Activites

• 1999/10/01 Final act published in Official Journal
• #2196
• 1999/07/12 Council Meeting
• #2181
• 1999/05/25 Council Meeting
• #2175
• 1999/05/10 Council Meeting
  • 2175
• 1999/05/04 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0382/1999 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the resolution by André Fourçans (PPE,FR), on the Commission's recommendation for the broad guidelines of the economic policies of the Member States and the Community. The Parliament is pleased to see the stability programmes of the Member States fulfil the requirements of the stability and growth pact. Nonetheless, it considers that some Member States have failed to give this first stability programme exercise all the importance it deserves. Furthermore, some stability programmes are over-optimistic about growth forecasts and too vague as to the ability to control public expenditure. The report welcomes the Commission's call for a European Employment Pact. The Parliament believes that this pact should be based on a political declaration by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament committing them to growth and employment, with the social partners also being invited to contribute to this objective. Specifically, this pact should contain the following elements: - reinforced cooperation between the different economic actors; - simultaneous discussion of the Broad Economic Guidelines and the Employment Guidelines, with both being adopted in June each year; - a European initiative for the Information Society. The report calls for a variety of structural reforms, in particular: - tax reforms: reducing the burden on labour, modernising tax systems, a reduced VAT rate on labour-intensive services, better tax coordination; - labour market reforms: adjusting the organisation of work while stressing the importance of flexible working hours negotiated at company and branch level, flexible working hours, adjusting social protection systems; - reform of social security systems to make them more flexible. The report also calls for: - improvement of the functioning of the single market; - wide introduction of the principle of mutual recognition; - further integration of the financial markets; - further liberalisation of the telecommunications, transport and energy sectors; - improvement of the conditions enabling access for businesses to all forms of financing (particularly risk capital); - development of a European market in electronic commerce and services.�

• 1999/05/03 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1999/04/21 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0222/1999
• 1999/03/30 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1999)0143 summary

    PURPOSE: Commission recommendation concerning the broad guidelines of the economic policies of the Member States of the Community. CONTENT: the broad guidelines of the economic policies for 1999 include general guidelines as well as guidelines by country, which enjoy the same legality. The general guidelines, which are applicable to all of the Member States, indicate the path which economic policy should follow. Inside this general framework, the guidelines by country are devoted to identifying the policy priorities specific to each Member State, taking acount of their individual situation. It emerges clearly from the general guidelines of economic policies that the main priority is to achieve a durably high level of growth in employment. To tackle the challenge of employment in Europe, an overall coherent strategy is required, encompassing 3 important elements, the effects of which will be mutually reinforcing: 1) safe macroeconomic policies which favour growth, employment and price stability, assuming that the stability and growth pact is fully respected and that wage development remains appropriate; 2) policies which improve the overall functioning of the labour market and particularly favour employablity, entrepreneurship, adaptability and equality of opportunity, thanks to a determined, speedy and transparent implementation of the employment guidelines, drawn up in respect of the situation of the Member States; 3) economic reforms allowing growth in the efficiency and flexibility of goods, services and capital markets, as well as committing to a growth trajectory which respects the environment, implying a careful pursuit of the single market, firm competition policy, regulatory reforms, improvement in the functioning of the labour market as well as more effective systems of taxation and social benefits. The European employment pact should define the process by which all of the political actors, at a national and European level, will encourage dialoge to allow the achievement of the Union's central social and economic objective, namely a high level of employment in the context of strong growth which is sustainable in the medium term.�

• #2167
• 1999/03/15 Council Meeting
  • 2167
• #2160
• 1999/02/08 Council Meeting
  • 2160

Documents

• Debate in Council: 2160
• Debate in Council: 2167
• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1999)0143
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0222/1999
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0382/1999
• Debate in Council: 2175

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)