Employment policy: maintain the guidelines for 2005-2008 in 2006 (Decision 2005/600/EC)

 The committee adopted the report by Magda KÓSÁNÉ KOVÁCS (PES, HU) approving the proposed Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States. It adopted a number of amendments to the recitals under the consultation procedure, underlining the importance of specific guidelines:

- further progress is needed to increase workers' mobility;

- renewed emphasis should be placed on the employment of young and older people, workers' health, combating work-related accidents at European level, the integration of vulnerable social groups, combating social exclusion, outlawing illegal working,  improving the quality and the stability of jobs and the establishment of equal rights and opportunities for men and women;

- in order to promote economic growth and employment and boost competitiveness, Member States should announce their research, innovation and research spending targets, as well as the measures they propose to take in respect of investment for the benefit of small and medium-sized businesses and of microfinancing for women's and family-run businesses which use innovative forms of technology;

- the European Parliament should play a more active role in monitoring the Member States' implementation of the guidelines in the intermediate years until 2008.