3 Noll 2014, 15:14
A key parliamentary conference yesterday in Rome has adopted a proposal by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs on incorporating a target for quality jobs in the EU’s flagship Europe 2020 strategy.
3 December 2014
The Oireachtas delegation secured support for the measure at 52nd plenary of COSAC, the conference of the committees from national parliaments dealing with EU Affairs as well as representatives of the European Parliament. The delegation framed its proposals, which also included a range of suggestions to enhance the use of social indicators, around a political contribution the Committee issued to the European Commission last month.
The delegation was led by EU Affairs Committee Chairman Dominic Hannigan, and included Committee Members Bernard Durkan TD, Timmy Dooley TD and Senator Aideen Hayden.
The final agreed wording of the COSAC contribution included significant input from the Irish delegation, reflecting Committee positions including:
- the development of qualitative measures for headline targets such as job quality indicators;
- the greater use of social indicators to monitor negative social outcomes on EU;
- the need to move from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to achieve headline targets;
- the need to address regional disparities within and between Members States, and
- the need to foster more inclusive and less centre driven approach in Strategy implementation.
Deputy Hannigan says: “Genuine social dialogue and focus on the social agenda at European level has the potential to revive the tarnished image of Europe among its citizens. On behalf of the Committee, I warmly welcome the adoption by COSAC of a Quality Jobs Target in its contribution on the Europe 2020 strategy, as a well as a range of other measures to address social and regional disparities Union-wide.
“The Irish contribution to the debate in Rome yesterday stemmed from our engagement in Dublin with Irish stakeholders on the strategy. It meant that we were well positioned to persuade our European partners of the value of these key recommendations. The success of the Irish delegation at yesterday’s COSAC plenary is a noteworthy milestone, and reflects a longstanding commitment of the Committee to place social outcomes at the heart of economic decision making at EU level.”
Committee Membership
Deputies: Eric Byrne, Seán Crowe, Timmy Dooley, Bernard J. Durkan, John Halligan, Dominic Hannigan (Chair), Derek Keating, Seán Kyne, and Joe O’Reilly
Senators: Colm Burke, Aideen Hayden, Terry Leyden, Catherine Noone and Kathryn Reilly