Vol. 524 No. 1
45 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on her meeting in July 2000 with the EU Social Affairs Commissioner, Anna Diamantopoulou; and if she supports the new social policy agenda adopted by the EU Commission at its meeting on 28 June 2000. [21570/00]
I met Commissioner Diamantopoulou on 19 July this year on the occasion of her visit to Ireland. This was the Commissioner's first visit to this country since taking up her current post in the Commission. We had a wide-ranging discussion and exchange of views on issues of mutual interest in the area of the EU's employment and social policy agenda, including the Commission's communication of 28 June 2000.
I regard the Commission's communication on the social policy agenda for the period from now until 2005 as a balanced and well structured policy paper, the general thrust of which Ireland can support. I particularly welcome the fact that the bias in favour of legislation which was a feature of previous programmes in this area has been reduced in the programme outlined in the Commission's paper. The approach of applying the so-called open method of co-ordination, hitherto confined to the employment field, to other spheres of social policy is a development which I very much welcome and support.
Question No. 46 taken with Question No. 42.
