Following a Commission proposal on 11 December 2007, the Employment and Social Affairs Council came to the conclusion on 29 February that no major changes to the existing employment guidelines were needed for the next three years and that the priorities should remain full employment, improving quality and productivity at work, social cohesion, work attractiveness and combining flexibility with employment security.
However, EU heads of state and government will not be able to formally adopt these priorities when they meet for their annual Spring Summit on 13 and 14 March because Parliament's report on the issue, which they must take into consideration although it is non-binding, is not due until May.
Early signals from the Parliament indicate that it will criticise the approach taken by the Commission and for the most part endorsed by the Council.
Rapporteur Anne van Lancker (PSE) has repeatedly spoken out in favour of a strengthened social dimension of the guidelines. In the explanatory statement of her first draft report, van Lancker goes to lengths to explaining that "the renewed Lisbon Strategy is not delivering for all European citizens" and that it "may have delivered more jobs but not always better jobs". She also cites figures showing "that Member States are currently not working towards a balanced 'flexicurity' approach."
Meanwhile, in an open letter to EU heads of state and government, Socialist Group leader Martin Schulz accused Commission President José Manuel Barroso of "burying his head in the sand".
Schulz's letter reads: "While 78 million Europeans live at risk of poverty and our Union faces the challenges of unemployment, social exclusion, climate change and financial market instability, the President of the European Commission continues to brush aside parliamentary calls for targeted action. [...] In spite of the wishes of our directly-elected institution, José Manuel Barroso has failed to produce an adequate response. [...] The Socialist Group finds Mr Barroso's inaction unacceptable and believes that the time has come for the Council to take its responsibilities."
The Socialists issued five policy demands to EU national leaders. Among these were improvements to social inclusion and social protection in order to harness all Europe's talents and allow our prosperity to be built by all and shared by all, and the introduction of binding minimum social standards to safeguard the social dimension of the internal market.
Concretely, van Lancker proposes a list of amendments related to strengthening the social dimension of the Lisbon strategy, emphasising job quality and introducing a clause on active inclusion.
