§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the European Community Council of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers held in Brussels on 8 December.
§ Mr. GummerMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment represented the United Kingdom at this Council.
The Council reached agreement on a resolution concerning the promotion of youth employment which gives further recognition to the needs of young people. We believe that this resolution, taken together with the recent reform of the European social fund and the resolution on vocational training, represents a clear and effective commitment by the EC to tackling the problem of youth unemployment.
A draft regulation on social aspects of the Greek memorandum could not be formally agreed at the Council because the question of relevant financing was unclear following the inconclusive results of the European Council on 4 to 6 December. The Council was, however, able to agree on the general principle of special measures for Greece in the social field, and this means that provided the outstanding financial issues are resolved the regulation can be officially adopted.
The Council also briefly discussed the draft recommendation on working time and draft directive on informing and consulting employees—commonly known as the Vredeling directive. No agreement was reached on either item.