Social policy. White Paper

The committee members adopted (by a very wide majority) the draft report setting out the principles behind the Union's social policy: * the fight against unemployment should be the Union's priority objective; * the European social model should be based on a social market economy and standards to prevent unfair competition in the social area should therefore be introduced; * binding legislative provisions applicable at Community level in the social area should be introduced in order to work towards real social Union. The report also pointed out that legislation is still the best way of anchoring social rights in substantive law (especially by making use of all the possibilities offered by the agreement on social policy in the TEU) in order to improve conditions in employment, vocational training and equal opportunities between men and women in Europe. Finally, the report stressed the need to process the legislative proposals in the social area pending before the Council at 1 January 1995.�