News
-
03/03/2006
Commission to tackle gender inequality with new roadmap and €50 million gender institute
Gender inequality in the EU will be tackled by 21 specific activities over the next five years, which are outlined in a new gender equality roadmap published by the European Commission. Proposed Commission activities in the 'Roadmap for equality between men and women 2006-10' include helping set up a new €50 million European institute for gender equality, reviewing all existing EU gender equality law, increasing awareness of gender inequality, ensuring gender equality is considered in all policies and pressing for better statistics. The roadmap aims to, inter alia, tackle the pay gap between men and women, support better work/life balance, eliminate violence and trafficking, support gender budgeting and promote gender equality both within and outside the EU.
-
01/03/2006
Commission proposes up to € 500 million per year for a new European Globalisation adjustment Fund to support workers.
EU workers will be helped back to work by a new annual fund of up to €500 million, that could benefit every year up to 50,000 workers in the EU, especially in the regions and sectors hit by major changes in world trade patterns. The new 'European Globalisation adjustment Fund' (EGF), proposed today by the Commission, will provide one-off, time limited individual support for tailor-made services to help, for example, workers affected by globalisation with individual wage allowances, re-training or concrete assistance to find new jobs.
-
24/02/2006
Mission to Riga
Latvia is another EU Baltic State that can boast of a very high growth (8,5%). However, the overall employment rate (at 62%) remains well below the goals set in the Lisbon Strategy. Due to that Commissioner Vladimir Spidla argued for increased investment into human capital in Riga - next stopover on his "Tour des Capitales”.
-
24/02/2006
Women earn 15% less than men in the EU and are still finding work/ life balance difficult - Commission report
Women in the EU earn 15% less than men and progress has been slow in closing gender gaps with men, according to a new European Commission's report. The 'Report on equality between women and men 2006' calls on EU countries to provide better ways to help women deal with home and work pressures. It will be submitted to the European leaders at the Spring European Council on 23/4 March.
-
23/02/2006
Mission to Tallin
The EU Structural Funds have a major potential to enhance the long-term sustainability of remarkable growth (close to 10%) in Estonia. The investments into human capital represent a key precondition in this field. That was the key message Commissioner Vladimir Spidla presented in Tallin - next stopover on his "Tour des Capitales”.
-
20/02/2006
European year of workers' mobility kicks off with one million jobs online
Around one million job vacancies throughout the EU will be advertised today on a new job search website, unveiled as part of the launch of the European Year of Workers' Mobility. The website and the Year will be launched by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Commissioner Vladimir Spidla and Austrian Minister for Economics and Labour Martin Bartenstein at the conference 'Workers' mobility: a right, an option, an opportunity?' in Brussels. The year aims to raise awareness and increase understanding of the benefits working in a new country and/or occupation, as well as highlighting how the EU can help workers move.
-
13/02/2006
Expert group to promote inclusion of ethnic minorities in the EU
The first meeting of a high-level group of experts analysing the social inclusion of ethnic minorities in the EU takes place today. The group, established by the European Commission under its strategy for tackling discrimination, comprises 10 eminent personalities from business, local politics, civil society, the academic world and the media, headed by former President of the German Parliament, Rita Süssmuth. This inaugural meeting will be opened by Vladimir Spidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
-
09/02/2006
Commissioner Spidla hosts Ministerial Meeting aimed at strengthening the capacity of public administrations and public services
EU Ministers with responsibility for Public Administration and Structural Funds' implementation are meeting today in Brussels to discuss how to avail of European Social Fund (ESF) money to reform and strengthen the institutional capacity of their public administrations and services. The draft ESF Regulation for the period 2007-2013 introduces a new priority which will enable ESF support to be channelled towards improving the efficiency of public administrations and public services.
-
08/02/2006
Free movement of workers since the 2004 enlargement had a positive impact
A European Commission report published today shows that workers' mobility from the EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe to EU15 has had mostly positive effects and has been in most countries quantitatively less important than foreseen. Workers from EU10 helped to relieve labour market shortages and contributed to better economic performance in Europe. Countries that have not applied restrictions after May 2004 (UK, Ireland and Sweden) have experienced high economic growth, a drop of unemployment and a rise of employment. As to the 12 EU countries using transitional arrangements, where workers managed to obtain access legally, this has contributed to a smooth integration into the labour market. However, evidence suggests that some of these countries may also have faced undesirable side-effects, such as higher levels of undeclared work and bogus self-employed work. For the EU as a whole, flows of workers have been rather limited.
-
07/02/2006
Proposal on new implementing provisions in social security coordination
On 31 January 2006 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation which implements the provisions of Regulation 883/2004, the modernised and simplified Regulation on the coordination of social security schemes. As Regulation 883/2004 will only be applicable once a Regulation implementing it has entered into force, this proposal is one further step towards completing the modernisation and simplification of current EU rules on coordination of social security schemes, effectively improving citizens' rights.