Flexicurity concept offers a way out of crisis
This was the conclusion drawn by representatives of the EU Member States, the Commission and the social partners who met at a Presidency conference in Prague on 25-26 March to seek optimal means to help people return to the labour market and stay there in the current economic situation.
A flexible labour market combined with the security of remaining on it – the concept known as flexicurity – is one of the Czech Presidency’s main priorities in the field of employment policy. The conference, organised by the Czech Presidency in cooperation with the European Commission, aimed to highlight the exceptional importance of implementing the principles of flexicurity in the current economic context and emphasise the short- and long-term benefits of this strategy.
"Instead of artificially maintaining jobs, we need to promote principles of flexicurity, with a focus on creating new jobs, incentives to find new employment, opportunities for retraining and increasing skills, further training and education, and maximum use of geographical and occupational mobility, as well as reducing labour costs", the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Petr Nečas, stressed in his opening speech.
It emerged from the conference discussions that Member States should propose measures to promote employment, after consulting the social partners, with consideration for the specific economic conditions and the employment situation in their own country. There can be no single European flexicurity model; the model needs to be constantly adapted to the changing conditions. Care should be taken to ensure that any measure adopted does not undermine long-term structural reforms.
The conference’s conclusions regarding effective and appropriate measures within the flexicurity concept will now pass through the due approval process and will be reflected in the June session of the formal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO).
The papers delivered by conference speakers will be published on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (www.mpsv.cz) together with an audio recording of the joint press conference held by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Petr Nečas, and the European Commissioner for Employment, Vladimír Špidla.
Contact:
- Jana Říhová, Press Spokesperson for the Presidency, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic
- tel.: +420 221 922 249, mobile: +420 725 761 147 ; e-mail: jana.rihova@mpsv.cz, www.mpsv.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:35
