Vladimír Spidla
Member of the European Commission responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities

Informal Ministerial Meeting: "Social Dimension of the Lisbon Strategy"

Informal Ministerial Meeting: "Social Dimension of the Lisbon Strategy"
Villach (Austria), 20 January 2006

Mrs Haubner,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should like to begin by thanking the Austrian Presidency for the document which forms the basis of this working meeting.

One thing was made clear at Hampton Court: the European Union has shared values, which its citizens want to uphold. These include social security systems which meet high standards and are sustainable. Thanks to these systems, Europe has long been in a position to combine economic performance with social cohesion.

Mass unemployment and the structural changes brought about by globalisation, technological change and demographics compel us to carry out far-reaching reforms in order to lend new impetus to social protection.

Social protection systems are the mainspring of the contract of trust between citizens and governments. They need to foster employment and growth. Their modernisation must lead to a fairer distribution of risk and to a new contract between the generations.

There are many examples to show how important a high level of social protection is for successful modernisation. Measures to promote social inclusion should encourage active job-seeking and ensure that individuals are well-trained and motivated. Reforms should prolong working life and facilitate "active ageing" in order to guarantee sustainable old-age provision. Health care systems must be made sustainable in order to ensure that the workforce and the population as a whole have a high standard of health.

How can the coordination of social protection measures at European level be of benefit to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are responsible for the reforms? I would like to propose five priorities around which our future work will revolve:

We must deepen the partnership between the Member States and the Union and make it more efficient. The European Strategy for Growth and Jobs and the Social Agenda are not the business solely of the Commission and the European institutions. We all must pull together: the Member States, members of the public, parliaments, the social partners, civil society and all the Community institutions.

For this partnership to be successful, there needs to be a clear distribution of roles. The Member States implement the reforms and structural measures which were agreed as part of the Lisbon Strategy. The European Union supports the reform efforts through its own measures _ with the European Social Fund, by promoting the social dialogue and by establishing best practice.

This is precisely what should be achieved with the open method of coordination. "Streamlining" is to be used from this year onwards to step up coordination of social protection measures and help achieve the goals of the Lisbon Strategy.

The simplified "open method of coordination" will make the importance of a balanced approach to the reform of our social protection systems easier to understand. This will strengthen our influence and role in the Council.

The simplified "open method of coordination" will lend more weight to our arguments vis-à-vis your governments, the social partners and the media. We can help each other if we follow the examples of our neighbours. I am pleased that France is using the approach adopted by Ireland to solve the problem of families who are heavily in debt. This shows how Europe can help us and every individual.

If we want to learn from each other, simply exchanging experiences is not enough. We need to conduct an in-depth analysis, which means that we need more effective analytical and statistical tools.

Lastly, we must raise public awareness of coordination at European level. We have supported a balanced approach which reconciles social and financial objectives. This is an important achievement because it strengthens public trust in the reforms.

Finally, allow me to point out once again that the positive interaction between the "open method" and the strategy for growth and employment is of great importance for the implementation of this strategy. The coordination of national measures should show that social cohesion and social protection have a significant role to play in making the European strategy successful. At the same time, the reforms and measures in the field of social protection must be geared to the global challenges.

By adopting this approach, we will achieve what we so urgently need for all reforms, namely public confidence.

Thank you.