Doc. 8482

16 July 1999

Future of social policy

Recommendation 1304 (1996)

New technologies and employment

Recommendation 1314 (1997)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 676^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (1-2 July 1999)

The Committee of Ministers refers to its interim replies to Parliamentary Assembly Recommendations 1304 (1996) on the future of social policy and 1314 (1997) on new technologies and employment. The Committee of Ministers wishes to recall that, following the Action Plan adopted by the Council of Europe Heads of State and Government at the Second Summit, in October 1997, the promotion of social cohesion has become a central priority of the Organisation.

The Committee of Ministers has in particular established two structures to support the development of the Council of Europe's activities in this field.

Firstly, in June 1998, it created the European Committee for Social Cohesion (CDCS), in which the Parliamentary Assembly is represented, and whose terms of reference are set out in the Appendix to this reply. Then, in January 1999, the Committee of Ministers created the Specialised Unit for Social Cohesion, the CDCS's research and project arm. The role of the Council of Europe in this field has been further strengthened and developed with the signing of the Joint Co-operation Programme between the Council of Europe and the Social Development Fund in February 1999 which will give rise to several concrete field projects.

The Committee of Ministers is keen to underline the high priority placed by the CDCS in the framework of its Strategy for Social Cohesion on access to employment, particularly for disadvantaged groups on the labour market. It informs the Assembly that the CDCS has in particular approved an intergovernmental activity on promoting access to employment, which will commence in Autumn 1999. A series of bilateral activities are also being organised to develop integrated and co-ordinated employment initiatives at local level within the framework of the Activities for the development and consolidation of democratic stability (ADACS) and the Joint Co-operation Programme with the Social Development Fund.

It is interesting to mention that in parallel to this exercise, the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) is also undertaking an activity as part of its intergovernmental programme on the role of employment services in the promotion of equal opportunities for migrant and disadvantaged ethnic minority groups in the labour market. As part of this activity, a series of training workshops for the staff of employment services are planned for 1999.

Finally, the Committee of Ministers wishes to inform the Assembly that in the framework of its multi-disciplinary approach to the problems of social exclusion, the employment activities of the CDCS will integrate relevant aspects of policy from the fields of housing, education, health and social protection.

Appendix to the reply

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL COHESION

(CDCS)

Specific terms of reference

1.       Name of Committee:       EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL COHESION

2.       Type of Committee:       Steering committee

3.       Source of terms of

      reference:       Committee of Ministers

4.       Terms of reference:

The European Committee for Social Cohesion shall, on the basis of the priorities communicated to it by the Committee of Ministers¹:

a.       prepare proposals with a view to the adoption by the Committee of Ministers of a strategy for social cohesion;

b.       co-ordinate, guide and stimulate co-operation between the member States with a view to promoting social cohesion in Europe;

c.       include within its programme of activities the regular exchange of views, information and good practice on issues relating to social cohesion;

d.       co-ordinate, guide and stimulate co-operation between the member States with a view to promoting the social standards embodied in the European Social Charter, the Revised European Social Charter and other Council of Europe instruments, in particular those mentioned in sub-paragraph 4.e below;

e.       (i)       execute the terms of reference derived from the following treaties:

      -       European Code of Social Security and its Protocol

      -       European Agreement on "au pair" Placement

-       European Convention on Social Security via its Supplementary Agreement

      -       European Code of Social Security (revised)

(ii) examine the functioning and implementation of the following treaties, with a view to adapting them and improving their practical application:

-       European Interim Agreement on Social Security Schemes relating to Old Age, Invalidity and Survivors, and Protocol thereto

-       European Interim Agreement on Social Security other than Schemes for Old Age, Invalidity and Survivors, and Protocol thereto

-       European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance, and Protocol thereto.

f.       supervise the activities of the Specialised Unit proposed in the Plan of Action adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe on the occasion of their 2^nd Summit;

5.       Membership of the committee:

a.       The governments of all member States are entitled to appoint members with the following desirable qualifications: senior national civil servants having responsibility for the planning, development and implementation of policies relevant to the work of the Committee and appointed by their governments to co-ordinate at a national level all elements of government policy relevant to the work of the Committee.

      The Council of Europe will bear the travel and subsistence expenses for one Committee member per country (two in the case of the member State whose representative has been elected as the chairperson of the Committee) and the organisations mentioned under paragraph 5.d. below.

b.       The European Commission may send a representative to the meetings of the Committee without the right to vote.

c.       The following bodies may each send a representative to meetings of the Committee without the right to vote:

      (i)       The European Committee on Migration,

      (ii)       The European Health Committee,

(iii) The European Population Committee,

(iv) The Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men,

      (v)       The Committee on the Rehabilitation and Integration of People with Disabilities of the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field,

      (vi)       The Social Development Fund,

      (vii)       The Partial Agreement Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs,

      (viii)       The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,

      (ix)       The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.

      (x)       States having observer status with the Council of Europe,

(xi)       Holy See

d.       The following organisations may send a representative to meetings of the Committee, without the right to vote:

(i) The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

(ii) The Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE),

      (iii)       The Liaison Group of non-governmental organisations having consultative status with the Council of Europe (two representatives).

e.       The European Committee for Social Cohesion will examine the question of additional observers at its first meeting with a view to submitting proposals to the Committee of Ministers.

6.       Working structures and methods:

The working structures of the Committee will be,

a.       a Bureau composed of 11 members from the Council of Europe member States including the Chairperson and Vice-chairperson,

b.       Committee(s) for the execution of the terms of reference in respect of the treaties mentioned under paragraph 4.e above,

c.       such committees of experts, multi-disciplinary groups or working parties and programmes of technical co-operation as approved by the Committee of Ministers.

The Committee shall meet twice a year, once in its full membership and once without the presence of external observers mentioned under paragraph 5.d. and 5.e.

The Committee shall hold regular exchanges of view with the Governmental Committee and the Committee of Independent Experts of the European Social Charter, and maintain contact with relevant steering committees of the Council of Europe.

7.       Duration:

      These terms of reference shall be reviewed before 31 December 2000.

Appendix to the terms of reference

The first task of the Committee will be to prepare a strategy for the development of social cohesion activities within the Council of Europe for consideration by the Committee of Ministers.

In creating this strategy, the Committee will, in particular, draw on:

-       the Final Declaration and Action Plan adopted by the Heads of State and Government on the occasion of their 2^nd Summit,

-       the responses to the questionnaire sent out to the governments of member States as part of the Review of Social Affairs,

-       the outcome of the Project on Human Dignity and Social Exclusion,

-       the Conclusions of the Committee of Independent Experts, the Reports of the Governmental Committee of the European Social Charter and the Resolutions and Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers thereon,

-       the working documents of the Rapporteur Group on Social and Health Questions including documents GR-SOC (97) 19 (A Strategy for Social Cohesion) and GR-SOC (97) 22 (Towards a Strategy for Social Cohesion : orientations, structures and working methods),

-       the outcome of recent ministerial conferences in the field of social cohesion,

-       any contributions from the existing steering committees.

As soon as possible, the Committee will present a report to the Committee of Ministers containing its proposals for a strategy and for a programme of work for the medium term.

¹ See the appendix