European Centre for Industrial Relations, CERI

Adopting the report by Mr David MORRIS (PSE, UK) on the establishment of a European Centre for Industrial Relations, Parliament recognized the establishment of such a Centre as potentially playing a valuable role in this policy. It considered it essential, however, that the Commission should inform it about: - what activities the European Union is financing in the social sphere, specifying their purpose and contents, and - what system of control it intends to set up to guarantee the quality of these activities and prevent duplication. Wishing to ensure that the Centre has an adequate multiplier effect and that its activities are open to the widest possible range of beneficiaries, the report advocated more flexible arrangements (e.g. a modular approach) and a reduction in the length of the "long courses". The training offered by the Centre should genuinely enable representatives of management and trade unions to act as "tutors in European industrial relations" at workplace level. The report supported the idea of providing training opportunities for social partners represented on the Advisory Committees assisting the European Commission. Concerned that the training role of the Centre might be undermined by the development of research-orientated activities, Parliament was not convinced of the value of establishing a Chair in European industrial relations to be funded out of the Centre's budget. It did, however, welcome the creation of a position for a research coordinator in order to maximize the benefits of research carried out by other bodies. Finally, it stressed that, in order to safeguard the "added value" of the Centre, well-balanced participation of all social partners must be achieved at all times.�