Social partners demand protection from 'carbon leakage'[fr][de] 

Addressing the Tripartite Summit, which he chaired, Commission President José Manuel Barroso said employers' organisations and trade unions must "make an active contribution to the new low-carbon economy". "Our industries must not leave Europe to go pollute elsewhere, taking jobs with them," Barroso added. 

The Commission president agreed "legislative measures to protect industry" were needed, adding: "We have time, until 2009 or 2012, to put together a precise system, but we can already establish an obligation to define this objective."

BusinessEurope President Ernest-Antoine Seillière stressed the link between economic growth and successful policies with respect to climate change, stating: "A strong and competitive industrial base as well as a vibrant capacity to create wealth is crucial for the European economy to make the necessary massive investments in the energy sector, in the transport sector, in the residential sector and in the search for new industrial production technologies. These investments, in turn, are needed to evolve towards a low-carbon energy system."

The social partners insisted that they need to be consulted on the EU's climate change package. Rainer Plassmann, the secretary general of CEEP, a public employers' federation which also brings together many state and region-owned energy suppliers, said: "The real challenge is to create the conditions for an industrial renewal transforming the business patterns in many economic sectors." The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said the revised emissions trading scheme should include a border adjustment mechanism to ensure European industry remains competitive (see EurActiv 23/01/08). 

The social partners also agreed to start negotiating a framework on how to maximise the potential of Europe's workforce, including providing easier access and better career opportunities for disadvantaged groups and promoting the reconciliation of work, private and family life . 

SME federation UEAPME stressed the ongoing need for labour market reforms. UEAPME Presisdent Georg Toifl said that with the 2010 deadline looming, "Europe does not stand a chance of achieving the Lisbon goals unless it quickly improves the fluidity and reactivity of its labour markets".

The social partners' framework, which is a follow-up to their joint analysis of EU labour markets (see EurActiv 19/10/07), may include measures such as active labour market policies and lifelong learning. Depending on the outcome of negotiations, it could be considered an endorsement of the Commission's flexicurtity agenda (see EurActiv LinksDossier).