Labour law: Green Paper delay raises tempers[fr] 

The Green Paper was discussed in a turbulent session of the Lisbon group of commissioners on 4 October 2006, which was co-chaired by Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Vice-President Günter Verheugen. The commissioners decided that the Green Paper, which was drafted by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, needs to be amended in order to take the Scandinavian system of flexicurity, which combines a flexible workforce with a high standard of social security, into account. Commission sources say that it will be published in November at the earliest.

The redrafting partly reflects criticism from UNICE, the European business lobbying associaton. UNICE Secretary-General Philippe de Buck complained in a 3 October 2006 letter to Barroso that the draft Green Paper revealed "an implicit agenda of harmonisation of labour law [...] in contradiction with the flexicurity approach". 

At the same time, UNICE is being accused by trade unions of trying to sabotage a discussion on flexicurity. Talking to EurActiv, ETUC Confederal Secretary Catelene Passchier accused UNICE of wanting "a debate on flexibility without a debate taking place at the same time on social security", adding that UNICE was "only paying lip service" to the concept of flexicurity. Simon Wilson, director of the Social Platform, said it was "outrageous that the Commission should be in thrall to UNICE to such an extent that it cannot even publish a paper which simply asks questions about the kind of policies that Europe needs". 

UNICE Social Affairs Director Thérèse de Liedekerke said that "what was being proposed in the document would have crystallised differences in opinion rather than facilitated the emergence of a consensus in the member states on what is necessary to modernise labour law".  

The Green Paper will be linked to a public consultation on possible common approaches to challenges that European labour law has to meet. Its publication was initially foreseen for 13 September 2006, but has been postponed several times due to conflicts between DG Employment and Social Affairs, DG Enterprise, DG Internal Market and also involving Commission President Barroso on the paper's contents.