COM (813) 2011 is a technical proposal which it is recommended requires no further scrutiny. The guidelines for the employment policies of member states are part of the integrated guidelines for implementing the Europe 2020 strategy and are applicable until 2014 but are subject to annual review and validation. Therefore, the employment guidelines must be renewed annually by Council decision in line with treaty obligations. This proposal for a Council decision validates the 2012 guidelines as is required by the treaty. Ireland supports the guidelines. As this is a technical measure, it is proposed that this proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The second proposal, which does recommend further scrutiny, is the Green Paper, COM (2012) 7, entitled Restructuring and anticipation of change: what lessons from recent experience? The lead Department is the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. A Green Paper is a discussion paper. The Commission's Green Paper represents the first step in a consultation process on corporate restructuring and anticipating change. It does not put forward any specific proposals for initiatives in this area, although the Commission may come up with proposals following this consultation phase.
The context for this Green Paper is the deep EU recession and resulting job losses and the need now to learn lessons from that experience. The employment targets set out in the Europe 2020 growth strategy contains employment targets. Employment has been more successfully maintained in companies which have creatively restructured and adapted to change. The European Union aims to learn lessons from this experience by identifying the successful practices and policies followed by such companies in order to promote growth and competitiveness into the future.
The European Commission has now launched a Europe-wide public debate on corporate restructuring and anticipating change, including an online public consultation on the topic and on the Green Paper, which runs until 30 March 2012. The Green Paper covers a number of policy areas. However, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is co-ordinating a single response to the EU Commission to the Green Paper on behalf of the Government. That process is ongoing and will be finalised by the deadline of 30 March.
The committee welcomes the Green Paper on this important topic. It is proposed that this Green Paper warrants further scrutiny. It is proposed, therefore, to seek the Irish position on the Green Paper from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the closing date of March, as it is co-ordinating the response on behalf of the Government. Is it agreed that we will wait until we get that response and then take it from there? We will deal with that at the meeting following that of 30 March. Is that agreed? Agreed.