Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-15-Speech-1-113"
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"en.20081215.14.1-113"2
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"President-in-Office of the Council
Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Cercas, ladies and gentlemen, the Working Time Directive is, of course, rich in symbols and does raise matters of principle, the freedom of choice of workers versus the protection of their health and safety being one of them.
It is precisely on that point that we are having difficulty in reaching an agreement. As I have already indicated, France has long been opposed to the opt-out. We have, however, come round to the common position. Why? Because the directive is not aimed at watering down people’s rights or at causing social regression.
As far as on-call time is concerned, the aim is to permit the Member States to deal with it in a specific way, by taking account of the inactive periods it includes. All the Member States had a specific way of dealing with such time, and the Council has no other aim but to maintain the status quo, the balances that are made fragile by the Court judgments.
The second reason is because, with regard to the opt-out, the common position improves the rights of the workers concerned where the opt-out has been transposed. There is obviously no obligation to use this derogation. The opt-out has existed without safeguards since 1993. The Council’s position does introduce safeguards, as Mrs Lynne pointed out. I hope that pragmatism prevails. The common position does not involve anyone renouncing their principles or their convictions.
Today, on behalf of the Council, the French Presidency is telling you that the common position is without doubt the best compromise for obtaining a revised directive, given the balance of power between the Member States and the urgent need to find a solution regarding on-call time. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what I wished to say to supplement my introductory remarks."@en1
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