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EU Employment Strategy

European Employment Strategy and the National Reform Programme

The European Employment Strategy is based on an agreement by EU member states in 1997 to co-ordinate employment policies on agreed Employment Guidelines. From 2005, the European Employment Strategy has had a leading role in implementing the employment objectives of the revised Lisbon Strategy. The Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs, which includes Economic as well as Employment Guidelines were first developed for the 2005-2008 period and revised slightly for the 2008-2010 period. Based on these Guidelines, each Member State is required to draw up a three year National Reform Programme. The employment section of the National Reform Programme replaced the previous process of annual National Employment Action Plans (NEAP), however the process is broadly the same. The employment section is to be based on 3 common priorities and eight Employment Guidelines agreed at EU level. All actions aim to satisfy the overarching objectives of:

  • achieving full employment
  • improving quality and productivity at work
  • strengthening social and territorial cohesion


In October 2008 Ireland submitted its second National Reform Programme 2008-2010 to the EU. EAPN Ireland and Community Platform made a joint Submission to this NRP. The first NRP 2006-2008 was submitted in October 2006 to the EU Commission. EAPN Ireland and the Community Platform also made a Joint Submission to this Programme.

Each National Reform Programme of the EU Member States is examined by the European Commission. The EC then issues an Annual Progress Report on Jobs and Growth for the EU. This includes their analysis of all the Programmes and country specific assessments. Depending on progress these may include recommendations for improvement.

In November 2008, due to the economic crisis, the EU Produced an Economic Recovery Package and in March, the European Council produced specific country recommendations in relation reforms to address the economic crisis.

National Progress Reports are submitted by Member States by 15th October  each year followed by the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report in January the following year. The Commission produced an outline for these Progress Reports in a Working Paper in May 2006. EAPN Ireland Employment Working Group and the Community Platform made a Joint Submission to Irish NRP Progress Report 2007.

The key EU criticisms of Ireland’s National Reform Programme 2005-2008 in the Commission’s Annual Progress Report in January 2006 related to lack of detail on how Ireland is to address ongoing issues including: the provision of affordable, high quality childcare services; quality of work and poverty among employed people; measures to address their position of the low skilled especially with respect to older workers; labour market inactivity and the enhancement of adult participation in learning. It did however highlight as strength the emphasis on the need to integrate inactive people into the labour market, to increase female participation and to address skills development.

The Commission’s 2006/7 Report on Ireland’s implementation of their NRP, while generally positive, shows that many of the issues raised in the previous year’s report still need to be addressed. The key issues were childcare, migration, the needs of older and low skilled workers as well as the need to develop proper and appropriate services if groups are to be encouraged to access employment and training.

As a follow up to the EU Commissions Annual Progress Report in 2006 the EAPN Ireland Employment Working Group made a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business in March 2006 and a further Presentation to the new Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment in April 2008.

European Employment Documents

EAPN


National

  • Ireland’s National Reform Programme 2008-2010. The NRP outlines Ireland’s Economic and Employment priorities for the period.
  • The Irish Government’s 2006 and 2007 Annual Progress Reports on the Implementation of the National Reform Programme


European