With France now in the driver's seat, EU officials on Wednesday unveiled new bloc-wide social policies aimed at putting an end to discrimination in all areas. It will be up to the 27 member states to implement them. The European Commission on Wednesday, July 2, presented a comprehensive social package that ranges from anti-discrimination laws to health care abroad to labor rights. After Ireland's clear No to the European Union's reform treaty last month, Brussels is looking for ways to win back the support of the people. "It's important to us to understand the message of the Irish voters," said Francois Fillon, the prime minister of France, which began its six-month EU presidency on July 1. "They're telling us: fewer discussions about institutions, more concrete solutions for the problems in Europe."
The European Commission on Wednesday, July 2, presented a comprehensive social package that ranges from anti-discrimination laws to health care abroad to labor rights.
After Ireland's clear No to the European Union's reform treaty last month, Brussels is looking for ways to win back the support of the people.
"It's important to us to understand the message of the Irish voters," said Francois Fillon, the prime minister of France, which began its six-month EU presidency on July 1. "They're telling us: fewer discussions about institutions, more concrete solutions for the problems in Europe."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has come up with a renewed "social agenda" to highlight its efforts for better protection of citizens, despite criticism by some in the European Parliament and in national capitals, accusing Brussels of a narrow focus on economic growth and the internal market. The commission's health care proposal aims to help patients to receive medical help outside their home country "Europe's social dimension has never been as relevant as it is today," commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (2 July) in a statement on a package of documents addressing the key social policy areas where Europe is currently active. Patients' rights and a new anti-discrimination bill have so far attracted the most attention in the basket of policies, but the social agenda also includes specific ideas on how to help Roma people, as well as a proposal on works councils which currently operate in 820 major firms and cover some 14.5 million employees. Brussels argues the role of works councils in big multinational companies should be strengthened, so as to help foster "transnational social dialogue in large enterprises, to improve corporate governance and to anticipate and manage change in a socially responsible way."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has come up with a renewed "social agenda" to highlight its efforts for better protection of citizens, despite criticism by some in the European Parliament and in national capitals, accusing Brussels of a narrow focus on economic growth and the internal market.
The commission's health care proposal aims to help patients to receive medical help outside their home country
"Europe's social dimension has never been as relevant as it is today," commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (2 July) in a statement on a package of documents addressing the key social policy areas where Europe is currently active.
Patients' rights and a new anti-discrimination bill have so far attracted the most attention in the basket of policies, but the social agenda also includes specific ideas on how to help Roma people, as well as a proposal on works councils which currently operate in 820 major firms and cover some 14.5 million employees.
Brussels argues the role of works councils in big multinational companies should be strengthened, so as to help foster "transnational social dialogue in large enterprises, to improve corporate governance and to anticipate and manage change in a socially responsible way."
Nut the narrative that social policies are theater, and cannot really be implemented, gets yet another bit of friendly support. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
