Quality jobs crusade is linchpin of social goals

Date: 28/06/01

By John Shelley

LIKE the French when they held the Union presidency this time last year, the Belgians are talking big on the social role of the EU. In language reminiscent of the kind that made London so nervous before Paris took the Union helm in July 2000, a key theme of the Brussels presidency will be "quality" in employment. For arch-internal marketeers, this is shorthand for imposing oppressive labour-market laws which can restrict business. Their opposition meant that after France started talking the talk a year ago they found walking the walk somewhat more difficult. Belgium will be hoping for better luck.

The central prong of Brussels' employment trident will be an effort to pick up Social Affairs Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou's proposals to hold member states to task on the quality and not just the quantity of jobs they create.

The EU executive's plans are designed to make sure long-term essentials such as training, career prospects and even worker happiness are not left by the wayside in the scramble towards full employment.

It will be Belgium's job to convince other member states this is neither simply hot air, nor a dangerous intervention in their national sovereignty.

Secondly Brussels will be hoping to push through plans to make companies take a more caring attitude towards their employees, with long-awaited proposals on "corporate responsibility" due to be unveiled by Diamantopoulou in July.

Finally Belgian Employment Minister Laurette Onkelinx will have to steer new laws on consulting and informing employees of big management decisions, agreed by ministers in June, through tricky negotiations with the European Parliament.

If the language is similar to that conjured up by the French presidency the reality will probably be quite different.

Paris did score one massive victory with rules to allow companies to set up as pan-European enterprises - the company statute plan hitherto stalled for 30 years. But its other attempts to greatly boost the Union's social conscience were swiftly batted down.

Outright opposition of that kind is unlikely when it comes to the proposals on which Brussels will be working.

The consultation-of-workers plans used to be a political hot potato, but now that member states have agreed to them in principle, the worst feuds are over. Other proposals are more akin to tinkering than major policy shifts.

Still, Onkelinx and her colleague in the social affairs ministry, Frank Vandenbroucke, could be the victims of a lack of time and a touch of collective apathy.

The process by which the Commission draws up an annual assessment of the Union's employment situation and names and shames member states who are lagging behind, is up for a general review in the first half of next year. Insiders say with that looming not many are likely to be in the mood for a shake-up. "Nobody wants big changes at the moment," said one diplomat. "What they want is to wait until spring."

And as the Belgian presidency falls in the second half of the year Brussels will also have the traditional problem of losing a month to the summer break. Said one source: "On social and employment issues there is a lot the Belgians want but it's only a short presidency and it's doubtful how much they can actually achieve."

Article forms part of a survey on the Belgian EU Presidency, July-December 2001.