The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) regards the Presidency as a period in which progress made with regard to EU social policy and legislation can be measured. While ETUC recognizes 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 Austrian Presidency’s performance. The verdict is based primarily on the Memorandum that ETUC presented to the Austrian Presidency (11 January 2006).

Based on this Memorandum, the ETUC concludes that the main priority of the Austrian Presidency was relaunching the discussion on the European Constitution and delivering a services directive that will not lead to social dumping. The Presidency made clear that an economic and monetary union, an internal market will not work without a strong social dimension. However, it did not achieve any progress on the social policy objectives, for instance on working time or temporary agencies. The Presidency was successful in opening Council meetings to the public and improving transparency in the EU. The new Sustainable Development Strategy marks a step forward in the right direction.

In several instances the European Commission was clearly responsible for the lack of progress (framework for services of general interest; European Constitution; revision of European work councils). In other cases, various governments in the Council delayed the adoption of a compromise or insisted on compromises that are inadequate for the social dimension of the European Union (temporary agency workers; revision of working time directive).

TEN SOCIAL TESTS FOR THE AUSTRIAN PRESIDENCY | VERDICT

1. Getting the revised Lisbon Strategy back on the right track : Mixed result (Social partners have been invited to address the Council meeting after the tripartite summit)

2. Energy: Negative result (no progress towards EU energy supply security)

3. Working Time Directive : Negative

4. European Constitution: Mixed to positive result (road map in 2007, decisions 2008 “at latest”, not enough progress)

5. Services Directive: Mixed to positive result (pursuing along the lines of the European Parliament’s compromise agreement, but with a few changes)

6. Chemicals Policy (REACH): Mixed result (common position achieved by the Council but too weak as regards the authorisation compared to Parliament 1st reading)

7. Gender Mainstreaming: No activity

8. Better Regulation Agenda: Mixed

9. Sustainable Development: Positive result (The work of the Presidency improved the Commission’s draft for an SD strategy)

10. Trade and External Relations: Mixed result (The EU’s position in the WTO negotiations has ambiguous effects on global sustainable development)