§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Prime Minister what measures are planned under the three pillars of the European Employment Pact; if Parliament will be consulted; and what budget lines and finances will be available. [101019]
§ The Prime MinisterThe European Employment Pact agreed at the Cologne European Council on 3–4 June 1999 brought together three processes. Two of these were the existing Luxembourg employment process and the Cardiff economic reform process. The third, new element was the macro-economic dialogue, termed the "Cologne process". The dialogue takes place biannually among social partners and fiscal and employment policy makers from existing institutions and considers the interaction between economic and employment policies.
All elements of the Pact are subject to the usual Parliamentary Scrutiny procedures. The Pact is an amalgam of three processes and therefore there are no new budget lines.