Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-05-Speech-2-281"
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"en.20090505.23.2-281"2
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"Madam President, first of all let me express my thanks for this useful debate here. I think the debate was very important and constructive, just with regard to the merits of the issues. I think we are benefiting simply from the fact that this debate is very timely, immediately before the meeting which will take place on Thursday in Prague.
So let me thank you for all your contributions. I think nothing is going to be omitted or forgotten. I think this debate will contribute to the outcome of the summit to the same extent as all the preparatory work that we carried out with the Commission and which materialised in the form of those three important workshops in Stockholm, Madrid and Prague.
To those who were talking about the size or the scope of the meeting: yes, originally we had intended to have a larger summit, but we have to be aware of the general situation in the area of employment. It is an area where the national competences are very important and the Community contribution to this is not the only instrument which we have at stake. I said this in my opening remarks in which I set out some of our hopes for this week’s summit. We should not lose sight of the fact that, notwithstanding the European Employment Strategy, employment policy remains essentially a Member State responsibility.
A key element of the strategy in place since 1997 has been the role of mutual learning in the search for a solution to shared problems in the employment area. This approach remains crucial today as we face one of the worst economic crises in recent times and also has its part to play in this week’s summit.
But, over and above measures taken at national level, the Union itself has a role to play and it is in this context that full use should be made of the available financial instruments, not least the European Social Fund and the European Globalisation Fund, in the process of being amended at this moment, with of course Parliament’s agreement, to extend its scope to cover job losses resulting from the current crisis.
This is exactly what we want to achieve, and I think that we have reason to believe that the outcome of the meeting in Prague in the presence of the Commission, the Presidency, the upcoming presidencies and the social partners will be able to produce results in the form of recommendations and suggestions. Then we will again have the opportunity to meet as 27 at the European Council in June to generate the decisions.
So it is our hope that, with the help of the European social partners and on the basis of the preparatory works in the form of these three workshops as well as this debate here, the European Employment Summit will succeed in identifying further steps which can be taken as a matter of urgency to respond to the serious situation which currently faces our citizens and to help us to create a Union which is stronger and also more competitive in future."@en1
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