should continue to be intergovernmental, and it must be flexible. Employment policy is a national competence, and that is a fact that must not be changed by the back door. It is therefore important that no change be made by the back door to the character of employment policy by, for example, giving Parliament the right of co-decision. That is not something we can support. It is also essential to ensure coordination with economic policy. Success in employment policy will of course be synonymous with success in economic policy. Many countries struggle with large budget deficits which they would not have at all if they were to abolish large-scale unemployment. There must therefore, of course, be better coordination, and I am able to welcome the initiatives the Commission is working on in this area."@en1
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