Non-paper

Objectives and structure of the Euro-Med Employment Workshop, 12/13 December 2007 The objective of this non-paper is to consult the Euro-Mediterranean partners on the objectives and structure of the Euro-Med employment workshop which the Commission intends to hold in Brussels on 12/13 December 2007, and its followup.

1. Mandate In line with the Euro-Med Five-Year Work Programme priorities, the European Commission (in its communication on the preparation of the 2006 Tampere EuroMediterranean Foreign Affairs Ministers Conference) set out its intention “to develop a more systematic approach to cooperation in the field of sustainable socio-economic development and reform which constitutes a major sector for enhancing social cohesion and economic development." It underlined that the Euro-Med framework can play an appropriate platform for enhanced co-operation in this area. In this context, Euro-Med Ministers of Foreign Affairs at Tampere "welcomed the proposal to hold in 2007 a Euro-Med workshop on employment policy and on practical measures to enhance employability of job seekers and create decent employment opportunities. The proposed workshop would pave the way for a EuroMed Ministerial Conference on Employment to be held in 2008.” The high-level conference “Employment and Social Dialogue within the Framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership”, organized by the German EU Presidency in Berlin on 16 March 2007, reinforced the call for putting employment firmly on the Euro-Med agenda as part of a genuine social dimension.

2. Employment challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries

Employment creation and the modernisation of labour markets are among the most pressing challenges for the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries. Despite important national differences, all partners need to adapt to globalisation and to a rapidly changing economic environment. Recent studies highlight, among others, the following concerns: •

In the European Union, key challenges for most Member States are the still relatively low employment rates in a context of demographic ageing, and the

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need to increase human capital and employability in response to the internationalisation of the economy. A number of policy areas are particularly relevant in order to achieve an adequate balance between security and flexibility in the labour market (“flexicurity”) that addresses the needs of both employers and employees: flexible and reliable contractual arrangements, comprehensive lifelong learning strategies, active labour market policies, and modern social protection systems. Equal opportunities and gender equality in employment remain important objectives. •

For most Southern partners, a key challenge is to ensure the integration of young people in the labour market. With working populations strongly on the rise, many more young job seekers will enter the labour market in the next decade. Economic growth should go along with the creation of a sufficient number of new jobs, and with a good match between job-seekers' skills and the needs of the labour markets. Women’s participation in the labour markets continues to be very low (despite the progress made in the last few years in several countries), and they are more vulnerable to transformations in the economy. The informal economy is very large, affecting particularly young people and women.

Both Northern and Southern partners could benefit from a better analytical understanding of employment and labour market needs, and from the exchange of experiences that might contribute to the enhancement of employment policies and the modernisation of labour markets.

3. Objectives of the Workshop Against this background, the Euro-Med Employment workshop should, in preparation of the 2008 Ministerial Conference, help to: • •

Better understand the challenges for labour markets and employment policies in the context globalisation and demographic change, taking into account similarities and differences across the Euro-Med region, and Take advantage of the opportunities offered by the exchange of experiences and best practices among the 37 partners.

The workshop should focus on the three themes referred to in the Tampere conclusions as agreed by the Euro-Med partners. a) Employment policies: more jobs Employment creation is key for meeting the objectives of stability and prosperity which are at the core of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Economic growth alone does not lead to the creation of employment if it is not supported by appropriate social and employment policies. Similarly, the promotion of inclusive labour markets is a strong driver for social cohesion. In particular, enhancing access of young people and women to quality work and social protection is a key for sustainable development.

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The workshop will look into how employment policies can be supportive of social cohesion. It will also address how employment policies can be managed to include those at the margins, i.e. young people and women, and the effective functioning of active labour market policies and the needs of modern labour markets. b) Enhancing employability: human capital Human capital plays a key role in order to improve employability and match workers’ skills with the changing needs of the labour markets. Comprehensive lifelong learning strategies and better investment in human resources are essential to facilitate transitions between jobs, to increase productivity, and promote employment protection. The workshop will address, inter alia, the links between education/training and employment policy as well as the important role of the public employment services. Particular attention should be paid to issues of "brain-drain" and to economic migration. The employability and adaptability of workers would be discussed from a life-cycle approach where human capital becomes a key policy to ensure security of employment. c) Creating decent employment opportunities: better jobs The improvement of the quality of employment is a key element to improve productivity and competitiveness of workers and enterprises, and also to reduce poverty. The International Labour Organization (ILO) Decent Work Agenda calls for a development strategy that acknowledges the central role of work in people's lives. Decent work implies more productive and quality employment, labour law, social protection, social dialogue and equal opportunities. The improvement of working and living conditions should allow to better meet the challenges of globalization and technological progress. The workshop will address, inter alia, policy approaches to ensuring the creation of quality employment, the transformation of the informal economy and the promotion of social rights. The workshop will include the presentation of concrete experiences from countries which have adopted a decent work country programme. Gender equality is a key element of employment policies, and therefore as a thematic priority it will be mainstreamed in the three sessions. The workshop will take into account gender equality in a way to build synergies with the follow-up to the 2006 Istanbul Ministerial Conference on “Strengthening the role of women in society”.

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4. Analytical support The discussions at the workshop should benefit from a diverse and up-to-date analytical basis and mobilize actors and expertise. For this purpose, the Commission has asked: •

the FEMISE research network (Forum Euro-Méditerranéen des Instituts Economiques) to prepare a summary report on employment challenges in the Mediterranean countries, including the impact of globalisation and demographic change on labour markets.

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the International Labour Organization (ILO) to work on a contribution which, within the general context of employment trends, focuses on concerns and policy responses to promote 'decent work' throughout the Euro-Med region.

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the European Training Foundation (ETF), which has prepared a report on Employment Policy Reform and Labour Market Functioning in the Mediterranean Region, to concentrate in its contribution to the workshop on an analysis of education investment, skills and employability.

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In addition, the European Commission will draw up a policy paper highlighting the latest developments in employment in the Union, taking into account the data provided by the member States in their Lisbon National Reform Programmes for 2007.

Background material will also draw on other existing studies, including the findings of the "EuroMed employment" project presented at the Berlin conference of March 2007.

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5. Agenda The workshop will consist of three elements: • • •

An introductory part setting out key issues and presenting results of the background studies; Parallel workshop sessions which will help to deepen the three themes; A plenary session summarizing the workshop's findings and drawing preliminary conclusions of this exchange.

The workshop, based on findings, should identify possible issues and procedures for enhancing cooperation on employment within the Euro-Med partnership.

6. Organization and participation The Euro-Med Employment Workshop will be organized by the European Commission (Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and Directorate-General External Relations), in co-operation with the Euro-Med Presidency. Involving a broad range of stakeholders is essential. This will contribute to raising the visibility of employment issues within the Euro-Med cooperation. The workshop will gather about 150 participants, covering senior civil servants from Ministries of Employment and other relevant Ministries (Economy, Finance) as well as from the European Commission, social partners and other relevant stakeholders. Invitations will aim at a balanced participation from the Euro-Med partner countries. The International Labour Organization and the European Training Foundation, as well as FEMISE, will also bring their technical expertise to the workshop. Representatives of the Euro-Med Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Economic, Financial and Social Affairs and Education as well as of the European Economic and Social Committee's Euromed Follow-Up Committee will be associated.

7. Follow-up The workshop intends to feed into the preparations for the 2008 Euro-Med Ministerial Conference on Employment, within the framework which will be determined by the forthcoming meeting of Euro-Med Ministers of Foreign Affairs in November 2007.

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8. Provisional Calendar Event Presentation of the non-paper to the Euro-Med Committee Discussion in the Euro-Med Committee Euro-Med Employment Workshop Ministerial Conference

Date 5-6 July 2007 6-7 September 2007 12-13 December 2007 2008

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