News
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14/11/2007
Employment increase of 3 million in one year
An analysis of recent Eurostat figures shows ongoing positive developments in the European labour market. The continuing strong employment growth in Spain and the recent labour market recovery in Germany and Poland have been the main drivers behind the good overall EU performance.
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09/11/2007
EU approves €25 million in ESF funding for a more skilled and competitive workforce in Luxembourg
Vladimír Špidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities welcomed the adoption of the Luxembourg programme, saying, “Recent efforts to boost jobs are showing results.
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05/11/2007
EU helps car industry adapt to change
A new partnership to help better anticipate and manage change in the EU's automotive industry was announced by the European Commission and the main industry and workers' organisations on 5 November 2007.
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31/10/2007
EU takes action to promote 'fair globalisation' at ILO forum
The EU is stepping up its efforts to promote 'fair globalisation' by ensuring that the international community takes better account of the effects of globalisation on people's working lives. Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla will confirm the EU commitment to promote 'decent work' – meaning more and better jobs with welfare protection, equal opportunities and social dialogue – at an International Labour Organisation (ILO) forum on decent work for a fair globalisation in Lisbon today. To this end the Commission is mobilising trade, development and external policies and will encourage EU Member States to ratify a series of internationally-agreed rules to improve the quality of work around the world.
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30/10/2007
EU providing close to €4.5 billion in ESF funding for more and better jobs in UK
With the English and Welsh operational programmes for ESF funding adopted by the Commission, and the programmes for Northern Ireland and Scotland soon to be adopted, EU funding of €4.47 billion for the period 2007-2013 will help the four reap the full benefits of EU membership.
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27/10/2007
ESF funding of €9.7 billion, equivalent to 37 billion zloty
ESF funding of €9.7 billion, equivalent to 37 billion zloty, has been approved to help Poland create more and better jobs through its ‘Human Capital’ operational programme.
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26/10/2007
Commission to postpone and amend electromagnetic fields legislation to protect MRI
The European Commission has today proposed to postpone for four years – until 30 April 2012 – the deadline for introducing legislation on workers' exposure to electromagnetic fields, which could have affected the use of technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This will allow enough time to prepare a substantive amendment to the Directive in order to take account of recent research findings on the possible impact of the exposure limits on MRI.
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24/10/2007
EU approves close to €620 million in ESF funding for more employment in Finland
In a significant step to help Finland reap the full benefits of EU membership the European Commission has approved the Finnish operational programmes for ESF funding for the period 2007-2013.
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24/10/2007
EU steps up the fight against undeclared work
Undeclared work is still a problem in Europe and is undermining the EU's ability to meet its targets for more and better jobs and stronger growth, says a new European Commission report released today. It identifies the main drivers for the informal economy, sets out successful ways to reduce it and proposes a series of concrete follow-up actions at European and national levels. New figures from Eurobarometer – which has carried out the first ever Europe-wide harmonised survey on this sensitive topic – confirm the existence of a large market for undeclared work all over the EU.
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24/10/2007
Public consultation calls for better enforcement of existing labour law
The European Commission presented today the results of its public consultation on adapting labour law to the present world of work. The consultation was a great success: Over 450 opinions were received from a wide range of stakeholders in EU-27 and beyond. Despite divergent views, the results highlight that labour law is central to managing the EU's workforce and to providing workers with a sense of security. Many replies underline, in particular, the need to implement existing labour legislation fully in all Member States and to reach agreement on ongoing issues such as the proposals on Temporary Agency Workers and the review of the Working Time Directive. Reactions also suggest that the national reform process under the EU's strategy for Growth and Jobs and the integrated approach to developing and implementing flexicurity-based principles is the best way forward.