§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals were put forward by Her Majesty's Government, and what decisions taken, at the European Social Affairs Council meeting on unemployment, held in Nyborg on 3 and 4 May.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe European meeting held in Nyborg on 3 and 4 May was an informal meeting of EC Employment Ministers, not a Council meeting; I represented the United Kingdom. No decisions are taken at informal meetings of EC Ministers.
There were discussions about employment in the Community and the social dialogue between employers and trades unions at European level; in addition, the Commission presented its plans for preparing a Green Paper on social policy.
During the discussion on employment and the social dialogue, I stresed that Community action in the social affairs area needed to improve the working of the labour market and encourage the creation of jobs, and must not inhibit the competitiveness and flexibility of Community businesses. I also stated the Government's belief that Community resources, in particular the European social fund, should continue to be concentrated on programmes to help those at the greatest disadvantage in the labour market, especially the long-term unemployed.
In this discussion, UNICE—the main European employers' association—made it clear that its priority, too, was the restoration of Community competitiveness, given recent indications that the EC is falling behind in world markets, and called for the abandonment of EC measures which it considered would damage jobs, including a number in the field of employment and industrial relations law.
In accordance with the resolution adopted by the Council during the United Kingdom presidency, I expect that there will be a further discussion on employment and unemployment in the Community at the next Council meeting on 1 June. The Commission is likely to bring forward suggestions for the Council to consider then.