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31977H0713

77/713/EEC: Council recommendation of 25 October 1977 on the rational use of energy in industrial undertakings

Official Journal L 295 , 18/11/1977 P. 0003 - 0004 Greek special edition: Chapter 12 Volume 1 P. 0229  Spanish special edition: Chapter 12 Volume 3 P. 0036  Portuguese special edition Chapter 12 Volume 3 P. 0036

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION  of 25 October 1977  on the rational use of energy in industrial undertakings  (77/713/EEC)  THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,  Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,  Having regard to the draft from the Commission,  Whereas in its resolution of 17 September 1974 concerning a new energy-policy strategy for the Community (1) the Council approved the objective of reduction of the rate of growth of internal consumption by measures for using energy rationally and economically without jeopardizing social and economic growth objectives;  Whereas improvements in the rational use of energy are generally beneficial to the environment;  Whereas in its resolution of 17 December 1974 on a Community action programme on the rational utilization of energy (2) the Council noted that, in its communication to the Council entitled "Rational Utilization of Energy", the Commission had drawn up a Community action programme in this field;  Whereas the industrial sector also lends itself to the more efficient utilization of energy, in keeping with its economic objectives ; whereas this possibility varies according to the size, location, production processes and products of the undertaking;  Whereas it is desirable to inform, increase the awareness of and encourage undertakings, in accordance with Article 92 et seq. of the Treaty, in their efforts to save energy ; whereas the initiatives already taken by some Member States to set up public or approved bodies charged with these tasks should be extended;  Whereas the practice already adopted by some undertakings, in particular the large energy-intensive ones, of appointing an energy management officer, should be extended;  Whereas the bodies referred to above should monitor the progress achieved by the undertakings in realizing their energy-saving programmes;  Whereas since one of the most profitable exercises at Community level is the systematic and regular exchange of information on energy-saving processes between Community undertakings and in particular small- and medium-sized undertakings, professional organizations should collate information from energy management officers on experience gained and difficulties encountered in order to disseminate this information ; whereas these same organizations should also periodically organize meetings or seminars to exchange details of their members' experiences,  HEREBY RECOMMENDS TO THE MEMBER STATES:       1. that they take the necessary measures to mount campaigns to provide information and increase awareness, and to encourage, in accordance with Article 92 et seq. of the Treaty, the achievement of energy savings ; and, to this end, to set up, in so far as they do not already exist and along the lines of the initiatives already taken by some Member States, one or more public or approved bodies or departements with particular resposibility for these tasks;       2. that they invite sectoral and general professional organizations as well as technical and scientific associations and consultancy services to arrange periodically for meetings and seminars, to exchange details of experience at national level, and possibly at Community level, in order to ensure the widest and most rapid dissemination of information possible;       3. that they encourage industrial undertakings:  - to set up an energy department within their organization, if they have not already done so, or call in an outside expert.  (1)OJ No C 153, 9.7.1975, p. 1. (2)OJ No C 153, 9.7.1975, p. 5.   The duties and tasks of such departments or persons could be along the lines of those proposed as a guide in the Annex to this recommendation;   - if they are required to prepare an annual report, to devote a chapter of it to their energy consumption, also including any energy-saving measures taken or planned and the results obtained;          4. that they collate, as efficiently as possible, all useful information concerning the results of the energy-saving measures taken by the industrial undertakings mentioned in 3;       5. that they inform the Commission regularly of the measures taken in the field covered by this recommendation and of the results obtained or anticipated from the measures.            Done at Luxembourg, 25 October 1977.  For the Council  The President  W. CLAES     ANNEX  Suggested duties and tasks of the energy management officer in industrial undertakings     1. In keeping with the economic objectives of their undertaking, the functions of the energy management departments or officers could be focused on the following tasks:      (i) Within the undertaking  deciding on the appropriate ways and means of carrying out the energy-saving programme which the undertaking has devised and in particular:        - keeping a permanent check that the undertaking is not wasting energy,               - suggesting ways in which industrial equipment and processes might be modified to bring about a more rational use of energy ; in this respect any investment in new or additional equipment or processes should be the subject of energy appraisals as well as financial ones,               - establishing channels of communication between the various sections or departments and with office staff and manual workers and making them aware of the aims of energy saving.                          (ii) Outside the undertaking  maintaining contact with other industrial sectors concerned so that their undertaking may draw on the experience gained elsewhere.          2. To enable it to discharge these duties effectively, the energy management department should be responsible directly to the decision-making bodies of its undertaking.


title: Council Recommendation of 8 July 2014 on the National Reform Programme 2014 of Finland and delivering a Council opinion on the Stability Programme of Finland, 2014

text:
               29.7.2014

               EN

               Official Journal of the European Union

               C 247/127

         COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION
   of 8 July 2014
   on the National Reform Programme 2014 of Finland and delivering a Council opinion on the Stability Programme of Finland, 2014
   2014/C 247/24
   THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
   Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 121(2) and 148(4) thereof,
   Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 of 7 July 1997 on the strengthening of the surveillance of budgetary positions and the surveillance and coordination of economic policies (1), and in particular Article 5(2) thereof,
   Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances (2), and in particular Article 6(1) thereof,
   Having regard to the recommendation of the European Commission,
   Having regard to the resolutions of the European Parliament,
   Having regard to the conclusions of the European Council,
   Having regard to the opinion of the Employment Committee,
   Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee,
   Having regard to the opinion of the Social Protection Committee,
   Having regard to the opinion of the Economic Policy Committee,
   Whereas:

               (1)

               On 26 March 2010, the European Council agreed to the Commission's proposal to launch a new strategy for growth and jobs, Europe 2020, based on enhanced coordination of economic policies, which focuses on the key areas where action is needed to boost Europe's potential for sustainable growth and competitiveness.

               (2)

               On 13 July 2010, the Council, on the basis of the Commission's proposals, adopted a Recommendation on the broad guidelines for the economic policies of the Member States and the Union (2010 to 2014) and, on 21 October 2010, it adopted a decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (3), which together form the ‘integrated guidelines’. Member States were invited to take the integrated guidelines into account in their national economic and employment policies.

               (3)

               On 29 June 2012, the Member States' Heads of State or Government decided on a Compact for Growth and Jobs, providing a coherent framework for action at national, EU and euro area levels using all possible levers, instruments and policies. They decided on action to be taken at the level of the Member States, in particular expressing full commitment to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and to implementing the country‐specific recommendations.

               (4)

               On 9 July 2013, the Council adopted a Recommendation (4) on Finland's National Reform Programme for 2013 and delivered its opinion on Finland's updated Stability Programme for 2012-2017. On 15 November 2013, in line with Regulation (EU) No 473/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5), the Commission presented its opinion on Finland's draft budgetary plan for 2014.

               (5)

               On 13 November 2013, the Commission adopted the Annual Growth Survey, marking the start of the 2014 European Semester for economic policy coordination. Also, on 13 November 2013, the Commission, on the basis of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011, adopted the Alert Mechanism Report, in which it identified Finland as one of the Member States for which an in-depth review would be carried out.

               (6)

               On 20 December 2013, the European Council endorsed the priorities for ensuring financial stability, fiscal consolidation and action to foster growth. It underscored the need to pursue differentiated, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation, to restore normal lending conditions to the economy, to promote growth and competitiveness, to tackle unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis, and to modernise public administration.

               (7)

               On 5 March 2014, the Commission published the results of its in-depth review for Finland, under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011. The Commission's analysis leads it to conclude that Finland continues to experience macroeconomic imbalances, which require monitoring and policy action. In particular, its weak export performance in recent years, driven by industrial restructuring and by cost and non-cost competitiveness factors, deserves continued attention.

               (8)

               On 17 April 2014, Finland submitted its 2014 National Reform Programme and its 2014 Stability Programme. In order to take account of their interlinkages, the two Programmes have been assessed at the same time.

               (9)

               The objective of the budgetary strategy outlined in the 2014 Stability Programme is to return to the medium-term objective in 2015, to keep the structural balance above this target during the rest of the Stability Programme horizon and to balance the general government budget from 2017 onwards. Finland's medium-term objective of a 0,5 %‐of‐GDP structural deficit reflects the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact. Finland attained its medium-term objective in 2013 and plans to stay close to it in 2014, being also compliant with the expenditure benchmark. Finland plans to be above its medium-term objective in 2015 and continues to be compliant with the expenditure benchmark. Overall, this is broadly in line with the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact. At the same time, the gross debt ratio is on an increasing path and is expected to breach temporarily the 60 %-of-GDP threshold in 2015, mainly due to a weak macroeconomic outlook. The macroeconomic scenario underpinning the budgetary projections in the Stability Programme, which has not been produced independently, is plausible, although slightly more optimistic than the Commission services 2014 spring forecast regarding economic growth in 2014 and 2015. The Commission services 2014 spring forecast projects a deterioration of the structural balance by 0,3 % of GDP in 2014, entailing a deviation from the medium-term objective, and an improvement of 0,6 % of GDP in 2015, while the expenditure benchmark is projected to be adhered to in both years. Based on its assessment of the Stability Programme and on the Commission forecast, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1466/97, the Council is of the opinion that Finland can be expected to achieve the aims of its Stability Programme, which are broadly in line with Stability and Growth Pact.

               (10)

               Finland is at high sustainability risk in the long term due to the budgetary impact of the cost of ageing. Finland has recognised the sustainability gap and produced a structural policy programme in 2013 aimed at closing the gap and re-launching growth. Another major step is the central government spending limits and the general government fiscal plan for 2015–2018 of March 2014 which foresees adjustment measures, structural reforms and investments in growth. Revenue side adjustment measures mainly concern the income and product tax increases.

               (11)

               The efficiency of public services has not kept up with productivity developments in the private sector. Finland is preparing administrative reforms on municipal structure and on healthcare and social services. The municipality reform is built on the voluntary merger of municipalities, with financial incentives from the State. The outcome of the voluntary mergers is as yet uncertain. Social welfare and healthcare services are to be delivered by five regional providers, and municipalities will continue to participate in the provision of the services. Details are not yet known, and a legislative proposal is planned for autumn 2014. New structures should be in place at the beginning of 2017. The July 2013 act on supporting the functional capacity of older people with a stronger focus on prevention, rehabilitation and independent living should contribute to reducing the need for institutional care and contain the future costs of long-term care.

               (12)

               The key labour market challenge for Finland continues to be long-term labour supply, as the number of people exiting the labour market is now higher than the number of entering. Lengthening working careers and improving labour supply are necessary to meet the demand for labour in future. The Government's 2013 structural policy programme includes measures to extend working careers and improve the labour supply, also increasing the incentives to accept jobs. Finland is reducing early exit but some pathways such as the so-called ‘unemployment tunnel’, where older unemployed persons can, under certain conditions, continue to draw unemployment benefits until they retire, remain. The recently introduced life-expectancy coefficient and the tripling of the entitlement accrual rate seem to have a limited effect on retirement practices. Moreover, as life expectancy is increasing faster than foreseen and people fail to work longer, there is a risk that pension adequacy will fall. Finland has set itself the target of raising the effective retirement age to at least 62,4 years by 2025. It is questionable whether the target can be achieved without new measures such as raising the statutory retirement age and strengthened efforts to enhance the employability of older workers. The social partners are working on their proposal for the pension reform to be implemented by the new government after the general election in spring 2015 and to enter into force in the beginning of 2017. Finland has taken relevant and ambitious measures to tackle youth and long-term unemployment. A permanent improvement in the job-relevant skills of the target groups and their labour market prospects will take time.

               (13)

               Finland has taken measures to improve the overall competition climate and some progress has been made in implementing the programme on healthy competition. The competition and consumer authorities have merged and the new structure is in the early stages of implementation. The Competition Act now imposes a dominant position threshold for the consumer goods retail sector, and specific powers have been given to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority to intervene under certain conditions against economic activities engaged in by public bodies which distort competition in the market. The retail market in Finland is highly concentrated, and there are some factors in relevant rules that make competition potentially less efficient and strengthen the position of the two retail market leaders. Examples include urban planning requirements, which are strict, in particular for large commercial establishments. Land use and planning regulation is currently under review, presenting an opportunity to make it more supportive of ‘healthy’ competition. The retail sector continues to be among the most regulated in the Member States, including obstacles to competition created by regulation of large retail premises.

               (14)

               Restoring growth and competitiveness is a key challenge for the Finnish economy. Finland is very strong in international competitiveness rankings but nevertheless lost export market shares at the fastest pace in the Union in 2007-2012. Business R&D intensity is on a downward path and the national target for R&D expenditure seems further out of reach. The efficiency of the Finnish research and innovation system in turning investments in R&D into new innovative products and services is a critical issue. Currently, there are not sufficient investments to turn the R&D potential into new products. A limited number of large exporting firms selling a narrow product range as well as the lower propensity of Finnish small companies to export weigh on trade performance and on potential growth. The export potential could be boosted by providing further tailored support for the internationalisation of smaller companies. Finland has launched reforms to address the capacity to deliver innovative products and support the diversification of industry, including a comprehensive reform of the research institutes and research funding. The 2013 structural policy programme and the government spending limits and fiscal plan for 2015-2018 of March 2014 not only contain adjustment measures and structural reforms, but also include initiatives to promote growth and innovation. Finland could also benefit from diversifying its energy supply, particularly as it relies on a single gas source.

               (15)

               In the context of the European Semester, the Commission has carried out a comprehensive analysis of Finland's economic policy. It has assessed the National Reform Programme and the Stability Programme. It has taken into account not only their relevance for sustainable fiscal and socio-economic policy in Finland but also their compliance with EU rules and guidance, given the need to reinforce the overall economic governance of the Union by providing EU-level input into future national decisions. Its recommendations under the European Semester are reflected in recommendations (1) to (5) below.

               (16)

               In the light of this assessment, the Council has examined the Stability Programme, and its opinion (6) is reflected in particular in recommendation (1) below.

               (17)

               In the light of the Commission's in-depth review and this assessment, the Council has examined the National Reform Programme and the Stability Programme. Its recommendations under Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 are reflected in recommendations (2), (4) and (5) below.

               (18)

               In the context of the European Semester, the Commission has also carried out an analysis of the economic policy of the euro area as a whole. On this basis, the Council has issued specific recommendations addressed to the Member States whose currency is the euro (7). As a country whose currency is the euro, Finland should also ensure the full and timely implementation of those recommendations,

         HEREBY RECOMMENDS that Finland take action within the period 2014-2015 to:

               1.

               Limit the emerging gap relative to the medium-term objective, ensure to return to it in 2015 and respect it thereafter as planned. Ensure that the debt criterion is fulfilled, while pursuing a growth-friendly fiscal policy. Implement rapidly the reforms set out in the structural policy programme and government spending limits and fiscal plan for 2015-2018 in order to reduce the fiscal sustainability gap and strengthen conditions for growth.

               2.

               Ensure effective implementation of the ongoing administrative reforms concerning municipal structure and social and healthcare services, in order to increase the cost-effectiveness in the provision of public services.

               3.

               Improve the use of the full labour force potential in the labour market, including by improving the employment rate and the employability of older workers, and increasing the effective retirement age, by reducing early exit pathways and aligning the retirement age or pension benefits to changes in life expectancy. Improve the labour-market prospects of young people and the long-term unemployed, with a particular focus on vocational education and targeted activation measures.

               4.

               Continue efforts to enhance competition in product and service markets, especially in the retail sector, by implementing the programme on promoting healthy competition, including amendments of the land use and building act to make it more supportive to healthy competition.

               5.

               Continue to boost Finland's capacity to deliver innovative products, services and high-growth companies in a rapidly changing environment, and continue the diversification of industry, in particular by improving the business environment to strengthen investment in Finland and further facilitating smaller firms' entry into export markets. Step up the development of cross-border gas connection to Estonia.

      Done at Brussels, 8 July 2014.

            For the Council

            The President

         P. C. PADOAN

      (1)  OJ L 209, 2.8.1997, p. 1.

      (2)  OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 25.

      (3)  Maintained for 2014 by Council Decision 2014/322/EU of 6 May 2014 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States for 2014 (OJ L 165, 4.6.2014, p. 49).

      (4)  OJ C 217, 30.7.2013, p. 24.

      (5)  Regulation (EU) No 473/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on common provisions for monitoring and assessing draft budgetary plans and ensuring the correction of excessive deficit of the Member States in the euro area (OJ L 140, 27.5.2013, p.11).

      (6)  Under Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1466/97.

      (7)  See page 141 of the current Official Journal.


title: Council Recommendation of 20 September 2016 on the establishment of National Productivity Boards

text:
               24.9.2016

               EN

               Official Journal of the European Union

               C 349/1

         COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION
   of 20 September 2016
   on the establishment of National Productivity Boards
   (2016/C 349/01)
   THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
   Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 292, in conjunction with Article 121(2) and Article 136 thereof,
   Having regard to the recommendation of the European Commission,
   Whereas:

               (1)

               Potential growth in the euro area and in the Union as a whole has slowed down considerably since 2000. The downward trend in potential output growth is notably due to a steady decline in the contribution of total factor productivity. Since 2008, economic growth has been further weakened by a fall in investment. Looking forward, economic growth will ultimately depend on increasing productivity. Raising productivity is a multi-faceted challenge which requires a set of well-balanced policies aimed, in particular, at supporting innovation, increasing skills, reducing rigidities in the labour and product markets, as well as allowing a better allocation of resources. While there is a need to improve the productivity and competitiveness performance within the Union, the recent crisis showed that Member States whose currency is the euro (‘euro area Member States’) can be particularly subject to the possible build-up and sudden unwinding of macroeconomic imbalances that may spill-over into other euro area Member States and non-euro area Member States. In the absence of flexible nominal exchange rates, they need adequate adjustment mechanisms to country-specific shocks. Productivity and competitiveness dynamics are of relevance both for the accumulation and correction of macroeconomic imbalances (for example trade and current account deficits, stocks of domestic and external liabilities) and for the effective adjustment to asymmetric shocks. Research and analysis of policies having a bearing on productivity and competitiveness dynamics should provide a basis for developments compatible with the objective of a smooth functioning of the economic and monetary union.

               (2)

               While this Recommendation is addressed to the euro area Member States, non-euro area Member States are encouraged to identify or set up similar bodies. Non-euro area Member States declaring their intention to follow up on this Recommendation should be allowed to participate on equal terms in all aspects of the cooperation related to the productivity boards.

               (3)

               The European Semester, in particular the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure as established in Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) and Regulation (EU) No 1174/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2), provides a framework for integrated economic policy coordination and surveillance. In view of fostering progress with structural reforms, these existing mechanisms should benefit from strong national ownership. For this purpose, ensuring independent analysis at the national level and reinforcing the policy dialogue in Member States appears warranted.

               (4)

               The setting up of national productivity boards that track developments and inform the national debate in the field of productivity and competitiveness should contribute to the enhancement of ownership of the necessary policies and reforms at national level and to improving the knowledge basis for Union economic policy coordination. These boards should analyse productivity and competitiveness developments including relative to global competitors, taking into account national specificities and established practices.

               (5)

               The scope of diagnosis and analysis by productivity boards spans a comprehensive notion of productivity and competitiveness. They should take into account the long-term drivers and enablers of productivity and competitiveness, including innovation, and the capacity to attract investment, businesses and human capital, and to address cost and non-cost factors that can affect prices and quality content of goods and services, including relative to global competitors in the short term.

               (6)

               Moreover, independent high-quality economic analysis of policy challenges increases transparency in policy debates. Assessing policy challenges could raise awareness of all stakeholders. This can have a positive impact on public support and ownership for necessary reforms. Also, if and to the extent foreseen in their national mandate, the productivity boards could assess the effects of policy options by making trade-offs of policy explicit.

               (7)

               Productivity boards should have functional autonomy vis-à-vis any public authority in charge of the design and implementation of policies in the field of productivity and competitiveness in the Member State or at European level. In particular, they should be able to produce independent analysis within the scope of their area of work. The composition of productivity boards, while subject to national discretion, should be unbiased, in the sense that they should not convey only or mainly views of specific groups of stakeholders. Such independence and unbiasedness requirements are aimed at ensuring that the productivity boards are empowered to produce expert analyses formulated in the general interest.

               (8)

               The characteristics of the productivity boards should fully observe Article 152 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and should respect the national practice and institutions for wage formation. In accordance with Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the functioning of the productivity boards should not affect the right of workers and employers, or their respective organisations, to negotiate and conclude collective agreements at the appropriate levels or to take collective action in accordance with Union law and national laws and practices.

               (9)

               Productivity boards should be engaged in contacts with productivity boards of other participating Member States with the aim of exchanging views and best practices, also taking into account the broader euro area and Union dimension. The Commission could facilitate the exchange of views between the productivity boards of all participating Member States. There should also be a regular discussion between the productivity boards and the Economic Policy Committee on issues within the latter’s area of competence, involving relevant experts in non-participating Member States.

               (10)

               Productivity boards should carry out their activities on a countinuous basis. They should make their analyses publicly available and publish an annual report, which could be integrated into an already existing report. The independent expertise provided by those boards, including through the annual reports, could be used by Member States and the Commission in the context of the European Semester and the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure.

               (11)

               In order to ease exchange of views at supra-national level, there should be one identifiable productivity board in each Member State. It is important to build on existing structures in order to preserve what already works and to minimise administrative costs. Where appropriate the productivity board could be based on an already established and respected national structure including as regards the involvement and consultation of stakeholders. However, to carry out their activities properly, productivity boards could in turn rely on different separate and existing bodies, provided that their analysis is of the same high quality.

               (12)

               This Recommendation does not alter the assigned responsibilities for the European Semester, including formulating and monitoring the Country Specific Recommendations, or the application of the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure as established in Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011,

         HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION:
   I.   Objectives and scope

               1.

               The objective of this Recommendation is the identification or setting up of national productivity boards to analyse developments and policies in the field of productivity and competitiveness, thereby contributing to foster ownership and implementation of the necessary reforms at the national level, and hence foster sustained economic growth and convergence.

               2.

               This Recommendation is addressed to the euro area Member States. The non-euro area Member States are also encouraged to identify or set up similar bodies.

               3.

               The application of this Recommendation should fully observe Article 152 TFEU and should respect national practices and institutions for wage formation. This Recommendation takes into account Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and accordingly does not affect the right to negotiate, conclude or enforce collective agreements or to take collective action in accordance with national laws and practices.

         II.   The productivity boards

               4.

               Each Member State should have in place a productivity board tasked with:

                           (a)

                           Diagnosis and analysis of productivity and competitiveness developments in the Member State concerned. The analysis should take into account euro area and Union aspects and address the long-term drivers and enablers of productivity and competitiveness, including innovation, and the capacity to attract investment, businesses and human capital, and to address cost and non-cost factors that can affect prices and quality content of goods and services including relative to global competitors in the short term. Analysis should be based on transparent and comparable indicators; and

                           (b)

                           Independent analysis of policy challenges in the field of productivity and competitiveness, and, if and to the extent foreseen in their national mandate, assessment of the effects of policy options, making trade offs of policy explicit.

               5.

               Each Member State should identify one productivity board, which could in turn rely on, or consist of, different existing bodies.

               6.

               Productivity boards should carry out their activities on a continuous basis. They should make their analyses publicly available and publish an annual report. They should be engaged in contacts with productivity boards of non-euro area Member States with the aim of exchanging views and best practices, and where appropriate produce joint analysis, also taking into account the broader euro area and Union dimension. The Commission will on a regular basis exchange views with all participating productivity boards, including during fact-finding missions to Member States, and could faciliate the exchange of views between the productivity boards.

         III.   Characteristics of the productivity boards

               7.

               Productivity boards should have functional autonomy vis-à-vis any public authority in charge of the design and implementation of policies in the field of productivity and competitiveness in the Member State or at European level. To fullfill the tasks of this Recommendation they should be underpinned by national provisions ensuring a high degree of functional autonomy and accountability, including:

                           (a)

                           the capacity to communicate publicly in a timely manner;

                           (b)

                           procedures for nominating members on the basis of their experience and competence;

                           (c)

                           appropriate access to information to carry out their mandate.

               8.

               Productivity boards should be objective, neutral and fully independent regarding analysis and content. They may consult relevant stakeholders, but should not convey only or mainly the opinions and the interests of a particular group of stakeholders.

               9.

               Productivity boards should have the ability to carry out economic and statistical analyses with a high degree of quality, including as recognised by the academic community. The analysis could be produced by existing and separate bodies provided that it is of the same high quality.

         IV.   Relationship with the European Semester

               10.

               The independent expertise provided by those boards, including through the annual reports, could be used by Member States and the Commission in the context of the European Semester and the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure. This Recommendation does not alter the assigned responsibilities for the European Semester, including designing and monitoring of the Country Specific Recommendations, or the application of the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure as established in Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011.

         V.   Accountability and transparency

               11.

               As a rule, the analyses produced by those boards should be made public.

         VI.   Final provisions

               12.

               The Member States of the euro area are invited to implement the principles set out in this Recommendation by 20 March 2018.

               13.

               By 20 March 2019, the Commission is invited to prepare a progress report, on the basis of relevant information from all Member States on the implementation and the suitability of this Recommendation, including whether the adoption of further provisions appears necessary. If warranted, the report shall be accompanied by a proposal to adapt this Recommendation.

      Done at Brussels, 20 September 2016.

            For the Council

            The President

         I. KORČOK

      (1)  Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 25).

      (2)  Regulation (EU) No 1174/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on enforcement measures to correct excessive macroeconomic imbalances in the euro area (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 8).


title: Commission recommendation No 121/78/ECSC of 18 January 1978 imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on certain sheets and plates, of iron or steel, originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Japan

text:
24. 1 . 78                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                No L 19 /9
                            COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION No 121 /78 / ECSC
                                                      of 18 January 1978
               imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on certain sheets and plates , of iron
                          or steel, originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Japan
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN                                     1 242 000 tonnes for 1974 to 903 000 tons for the first
COMMUNITIES,                                                      half of 1977, imports originating in Japan, Bulgaria
                                                                  and Czechoslovakia having risen from 194 000 tons
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European             for 1974 to 358 000 tons for the first half of 1977 and
Coal and Steel Community, and in particular Articles              that, as a result, they have been able to acquire a
74 and 86 thereof,                                                market share of over 20 % in general and over 8 %
                                                                   for imports originating in Japan, Bulgaria and
Having regard to Commission recommendation                        Czechoslovakia, in the Community and that, on the
77/329/ECSC on protection against dumping or the                  other hand, the Community steel industry is in a
granting of bounties or subsidies by countries which              crisis situation characterized by a reduction of about
are not members of the European Coal and Steel                    40 % in the production of the sheets and plates
Community (1), as amended by recommendation No                    concerned between 1974 and 1977 in the Commu
3004/77/ECSC (2), and in particular Articles 15 and 19            nity, and by a reduction in the numbers employed in
thereof,                                                          the Community steel industry from 780 000 to
                                                                  720 000 between 1974 and 1977 and by short-time
Having heard the opinions expressed within the Advi              working and that, as a result, the Community steel
sory Committee provided for by recommendation                     industry recorded serious losses in most of the firms
77/329/ECSC,                                                      concerned ;
Whereas the Commission has received a complaint,
submitted in the name of the relevant Community                   Whereas, in order to remedy this situation, the
industry, setting out evidence as to the existence of             Commission has introduced, in particular, a system of
dumping of certain sheets and plates, of iron or steel,           guidance prices (4) for sales within the Community of
originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Japan and                certain steel products produced by the European steel
certain other countries and material injury resulting             industry ;
therefrom ;
Whereas the Commission has published basis                        Whereas, the import prices into the Community of
prices (3) based on the lowest normal prices or costs of          products originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and
production in the supplying countries where normal                Japan are considerably lower than these guidance
conditions of competition prevail, including the costs            prices and such undercutting prevents the European
of transport, insurance and customs duties ;                      producers from achieving the guidance prices and
                                                                  jeopardizes the equilibrium of the entire pricing
Whereas the prices of imports into the Community of               system and causes material injury to the Community
the products which are the subject of the complaint               industry or to a major part of it ;
have been compared with these basis prices ;
Whereas a preliminary examination of the matter                   Whereas immediate action has been requested by two
                                                                  Member States ;
based on this comparison shows that these products
originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Japan are
offered for import within the Community (British and
French markets) at prices lower than the basis prices             Whereas, in the serious conditions being experienced
and that dumping has taken place, the margin of                   by the Community steel industry, the interests of the
                                                                  Community require immediate action ;
which is constituted by this undercutting ;
Whereas, with regard to injury to the industry                    Whereas it is for the Commission, without prejudice
concerned, the evidence submitted to the Commis
                                                                  to the results of the investigation opened in accor
sion shows that, on the one hand, imports into the                dance with Article 1 1 of recommendation 77/329/
Community of the products increased globally from                 ECSC, to decide promptly to apply provisional
(>) OJ No L 114, 5. 5. 1977, p. 6.
                                                                  measures consisting of the imposition of a provisional
(2) OJ No L 352, 31 . 12. 1977, p. 13.                            anti-dumping duty on imports of the products
(3) cf. Communication from the Commission of 31
    December 1977 concerning the basis prices of certain          (4) OJ No L 114, 5. 5. 1977, p. 1 ; OJ No C 174, 22. 7. 1977
    steel products, OJ No L 353, 31 . 12. 1977, p. 1 .                and OJ No L 352, 31 . 12. 1977, p. 17.
 ---pagebreak--- No L 19 / 10                      Official Journal of the European Communities                             24. 1 . 78
concerned originating in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and                                Article 2
Japan, the rate of which corresponds to the difference
between the basis price published by the Commission          The entry of the products described in Article 1 for
                                                             consumption within the Community shall be condi
for this product and its price on importation into the
Community,
                                                             tional upon the deposit of security for the amount of
                                                             the provisional duty.
MAKES THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATION :                                                 Article 3
                                                             This recommendation shall be notified to the Member
                        Article 1                            States .
 1 . A provisional anti-dumping duty is hereby               It shall enter into force for each Member State on the
imposed on the following products originating in             date of its publication in the Official Journal of the
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Japan :                         European Communities.
— sheets and plates other than electrical, of iron or        Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 18 of
     steel not further worked than hot rolled of a thick
     ness of 2 mm or more,
                                                             recommendation 77/329/ECSC, it shall apply until
                                                             the entry into force of an Act of the Commission
— Common Customs Tariff subheading 73.13 B I a),             either adopting definitive measures or extending the
— NIMEXE codes 73.13-17, 19 , 21 , 23, 26.                   provisional duty, and in any event for a maximum
                                                             period of three months.
2. The amount of this duty shall be equal to the
amount by which the effective price (basic price plus
extras) established by contract, free frontier duty-paid,    Done at Brussels, 18 January 1978 .
is lower than the effective price (basic price plus
extras) published by the Commission for these                                           For the Commission
products.
                                                                                Wilhelm HAFERKAMP
3 . The provisions in force for the collection of
customs duty shall apply to the collection of this duty.                                    Vice-President


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31986Y0018

Recommendation No 18 of 28 February 1986 relating to the legislation applicable to unemployed persons engaged in part-time work in a Member State other than the State of residence, adopted by the Administrative Commission at its 202nd meeting held on 27 and 28 February 1986

Official Journal C 284 , 11/11/1986 P. 0004 - 0006

RECOMMENDATION No 18of 28 February 1986relating to the legislation  applicable to unemployed persons engaged in part-time work in a Member State other than the State  of residence, adopted by the Administrative Commission at its 202nd meeting held on 27 and 28  February 1986(86/C 284/05)THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON  SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS, Whereas, where workers residing in the territory of a Member  State are eligible, under the legislation applicable to them, to receive unemployment benefits,  they should be allowed to pursue a part-time professional or trade activity in the territory of  another Member State, while retaining entitlement to unemployment benefits provided by the State in  which they reside; Whereas it is necessary in this situation to determine the legislation  applicable to such workers, in order to avert possible conflicts of laws; Whereas it is desirable  that such workers should continue to be subject to the legislation of their country of residence as  regards both the payment of contributions due by virtue of their occupation and the granting of  benefits, RECOMMENDS that the competent authorities of the Member States concerned conclude, or  instruct the bodies designated by these competent authorities to conclude, agreements pursuant to  Article 17 of Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 on the following conditions: 1. The agreements should  provide that workers receiving unemployment benefit in their State of residence and simultaneously  pursuing part-time work in another Member State shall be subject exclusively to the legislation of  the former State as regards both the payment of contributions and the granting of benefits. 2. For  the purposes of applying these agreements, the following administrative formalities shall be  complied with: (a) The institution providing the unemployment benefit in the State of residence of  the person concerned shall inform the institution designated by the competent authority of that  State of any part-time work in which the person concerned engages in another Member State. (b) The  latter institution shall issue the person concerned with a certificate to the effect that he is  subject to its legislation and shall send a copy thereof to the institution designated by the  competent authority of the Member State in whose territory the person concerned works part-time.  All information required in view of the fact that the person concerned is subject to the  legislation of his State of residence shall be enclosed with this certificate, to be forwarded to  the employer. The certificate shall remain valid for as long as the institution of the country of  employment has not received notification of its cancellation. (c) The institutions concerned shall  use the model certificate annexed to the present Recommendation. The Chairman of the Administrative  Commission C. van den BERG >TABLE> INSTRUCTIONS Please complete this form in block  letters, writing on the dotted lines only The designated institution of the Member State to whose  legislation the person concerned is subject, having been informed that the person concerned works  part-time in the territory of another Member State by the institution providing unemployment  benefit, should fill in the form and issue it to the person concerned. It should also send a copy  of the form to the designated institution of the Member State in whose territory the person  concerned works part-time. NOTES (1) Symbol of the Member State to whose legislation the worker is  subject: B = Belgium; DK = Denmark; D = Germany; GR = Greece; E = Spain; F = France; IRL = Ireland;  I = Italy; L = Luxembourg; NL = the Netherlands; P = Portugal; GB = United Kingdom. (2) For Spanish  nationals, please specify both names. For Portuguese nationals, please specify all names  (forenames, surname, maiden name) in the official order as entered on the identity card or  passport. (3) For Spanish nationals, please indicate the number shown on the national identity card  (D. N. I. ) , if the person concerned holds such a card, even if the card has expired. Otherwise  enter 'None'. (4) Street, number, post code, town, country. (5) Please enter the code of the  institution, if it has one. (6) The institution specified in section 6 should complete the form,  boxes 1 and 7 and should send it to the designated institution of the Member State on whose  territory the person concerned works part-time.


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31986H0379

86/379/EEC: Council Recommendation of 24 July 1986 on the employment of disabled people in the Community

Official Journal L 225 , 12/08/1986 P. 0043 - 0047

*****COUNCIL  RECOMMENDATION  of 24 July 1986  on the employment of disabled people in the Community  (86/379/EEC)  THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,  Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof,  Having regard to the draft recommendation submitted by the Commission,  Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),  Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),  Whereas the Council Resolution of 21 January 1974 concerning a social action programme (3) provides for, inter alia, the implementation of a programme for the vocational and social integration of handicapped persons;  Whereas the Council Resolution of 27 June 1974 (4) established the initial Community action programme for the vocational rehabilitation of handicapped persons;  Whereas the Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 21 December 1981 on the social integration of handicapped people (5) invites Member States to ensure that handicapped people do not shoulder an unfair burden of the effects, in particular from the point of view of employment, of economic difficulties and to promote measures to prepare handicapped people for an active life, but does not provide for a concerted or concentrated Community effort in this regard;  Whereas, for the purpose of this Recommendation, 'disabled people' includes all people with serious disabilities which result from physical, mental or psychological impairments;  Whereas disabled people have the same right as all other workers to equal opportunity in traing and employment;  Whereas, in a period of economic crisis, action at European and Community levels should be not only continued but also intensified in order to promote the achievement of equal opportunity by means of positive and coherent policies;  Whereas these policies should take account of the aspirations of disabled people for a fully active and independent life;  Whereas the European Parliament, in its resolution of 11 March 1981 (6), stressed the need to promote at Community level the economic, social and vocational integration of disabled people;  Whereas the provision of fair opportunities for disabled people in the field of employment and vocational training appears necessary for the achievement of one of the objectives of the Community; whereas the Treaty has not provided for the powers of action required for the adoption of this Recommendation, other than those of Article 235,  I. HEREBY RECOMMENDS MEMBER STATES:  1. To take all appropriate measures to promote fair opportunities for disabled people in the field of employment and vocational training, including initial training and employment as well as rehabilitation and resettlement.  The principle of fair opportunity for disabled people should be applied in respect of:  (a) access to employment and vocational training, whether normal or special, including guidance, placement and follow-up services;  (b) retention in that employment or vocational training and protection from unfair dismissal;  (c) opportunities for promotion and in-service training.  2. To this end, to continue and, if necessary, intensify and re-examine their policies to help disabled people, where appropriate after consulting disabled people's organizations and both sides of industry; such policies should take account of measures and specific activities implemented in the other Member States which have proved effective and worthwhile.  These policies should provide in particular for:  (a) Elimination of negative discrimination by:  (i) reviewing laws, regulations and administrative provisions to ensure that they are not contrary to the principle of fair opportunity for disabled people;  (ii) taking appropriate measures to avoid as far as possible dismissals linked to a disability;  (iii) limiting exceptions to the principle of equal treatment in access to training or employment to the cases justified on the ground of a specific incompatibility between a particular activity forming part of a job or course of training and a particular disability; if necessary, it should be possible to have this incompatibility confirmed by a medical certificate; any such exception should be reviewed periodically in order to establish whether it continues to be justified;  (iv) seeking to ensure that any tests required for access to vocational training courses and any tests required during or at the end of such courses are designed in such a way that candidates with disabilities are not thereby disadvantaged;  (v) seeking to ensure that disabled people can go before the competent bodies to establish their rights and can receive the necessary assistance to do so in accordance with national law and practice.  (b) Positive action for disabled people, including:  (i) bearing in mind differences in sectors and enterprises, the fixing by Member States, where appropriate and after consultation of disabled people's organization and both sides of industry, of realistic percentage targets for the employment of disabled people in public or private enterprises having a minimum number of employees; such a minimum might be set at between 15 and 50. Measures should also be adopted for making these targets public and achieving them;  (ii) the making available, in each Member State, of a guide or code of good practice for the employment of disabled people, incorporating positive measures already adopted in the Member State concerned and corresponding in spirit with the provisions of this Recommendation; the Annex comprises a guideline framework for such a guide or code, setting out examples of positive action;  the guide or code of good practice should be circulated as widely as possible and refer to the public and private sectors;  it should describe clearly the contribution which the recipients of the guide or code can and should make in putting into practice the national policy on disabled people; it should include information and advice on the support that is available from public services;  (iii) provision whereby the Member States encourage the public and private enterprises to take all appropriate measures for the employment of disabled people which correspond in spirit with the guide or code of good practice; Member States should establish the means for making these policies, and the annual progress made in their implementation, known to the public, according to existing procedures for disseminating information in the social field;  (iv) provision whereby the employer and the rehabilitation services cooperate in the resettlement, with the same enterprise as far as possible, of any employee who becomes disabled.  3. To report to the Commission on the measures they have taken to implement this Recommendation with a view to enabling the Commission to present the report referred to in II.3.  II. INVITES THE COMMISSION:  1. To co-ordinate the exchange of information and experience on the rehabilitation and employment of disabled people between national authorities; agencies designated for the purpose by the Member States will also be involved in this exchange.  2. To maintain appropriate aid from the European Social Fund to assist disabled people of whatever age.  3. To report to the Council on the application of this Recommendation within two years of its adoption.  Done at Brussels, 24 July 1986.  For the Council  The President  A. CLARK  (1) OJ No C 148, 16. 6. 1986, p. 84.  (2) OJ No C 189, 28. 7. 1986, p. 10.  (3) OJ No C 13, 12. 2. 1974, p. 1.  (4) OJ No C 80, 9. 7. 1974, p. 30.  (5) OJ No C 347, 31. 12. 1981, p. 1.  (6) OJ No C 77, 6. 4. 1981, p. 27.  ANNEX  Guideline framework for positive action to promote the employment and vocational training of disabled people  Set out below are a number of possible measures, proposed by the Commission, which Member States should consider in implementing this Recommendation and in particular in drawing up a guide or code of good practice.  SECTION I  ASPECTS CONCERNING THE WORKING LIFE OF DISABLED PEOPLE  1. Job creation  (a) Concerted projects  Ensuring that disabled people are given a full and fair opportunity to benefit from projects such as regional development programmes, local employment initiatives and action to promote the setting-up of cooperatives or of smaller medium-sized enterprises.  (b) New technology  Stimulating new employment opportunities by means of national initiatives both in the new technology sector itself and in the use of new technologies as aids to make employment possible in other fields.  In this connection, promoting projects to enable disabled people to take on tele-work.  Studying the specific risks to employment resulting from new technological developments and taking appropriate action.  Adapting work stations to the needs of disabled people.  (c) Other activities  Promoting and supporting projects which train and prepare disabled people to create their own business or which identify new employment opportunities in the media or in services on behalf of other disabled people.  Identifying other sectors (such as tertiary services, including tourism and catering, agriculture or horticulture and forestry) which have good prospects and are suitable for people with various disabilities.  Implementing schemes for creating new jobs for disabled people in these fields.  Drawing up special national policies for the re-employment of mentally handicapped workers who lose their jobs because of changes in the character of the employment market.  Creating more opportunities for part-time employment for disabled workers.  2. Sheltered employment  (a) General  Reviewing the situation in each Member State in regard to sheltered employment and sheltered occupation and drawing up plans for the future of this sector.  (b) Quantitative side  Arranging that plans should assess future demand and the need to develop or reduce such provision.  (c) Qualitative side  Seeing that the review takes into consideration the following points:  - improving the quality of less successful workshops or centres so that they approximate to the best;  - introducing new forms of activity (for example, in the computer sector) which are both more interesting and likely to be more successful commercially;  - increasing the amount of training available in workshops;  - developing the transitional role of workshops, i.e. their function as assessment and personal development centres coming between basic education or a period of unemployment and entry to the open labour market;  - reducing segregation by developing sheltered posts or groups within normal enterprises, or mixed cooperatives. 3. Transition, vocational rehabilitation and vocational training  Enabling disabled trainees to enrol in integrated training courses in normal establishments wherever possible and desirable.  Giving a high priority to improving the availability and quality of vocational preparation and training for disabled people, with particular regard to the following aims:  - giving equal consideration to the needs of workers who incur disability through accident or disease and to the needs of young people whose disability is congenital or was incurred in childhood or adolescence;  - adapting the content of the training courses available to match more realistically the needs of the labour market;  - strengthening direct links between training establishments and local representatives of both sides of industry;  - improving training methods, in particular by developing the use of new technologies as training aids and by introducing modular training and, where appropriate, distant learning facilities;  - encouraging experimentation in course structure and design so as to facilitate the coordination of theoretical and practical training;  - improving all aspects of access to training courses;  - encouraging disabled trainees to take, as far as possible, a more active part in planning their own training programmes;  - guaranteeing continuity of vocational training and preparation for employment by promoting interprofessional cooperation and creating multidisciplinary teams.  4. Guidance, assessment and placement  (a) Guidance  Providing at regional level, as part of the general guidance services, educational and vocational guidance services with a clear responsibility to meet the needs of disabled people.  Providing, in the case of general, rather than specialized, guidance services, for staff to be trained to understand and deal with the special needs of people with disabilities.  (b) Assessment  Identifying effective assessment methods and introducing those methods as far as possible.  Giving priority to the principles that:  - the disabled person himself (and, where appropriate, his family) should participate actively in assessment;  - every client should be encouraged to opt for the best level of training and highest vocational goal of which he is capable.  (c) Placement services  Setting up at regional level, as part of the general placement services, placement services to help suitably trained disabled people to find a job.  Ensuring that these services also follow and support the disabled person in the job, at least for an initial period.  Implementing training programmes for disabled people's placement officiers.  5. Employers and workers' organizations  (a) Incentives to employers  Encouraging employers to make greater use of funds from public sources.  Where appropriate, making such funds available, in accordance with national policies and situations, to cover, or contribute towards covering, the special costs to an employer of taking on a disabled worker.  The eligible expenditure should include adaptations to machinery or equipment, provision of access facilities and additional staff costs.  The grants should apply both when a worker is re-employed after incurring a disability and for new recruitments.  In the case of new recruitments, envisaging a contribution from public funds to the worker's salary over a given period of induction training.  (b) Workers' organizations  Encouraging trade unions to give any necessary support to disabled workers and to ensure that their interests are properly catered for in representative structures. 6. Social security  Ensuring that disabled workers who lose their jobs or who cannot find employment after vocational rehabilitation do not find themselves thereafter, purely because of their disability, financially worse off than other workers in similar circumstances.  Ensuring that benefit systems do not act as disincentives to part-time employment, to trial periods of employment or to the gradual take-up of a job or return to it, whenever any of these patterns is desirable from the disabled worker's and employer's point of view.  SECTION II  GENERAL ASPECTS  1. The supporting environment  Ensuring that disabled people live in an environment which makes it possible for them to benefit from further education and training and to make their full contribution to the economy.  Effectively implementing existing legislation and where necessary introducing new legislation to promote:  - suitable housing (wherever possible integrated in the open community),  - adequate transport to places of training and work,  - access to and within the workplace, especially in the office sector.  Ensuring that measures aimed at guaranteeing fair opportunities for the disabled are not regarded as discriminatory against the able-bodied.  Recognizing the need for flexibility in the conditions of employment of persons looking after a disabled person.  2. Information and advice  (a) Assistance for disabled people  Developing, for the benefit of disabled people, their families and the professionals (whether case-workers or administrators) concerned, a system of information and advice covering technical aids and other questions of importance to disabled people.  Extending the system, which could consist of specialized centres or of services developed in existing centres with wider functions, below the national level to regional and local levels over time as resources permit.  (b) Information campaign  Undertaking coordinated action to inform and advise politicians, both sides of industry and the general public of the capacities and the needs of disabled people.  In particular, making audio-visuel material on disability problems widely available through appropriate channels such as interest groups and training schemes run by both sides of industry.  3. Social research  Encouraging and coordinating social research - for which national data bases should be established - both in order to analyse needs and possibilities and to evaluate the effectiveness of measures undertaken.  4. Consultation, coordination and participation  Continuing and developing systems of national, regional and local authorities' consultation, coordination and participation, including in this exercice the public services and agencies, the voluntary organizations, independent professionals, the two sides of industry and the media as well as disabled people and their families.  Giving particular priority to the active involvement of disabled people, whether in a representative or personal capacity, in the taking and implementation of decisions concerning them.


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31977H0467

77/467/EEC: Commission Recommendation of 6 July 1977 to the Member States on vocational preparation for young people who are unemployed or threatened by unemployment

Official Journal L 180 , 20/07/1977 P. 0018 - 0023 Greek special edition: Chapter 05 Volume 2 P. 0183  Spanish special edition: Chapter 05 Volume 2 P. 0133  Portuguese special edition Chapter 05 Volume 2 P. 0133

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION of 6 July 1977 to the Member States on vocational preparation for young people who are unemployed or threatened by unemployment (77/467/EEC) I BASIS FOR ACTION  The employment problems of young people    1. Youth unemployment in the European Community has grown continuously since 1970. The level of youth unemployment has more than doubled since 1973. In the spring of 1977 approximately 2 000 000 young people under 25 in the European Community were unemployed.       2. The outlook is uncertain. The expected improvement in the economic situation should result in some increase in employment. In most Member States the increase in demand for output is leading to a revival in the demand for labour. It remains to be seen whether this demand will be adequate to absorb the available labour.       3. In addition the potential labour supply in Member States is expected to increase by about two million people between 1976 and 1980 owing to a significant increase in the number of people entering the labour market and a fall in the number of those retiring. Unemployment as a whole will remain a serious socio-economic problem, and youth unemployment may become more acute. In the longer term (from about 1985 onwards) the situation should become easier as the young people born in the years of low birth rates since 1968 start entering the labour market.       4. Youth unemployment is not caused solely by quantitative factors. It is also the outcome of a growing difference between the characteristics of the young people entering the labour market and the nature of the jobs which the economy provides for them, particularly in terms of the level of qualifications and the conditions of work.       5. It is always a serious matter for young people to find that work cannot be obtained when they enter the labour market. The traumatic effect of being rejected from active participation in economic life before one has even had the experience of a job and the independence which this gives tends to warp the attitude of young people to work itself, to job mobility and to society at large for many years ahead.       6. To solve the unemployment problems of young people calls for action over a wide range : economic policy, education policy, labour-market policy, in which the Communities have already started a number of actions.  However, in the Commission's opinion, the most urgent task is to help those young people who are unemployed or threatened by unemployment and who have no opportunity for vocational training. Hence the Commission has decided, as a first step, to draw up a recommendation concerning the vocational preparation of young people in this specific category. The Commission concurs with the opinion expressed by both the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee that this recommendation should be supplemented by additional (and possibly more binding) measures to promote the employment of young people.       7. The decision as to priority meets the wish of the Social Partners as it was expressed at the meeting of the Standing Employment Committee of 3 June 1975, and the concern expressed on numerous occasions by Ministers of social affairs. There have been intensive consultations with the national authorities and with the Social Partners ; the experience of certain Member States in this field was also taken into account.       8. During the preparatory work, it became apparent that it was helpful to distinguish young people in employment difficulties according to their situation:      - the situation of young people who are unemployed and who have never received adequate vocational training,           - the situation of young people who have found employment without having received vocational training, and for this reason are threatened by unemployment,            - the situation of young people who have received a vocational training but who have either been unable to find a job or have lost their job.                  9. In agreement with the Social Partners, the present recommendation is aimed at the first of these situations, which covers, in most Member States, a substantial proportion of the unemployed. The second situation is also covered in the present recommendation in so far as the problems of these young people are the same as those of the young people in the first situation. On the other hand, the problems of young people who have received vocational training are of a different character and, for this reason are not covered in this recommendation.    The relation of this recommendation to other action of the Community     10. This recommendation is situated in the context of the previous actions of the Community in the field of vocational training. The 1963 Council Decision on the General Principles for Implementing a Vocational Training Policy provides that "in conformity with these general principles and in order to obtain the objectives stated therein, the Commission may propose to the Council or to the Member States, within the framework of the Treaty, such appropriate measures as may appear to be necessary" (1).       11. The General Guidelines for the Development of the Programme of Vocational Training at Community Level (2) accepted by the Council on 26 July 1971 reinforced the Council's intention that vocational training should be used as an instrument of an active employment policy. The Recommendation of the Commission on Vocational Guidance (3) has already called upon Member States to develop vocational guidance for young people and adults ; to adapt the organizational development of vocational guidance and its means of action to the needs of the population ; to be concerned with better continuity in vocational guidance and its close cooperation with employment offices, and to strengthen the general coordination of the vocational guidance and other services ; and to strengthen cooperation within the Community.       12. The Social Action Programme approved by the Council in 1974 (4) includes the examination by the Commission of the possibility of developing Community initiatives to help, among others, unemployed school leavers. The Council Decision of 22 July 1975 (5), to make grants from the European Social Fund available to young unemployed people, particularly those seeking their first employment, represents an initial step in this direction. The proposed recommendation represents another. The Commission intends as far as possible to take into account the terms of the recommendation in the allocation of Social Fund grants to training programmes for young people.       13. The problems of transition from school to work are also being tackled in the Action programme in the field of education approved by the Council and the Ministers of Education meeting within the Council on 9 February 1976 (6).  The specific measures to be taken were enumerated in a subsequent resolution in December 1976 (7). At Community level they include pilot projects, studies and visits, as well as the preparation of reports and statistics.       14. Certain aspects of the employment problems of women and girls are dealt with in the Council Directive of 9 February 1976 (8) on the equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training, and promotion. This Directive lays down the principle of non-discrimination between men and women in, inter alia, vocational training. In accordance with this principle, the present recommendation applies with equal force to young men and young women without discrimination. However the special problems of young women in the field of vocational training require additional measures which the Commission is currently preparing.      The target category of young people     15. The specific concern of this recommendation is the large number of young people who enter the labour market every year without adequate preparation for the world of work. They leave school at the minimum school leaving age (which in the Community ranges from 14 to 16 years), often with a poor effective command of the basic skills. Since at present they receive little guidance or training, they have difficulty in finding employment at times when the general level of unemployment is high. Thus it is this category of young people which needs the help of well integrated guidance, training and placement services.  (1)Decision 63/266/EEC ; OJ No 63, 20.4.1963 - Fourth principle. (2)OJ No C 81, 12.8.1971, p. 5. (3)OJ No 154, 24.8.1966, p. 2815/66. (4)Council resolution of 21.1.1974 ; OJ No C 13, 12.2. 1974, p. 1. (5)OJ No L 199, 30.7.1975, p. 36. (6)OJ No C 38, 19.2.1976, P. 1. (7)OJ No C 308, 30.12.1976, p. 1. (8)OJ No L 39, 14.2.1976, p. 40.        16. The recommendation should provide help for those young people who, without any prior vocational training, have found work of an unskilled type. Such work is often subject to redundancy at short notice. The recommendation therefore also covers young people who have or have had a job of this type. The aim is to improve their chances of keeping their jobs or of finding new jobs.       17. The action proposed in this recommendation should in no way be regarded as affecting the efforts of Member States to expend their general vocational training system.      Vocational preparation     18. The principal object of this recommendation is to promote, in the Member States, means of providing, at the end of compulsory schooling, an appropriate vocational preparation for young people who have no other opportunity to receive vocational training either at school or with an employer. The term "vocational preparation" is used in this recommendation to designate those activities that aim to assure for young people a satisfactory transition from school to work by providing them with the minimum knowledge and skills necessary for working life.       19. Despite the progress made in recent years in the area of vocational training, a large proportion of school leavers in the Community still receive little or no vocational training either before or after leaving school. Even at times of full employment the transition from school to working life is often a painful and frustrating experience. When work is difficult to find this experience of unemployment in the early years may affect the attitude to work of young people throughout their lives.       20. Hence governments should assume the responsibility for ensuring that unemployed young people receive effective vocational preparation. The form and content of such preparation will vary according to the content of the compulsory education provided by the individual Member State, the needs of its labour market, and the needs of the young people concerned.       21. The young people who have the greatest difficulty in finding jobs are often those who also have benifited least from what the school system was able to offer. They may therefore already have begun to consider themselves failures and be lacking in confidence. Their knowledge of career opportunities is also likely to be limited. Hence the provision of vocational guidance becomes more important and should include the assessment of aptitudes and abilities using methods that do not rely solely on the school record, so that advice on appropriate job opportunities and the appropriate training for them may be given.       22. The school leavers who have the poorest results also often lack basic skills that are taken for granted in the adult world. They find it difficult to understand instructions, to complete forms, to communicate effectively by word of mouth and writing, and to use the social and other services provided by Member States. Hence some reinforcement of basic knowledge and skills, and help with the application of these to practical situations is likely to be needed.       23. Many of those who leave school at the minimum school leaving age do so because they find the school atmosphere uncongenial and unresponsive to their adolescent interests. Therefore the vocational preparation proposed should be set in a context appropriate to young adults and related closely to their practical needs. Formidable tasks remain in developing the right approaches and systems. It is possible that the relevant methods and techniques in the field of adult education and training which have been developed in the Member States since the Second World War may be useful. The preparation should equip young people not only with the social skills needed at work, but also provide basic practical training in a well defined area of skills, such as building, engineering or office-work. This basic training should be so designed as to enable the trainee to undertake a specific job in the chosen area and also qualify him to move into recognized courses of operative or craft training.       24. Since the problems of many young people also stem from ignorance of the world of work, contextual studies and practical experience should form part of vocational preparation:      (i) contextual studies would include material relevant to people at work, such as the basic principles of economic and social organization, the law relating to social security and employment, the roles of management and of trade unions, the nature of the world of work, industrial safety and hygiene, industrial relations and the use of guidance, training and placement services;            (ii) practical experience of work could be provided by various means which could include one of the following:      (a) encouraging employers, where appropriate by means of incentives, to take on young people for periods of practical experiences without commitment,           (b) simulating work experience in the training context,           (c) organizing a publicly financed work-creation programme.               25. Where vocational preparation involves "in-plant" training or work experience provided with aid from public funds, it is important that this is organized so as to achieve the greatest benefit for the trainee. There is a danger that the training or work experience will be too limited in scope, restricted to specific skills of immediate utility, i.e. its content will be influenced more by the need of the employer for immediate production than by the broader needs of the trainees. Hence it is necessary for public authorities to take measures to ensure the quality of such "in-plant" training and work experience.       26. In order to ensure that no obstacles are placed in the way of young people who wish to undertake such vocational preparation, governments should take action in two areas:      (i) young people threatened by unemployment should be given reasonable leave of absence from their work in order to attend such courses, with the aim of enabling them to keep their jobs or to find new jobs;           (ii) all young people attending these courses (both those who are unemployed and those in employment) should be paid maintenance allowances. The allowance should be related to means and should be sufficient to cover reasonable living expenses, fees (if any) and the incidental costs of the courses, and should be large enough to ensure that young persons attending such forms of vocational preparation are financially better off than they would be if they remained unemployed.                  27. In order to achieve the recommended objective of providing adequate vocational preparation for all unemployed young people, it will be necessary to use all existing and potential educational and training resources. The Social Partners have both resources and experience to contribute and should therefore be associated with the planning, organization and implementation of vocational preparation programmes.      The coordination of legislation relating to compulsory school attendance and to access to work   28. In one Member State the minimum school leaving age is lower than the minimum age at which young people may begin work or apprenticeships or attend training courses at institutions run by the employment services, since these activities are classified as work. Clearly this situation is unsatisfactory. Until the school leaving age is raised to close the gap between it and the minimum age for work the law should be changed so as to permit school leavers to undertake vocational training or to take up employment.      The coordination of services   29. It seems necessary to draw attention in this context to the importance (recognized previously in the Recommendation of the Commission on Vocational Guidance (1) to the importance of close coordination of the activities of guidance, training and placement. In particular it is important that the vocational guidance and vocational training services work in close liaison with the placement services. At present this does not always occur since in a number of Member States the responsibility for the different services continues to rest with different government departments or agencies.      Statutory basis   30. The Commission of the European Communities has therefore prepared the following recommendation to the Member States. The recommendation finds its basis in those provisions of the Treaty of Rome which are directly concerned with the employment and training of young people. These include Article 117 which expressly stresses the need for an improvement in the living and working conditions of workers ; Article 118 which assigns to the Commission the duty of promoting close cooperation between Member States on social problems, particularly on employment, and basic and advanced vocational training ; the general principles for implementing a common vocational training policy laid down by the Council on the basis of Article 128. The recommendation is based on Article 155, which empowers the Commission to formulate recommendations.  (1)See paragraph 11.         II RECOMMENDATION  Introduction    1. On these grounds and as a first action to promote the employment of young people, the Commission of the European Communities, pursuant to the objectives and terms of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community and in particular to Article 155 thereof, to the Decision of the Council of Ministers of 2 April 1963 and after consulting the European Parliament (1) and the Economic and Social Committee (2) recommends to the Member States that they take the measures set out below.   A. VOCATIONAL PREPARATION    2. Vocational preparation should be made available to young people between the end of compulsory attendance and the age of 25 who are either unemployed or thereatened by unemployment, and who have no other opportunity for vocational training. Where necessary, priority should be given to those who leave school with no formal educational qualifications.   3. The object of vocational preparation should include, as appropriate:      (a) vocational guidance, aimed at relating the aptitudes and interests of the young person concerned to training and to employment opportunities;           (b) the reinforcement and application of basic skills such as oral and written expression and elementary mathematical calculation, as well as the social skills needed to work;           (c) understanding the basic principles of economic and social organization, the law relating to social security and employment, the roles of management and of trade unions, the nature of the world of work, industrial safety and hygiene, industrial relations, and the use of guidance, training and placement services;           (d) practical initial training in a broad skills area which is so designed as to enable the trainee to undertake a specific job in the chosen area and also qualify him to undertake more advanced training at a later stage;           (e) practical experience of work, either in an enterprise or by such other means as provide equivalent experience.             4. Vocational preparation should use modern teaching methods appropriate to the age and adult status of the young people.   5. In providing vocational preparation full use should be made of all existing training resources and experience including those of employers, trade unions, and other appropriate bodies. The Social Partners should be associated with the planning, organization and implementation of vocational preparation.   6. Where vocational preparation involves the financing from public funds of in-plant training and/or work experience, public authorities should ensure that both the training and the work experience is of good quality and relevant to the needs of the young people.   7. Young people threatened by unemployment should be given reasonable leave of absence from their work in order to undertake vocational preparation, with the aim of enabling them to keep their jobs or to find new jobs.   8. Allowances sufficient to cover maintenance, fees (if any) and the incidental costs of courses should be paid, in accordance with means, to young people attending publicly approved forms of vocational preparation. The maintenance allowance should be large enough to ensure that young people attending such forms of vocational preparation are financially better off than they would be if they remained unemployed.   9. Action should be taken to inform young people of the schemes of vocational preparation available and of the facilities provided to enable them to follow the courses.       B. COORDINATION OF LEGISLATION RELATING TO COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND TO ACCESS TO WORK    10. The Member States shall examine their legislation and take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that young people who leave school at the minimum school leaving age are not prevented by legal restrictions from undertaking vocational training or taking up employment.  (1)Resolution of the European Parliament embodying its opinion on the recommendation : 18 November 1976. OJ No C 293, 13.12.1976, p. 48. (2)Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the draft recommendation : 26 January 1977. OJ No C 61, 10.3.1977, p. 25.       C. THE COORDINATION OF SERVICES   11. The Member States should ensure that there is effective coordination between the vocational guidance services, the vocational training services and placement services. In order to ensure full information about the condition of the labour market Member States should ensure that employers and trade unions are associated with these services at both national and local levels.      D. TIMING AND REPORTS   12.    (a) The Member States shall inform the Commission before 31 December 1978 and at yearly intervals thereafter of the measures that they have taken to implement this recommendation.   (b) The Commission will periodically publish a report on the action taken by Member States to implement this recommendation.      Done at Brussels, 6 July 1977.  For the Commission  Henk VREDELING  Vice-President