Following a Commission proposal on 11 December 2007, EU employment ministers agreed that the existing employment guidelines should remain largely unchanged until 2010. At a meeting on 29 February, they confirmed 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."
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.
