ETUC assesses the social results of the UK Presidency: "Unilateral priorities - bad results"
The ETUC regards the Presidency as a period over which to measure progress made with regard to EU social policy and legislation. While the ETUC recognises that an EU Presidency cannot make decisions on its own and needs the cooperation of the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council if it is to take effective action, any Presidency has a special role to play in the way it leads debates, establishes priorities, prepares the practical work done and profiles specific issues.
The ETUC is not giving an overall political assessment of the UK Presidency’s performance. The verdict is based primarily on the ten social tests that the ETUC presented in its Memorandum to the UK Presidency (28 June 2005).
Based on those ten social tests, the ETUC concludes that the UK Presidency had one main priority, to strengthen competitiveness at all costs, and did not achieve any of its own social objectives or fulfil the ETUC’s ambitions to strengthen Social Europe.
The UK Presidency is not solely to blame for this, but bears a large part of the responsibility for this worrying situation. In several instances the European Commission was clearly responsible for the lack of progress (framework for services of general interest). In other cases, various governments in the Council delayed the adoption of a compromise (temporary agency workers) or insisted on compromises that are inadequate for the social dimension of the European Union (working time). But the poor negotiating power, low pressure for social issues and the low-profile political effort by the UK Presidency led to no progress at all on social policy or the social dimension of the internal market.
The ETUC is pleased that the European Council on 15-16 December reached a crucial agreement on the 2007-2013 budget. This deal is a strong political signal enabling Europe to move forward.
The ETUC also welcomes the European Council Summit held at Hampton Court and the Tripartite Social Summit held at Lancaster House on the future of social Europe. The ETUC considers that the time has come for these initiatives to have a proper follow up.
TEN SOCIAL TESTS FOR THE UK PRESIDENCY
1. Restructuring: Need to anticipate change in a strategic and pro-active approach. Verdict: Mixed result (support of globalisation fund)
2. The Demographic Challenge: not just the length of working time addressed - both by the week and the working lifetime - or the social protection aspects, but the quality of working life. Verdict:Negative
3. Working Time Directive: moving the revision forward, putting an end to the individual opt-out and safeguarding the basic principles of the Directive. Verdict: Negative
4. Temporary Agency Workers: introducing new momentum to the proposed directive in order to arrive at a compromise proposal that as a minimum should recognise temporary agency workers as normal workers, respect the fundamental principle of equal pay for work of equal value. Verdict:Negative
5. Services Directive: pursuing the following three principles:
exclusion of collective agreements and the labour standards
exclusion of services of general interest and a separate framework directive in this area
enforcement rights: the country of destination and no undue reliance on the country of origin principle.Verdict: Mixed result
6. Chemicals Policy (REACH): continue action developed by previous Presidencies in order to work out a political agreement with the European Parliament after its first-reading. Verdict: Mixed result (The UK Presidency paved the way for a political agreement within the Council but REACH has been watered down further reducing the expected benefits for environment, consumers and workers health.)
7. Gender Mainstreaming: implement in all policy fields, and start a genuine process of gender proofing in all stages of policy making. Verdict: Negative
8. Better Regulation Agenda: if certain conditions are met, this process could increase the involvement of the social partners in consultations. A priori and a posteriori impact assessments could represent tools for achieving this. Verdict: Negative
9. Sustainable Development: ensure that a new European strategy for sustainable development is adopted before the end of 2005 and make sure that it is in line with the principles and objectives of sustainable development adopted by the Council in June 2005. Verdict: Mixed result
10. Trade and External Relations: ETUC supports UK Presidency’s priorities aimed at meeting the Millennium Development Goals as part of advancing the Doha Development Agenda. Verdict: Mixed result
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