Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-284"
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"en.20020924.12.2-284"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, employment is the key instrument in counteracting social exclusion. That is why this is, in my view, such an important item on the EU's agenda. I should like to thank Mr Schmid and Mr Mann warmly for the critical eye they have cast over five years of European employment strategy.
It is of crucial importance to us in Parliament to have our voices heard now, particularly because it is reported that the Commission will be producing a proposal for employment guidelines in 2003. I, for my part, should like to make the following observations.
In its report, the Commission admits unhesitatingly that the European employment strategy cannot take all the credit for the increase in employment over the past couple of years. This worries me greatly, because at present, we are clearly heading for a recession, and this is exactly a time when we need an effective strategy. If, therefore, it is not clear whether the policy works, is it useful to retain this strategy? The question also arises as to what exactly the European Union's role is. Is it a matter of subsidiarity? It is therefore high time sound indicators were developed and the statistics were updated more effectively. Only then can we really discern what works and what does not. In the meantime, it is a fateful sign that the Court of Auditors will, on Friday, have very critical things to say about the EU's local employment projects in terms of the objectives, how they are monitored, and the inspection of financial resources.
And then there are women. From the Commission communication, it appears that older employees and women still get a rough deal in the area of employment. Although over the past five years, employment for women has increased by 4.3% to 54.9% – a very minor increase after all – the jobs involved are mainly part-time and without any real prospects. The glass ceiling may have become a little more fragile, but it is still in place. However, it is of course completely unacceptable that wage differences still amount to an average of 16%. In addition, one of the main headaches for the working woman is combining family with work. Although Member States have paid increasing attention to parental leave and childcare over the past few years, I think that more is needed. In many Member States, the public is struggling with the notion that the husband can also apply for parental leave. The househusband is viewed with suspicion. I think it is up to the Union to try to change this. In terms of best practices
I believe that a country such as Sweden can certainly be held up as an example.
Finally, the older employee too is still given too little consideration. Lifelong learning often passes them by, while this is, in fact, very important. It is extremely important, in my view, to develop a sound, effective and verifiable strategy, certainly in the light of the pending enlargement."@en1
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