Documents

2006 was a year of change for the SER, with the appointment of a new chairperson and a new secretary-general. It was also a year of change for the Netherlands. The Balkenende government called early general elections and left the country in a mild state of confusion at the end of the year, after a surprising election result open to multiple interpretations. In the final stages of the election campaign, the SER published the first part of its long-awaited medium-term advisory report, which focused on the theme of employment participation and offered detailed analyses and recommendations.Employment participation is also the theme of the present annual report.

In view of the advantages of teleworking for companies, employees and society at large, and the timeliness of initiatives allowing progress to be made in this form of organizing and performing work, the ESC expresses an interest in such measures, which have been encouraged at EU level by Community institutions and the social partners. It further recalls that these initiatives are the product of a consensus between European employers? organizations and trade unions with a view to modernizing the organization of labour and to striking the necessary balance between flexibility and security.The Council notes that teleworking, ?in addition to its contribution to social modernization and improved productivity and competitiveness in the context of the information society,? is also a means of, among other things, balancing work and personal and family life.The Council considers, however, that account should have been taken of the possibility that it will be mostly female civil servants who opt for teleworking, and that if this is so, the imbalance in the distribution of family responsibilities, and consequently inequality, will worsen.

On 25 March 2007, it will be fifty years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome that established the European Economic Community. At the time, the Social and EconomicCouncil of the Netherlands [SER] was directly involved in the Dutch contribution to the negotiations concerning the Treaty of Rome.By means of this statement, the Council wishes to underline its enduring involvement in the European integration process and to contribute to the intention of the new cabinet to invest in solid support for further European cooperation.

Each year, the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) adopts a new work programme. This programme is based on the letter the Council receives annually from the Cabinet, which includes an overview of the most important policy intentions about which it wishes to request advice in the coming year. In addition to the Cabinet, the Upper and Lower Chambers of the Dutch Parliament may also request advice from the Council. Furthermore, the Council may receive unforeseen requests for advice. This is very likely to be the case this year with the arrival of a new Cabinet. Finally, the Council may also decide to issue advice on its own initiative.

The report examines the adjustment of the Finnish economy to globalisation, Finland?s economicstrategy and the need to re-assess the strategy. The first six chapters analyse the way in which theFinnish economy has been developing in recent years and the challenges that will result from thatdevelopment. The analysis focuses on key economic-adjustment phenomena, an assessment of thescale of offshoring of jobs, and the functioning of the labour market. It also discusses issues posingparticular challenges for Finland, i.e. the situation of an energy-intensive economy at a time of risingenergy prices, agriculture and the regional structure of a sparsely populated country. The analysis inChapters 1-6 is based largely on contributions by Finnish economic research institutes, which theSecretariat of the Economic Council has turned into a consistent whole.The last two chapters of the report deal with Finland?s economic strategy, the pressures for change itfaces as a result of globalisation, the way these pressures have been taken into account in recentyears and, lastly, the key aspects of Finland?s competitiveness strategy and the need to develop it.The conclusions drawn reflect the views of the Secretariat of the Economic Council.

The report analyses globalisation and the policy challenges it poses for Europe. The report comprises13 articles by European experts, the first describing the globalisation phenomenon and itsconsequences in the light of latest economic research, followed by three commentary articles tosupplement the globalisation analysis. EU competitiveness and EU countries? structural policy are thensurveyed in general. Two articles examine the EU internal market, while four articles analyseinnovation policy widely. The final two articles discuss political governance of global and Europeaneconomic policy issues.

In its advisory report, the Council sets out its views on labour and student migration policy for persons from outside the European Union (third-country nationals). The free movement of workers applies within the European Union, the sole exception being workers from Bulgaria and Romania, who are subject to a transitional period. The EUMember States therefore have no leeway to set their own policy regarding labour migrants from other EU countries.

The Council welcomes the initiative of consolidating the General Consumer Protection Law and the various provisions transposing Community directives in a single text. The Opinion stresses the need to clarify the current complex legislative framework.The Opinion notes that, in view precisely of this Law?s importance, the draft decree ought to provide a better regulation of certain vital points which, with the current wording, may give rise to confusion in the interpretation of some provisions, with the chief aim of providing greater legal certainty.Accordingly the Council considers that the definition of consumers and users given in the General Law is more appropriate than that given in the draft royal decree.Moreover, the definition given of employers is an item that the ESC does not recognize from the provisions being consolidated here. The figures of ?employer? and ?professional? are also inappropriately confused, and should, where appropriate, be differentiated. Another of the Council?s remarks refers to consumers? information rights, which are treated as one of the basic consumer rights in the General Law. The Council considers that the draft decree should unequivocally lay down the obligation of government to inform those affected by its actions.

The Lisbon Strategy issues and its implementation represent the basic topics of the Economic and Social Council (ESC) activities. During the last two years, the ESC of Bulgaria took part in the network of national ESCs of EU Member States, created by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), aimed at involving the civil society in the realisation of the Strategy goals. The ESC has sent representatives to the EESC study groups on areas of main priority of the Lisbon Strategy revised in March 2005, as well as to the coordination group. The Council has repeatedly expressed its position and has made more than 200 proposals concerning realisation of Lisbon Strategy main priorities and measures and realisation of major strategic issues of the country. The ESC, a year ago approved an Opinion on the Lisbon Strategy. This opinion proposed specific measures, among these the elaboration of a National programme of the government for growth and jobs.<br>In this regard, the ESC supports the efforts of the government for drafting and approving a national reform programme referred to the Lisbon Strategy aims, priorities and related decisions of the European Commission and the European Council.