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My mandate

“Tackling the economic and social consequences of the crisis must be Europe’s top priority. We need to find a balanced way out of the current turmoil and help get people back into work. This cannot become the lost decade.”

President Barroso has given me responsibility for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The focus of my work must now be jobs. My task will be to work closely with Member States, workers and business to tackle unemployment and help the jobless back to work, preventing further poverty and social exclusion.

Together with my team and the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, we will use all the financial, legal and political instruments at EU level to help put Europe firmly on the path to a sustainable future. This includes a more integrated approach to social, economic and environmental policies.

As this Commission's mandate takes off, I believe we have a great opportunity for change. We must draw on the benefits of the Lisbon Treaty – the new "social clause” means social issues will be taken into account in shaping and implementing all EU policies. The Charter for fundamental rights will offer better protection for citizens through its new status, and is an important step towards the better protection of workers.

The financial crisis is a test for Europe's social cohesion. Yet the current economic and social upheaval is our chance to make employment and social policies a strong pillar in the new Europe 2020 strategy.

I have five priorities for the next five years:

JOBS:

• Rethink the European Employment Strategy, with the goal of creating greater employment opportunities for all;
• Deal with the critical situation of youth unemployment;
• Encourage governments to promote a flexicurity agenda in order to provide employment security for workers (easier job transitions and life-long learning);
• Ensure workers gain " New skills for New Jobs ", including green jobs, which will also improve Europe's competitiveness and raise productivity;
• Help keep older workers in employment and support active ageing.

FIGHTING POVERTY:

• Promote policies that support vulnerable groups and address the root causes of poverty;
• Prevent old-age poverty by moving ahead with proposals to secure adequate pensions systems for the long-term;
• Support the provision of accessible, affordable and high-quality social services.
• Further promote equal treatment of the Roma, help their inclusion into society and empower them to exit poverty;
• Seize the opportunities in the 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion and encourage involvement and political commitment from all partners in the fight against poverty and social exclusion;

EFFECTIVE EU FUNDS:

• Guarantee faster and more effective use of EU funds: the European Social Fund   (ESF), the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the programme PROGRESS and, I hope very soon, the forthcoming Microcredit Facility;
• Ensure that EU cash acts as a catalyst for training, return to work and inclusion, complementing and reinforcing national actions.

SOCIAL DIALOGUE:

• Renew and intensify the dialogue with our social partners.Under the Lisbon Treaty, social dialogue becomes an objective of the European Union as a whole;
• Ensure that restructuring and change are managed in a socially responsible way;
• Work towards improving conditions in the workplace, and open a new chapter in EU level regulation of the working time;
• Address new emerging challenges in the area of health and safety at work, and use legislative instruments when it is the best way forward.

MOBILITY:

• Remove obstacles to the free movement of workers within the EU by improving the coordination of social protection schemes and portability of pension rights;
• Review the way the Posting of Workers Directive is interpreted and implemented, and make further steps if necessary.