Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Social policy agenda

Summary:

The Commission announced, last February, before the European Parliament, a 5-year programme of action for 2000-2005 with the objective of 'shaping a new Europe'. A new economic and employment agenda is a key part of it. based on the notions of full employment, economic dynamism and greater social cohesion and fairness. The rationale of this objective has been articulated in the preparation of the Lisbon European Council which resulted in political agreement at the highest level to pursue a long-term agenda.

Concretely, European governments committed themselves to work towards a new strategic goal for the next decade: to 'become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion'. Achieving this goal requires a strategy aimed at modernising the European social model, investing in people referred to a Commission Communication on a new European Social Agenda. This will be an input to the Nice European Council in December 2000.

Official

EUR-Lex: COM (2000) 379: Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2000:0379:FIN:EN:PDF

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