Social Dialogue provides solutions to reduce Youth Unemployment

At a press conference, on 11 June 2013, ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME and CEEP presented their Framework of Actions on Youth Employment, resulting from social dialogue negotiations.

With youth unemployment rates currently at 24.4% in the euro area and 23.5% in the EU27, urgent and determined action is needed. Europe cannot afford such a waste of talent.

This Framework of Actions is the first priority of the European Social Dialogue Work Programme for 2012-2014. With it, the European socia partners aim to promote solutions to reduce youth unemployment. They call on national social partners, public authorities and other stakeholders to act together and acieve concrete progress in favour of youth employment.

A multi-pronged approach is needed to foster dynamic, open and mobile labour markets of young people with measures and appropriate resources focusing on the creation of more and better jobs, high quality learning outcomes, and better macht between skills supply and demand, including through the spread of work-based learning across Europe.

This Framework of Actions is based on existing and new practices linked to the four priorities identified: learning, transition, employment and entrepreneurship. The European social partners aim to promote the most effective initiatives identified across Europe that could be used as inspiration of designing solutions by national social partners in their respective contexts. Recommendations to other relevant actors such as the EU institutions and Member States are also included.

National social partners will report on their activities annually over the next three years.


Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary said: "ETUC rejects the idea of a sacrificed, lost generation of young people. Public authorities and social partners must assume their responsibilities and address the fundamental concerns of this group. With this framework of actions on youth employment, social partners are committing themselves to take urgent action and recommend concrete measures to the other stakeholders."

Markus J. Beyrer, BUSINESSEUROPE Director General: "Immediate action is needed to support young people in their search of a first job. Employers are willing to contribute efforts made to offer work, apprenticeship places or help young people to start their own enterprise. But our capacity to modernise European education and training systems and labour markets to create more jobs and equip young people with the right skills will make a difference if we want lasting solutions. This is why BUSINESSEUROPE and its members engaged in this framework of actions."

Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP) said: "Youth employment is one of Europe's most pressing challenges. The scope of the Framework of Actions demonstrates well the large amount of areas where efforts need to be made by all actors. In this respect, public service employers face their own specific challlenges and opportunities when it comes to fostering youth employment and we welcome that the Framework of Actions addresses many of these vital issues. Considering the gravity of the situation it is of outmost importance to ensure an effective and comprehensive follow up of the Framework of Actions, and public service employers are fully committed to achieve this."

Liliane Volozinskis,  Director for Social Affairs of UEAPME said: "The current level of youth unemployment is unbearable for the economy and the whole society. At the same time Crafts and SMEs, the main source of job creation in Euroe despite the crisis, deplore the lack of qualified young workes and growing skills mismateches. This reluts from long-standing labour market structural problems and a more recent lack of jobs due to the crisis. The diversity of situation in the Member States on youth employment requires in-depth analysis and to act swiftly on the identified main weaknesses along the four priorities defined in the Framework of Actions and a national coordinated strategy between social partners, public authorities and various stakeholders. For being fully effective such measures should be incentivised by European financial means such as the 6 billion of the Youth Employment Initiative and growth enhancing measures."


The Press Release is available here





Public procurement package to be adopted against the needs of utilities

Representatives of European public services and the railway sector are voicing their concern over the European Commission’s proposal on procurement for organisations operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services (replacing Directive 2004/17/EC – the so-called ‘Utilities Directive’).

The European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP) and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) are warning that crucial issues are not being properly tackled and must be dealt with in the current trialogue discussions. Both associations believe that the General Approach reached by the Council in December 2012 does not adequately respond to the specific needs of the industries which are covered by the ‘Utilities Directive’. Whilst the European Parliament has properly taken into consideration the Utilities sector’s need, neither the European Commission proposal nor the Council General Approach do so. This will not bring clarity and new rules to cut red tape.

The current Commission’s proposal implies – as an example – that at any time a station is modified and or a new station is put into service, a new public procurement proceeding – an open tendering - will be needed to contract the additional services needed (e.g. for cleaning of public space in stations or waste collection). Depending on the duration of the tendering process, there will be no services (i.e. cleaning or waste collection) provided until the finalisation of the procedure. Such a process can last a few months in the best case and a year in the worst case resulting in dissatisfied customers.

CER and CEEP are convinced that there is a need to take into account the fact that public undertakings providing public services to society deserve a flexible legal framework to operate effectively and to purchase necessary goods and services.

However, as the public procurement ‘Utilities Directive’ stands now, it is hard to believe it will bring simplification and flexibility of the current procedural regime, as intended by the Commission and desired by all stakeholders.

On the contrary, it appears obvious that there is a lack of understanding of the business constraints that the undertakings operating in utilities need to cope with. The introduction of strict conditions which limit the possibility of amending an ongoing publicly procured contract could cause serious repercussions in terms of liability for projects, and hinder the provision of public services.

CEEP and CER believe that the flexibility needed in utilities can be kept without contradicting the Commission’s intention of increasing transparency and enhancing competitive bidding. But failure to be sufficiently flexible will be counter-productive in terms of better access to the market for SMEs in particular.

CEEP and CER are now calling on the EU institutions to re-evaluate their position in the light of the information put forward by stakeholders since the start of the trialogue meetings.

The Joint Press Release is available here


Joint Trilogue meeting on public public cooperation: don't miss the target please!

Ahead of the joint Trilogue meeting of 6 May on public procurement and concessions focusing on public-public cooperation, CEEP calls on the co-legislators to get the definition right as this is the major condition for a satisfactory compromise on both legislative proposals.

“The positive recognition of public-public cooperation in the EU secondary law is a major achievement, provided that the Trilogue is able to agree on an adequate EU definition, workable for all authorities and public services operators throughout the EU”, stated Valeria RONZITTI, General Secretary of CEEP.

CEEP has aimed over the last months to be a constructive partner for all actors of the Trilogue, in order to reach the best possible text on both legislative proposals. “We have always provided the co-legislators with a ‘reality test’ of the various compromises floated on public-public cooperation over the last months” said Valeria Ronzitti, adding that “We did so motivated by a pragmatic approach and not by ideology: this is the strength of our contribution to the debates all over the legislative procedure”. It is precisely this reality test that reveals that major risks still remain. Amongst those risks, CEEP particularly warns the co-legislators against the risks that the present definition of horizontal public-public cooperation can entail. “If it stays in its current version, such a definition will counter the efforts of mutualisation of costs by local authorities, meaning the opposite of what the legislator would like to achieve”, concluded Ms Ronzitti.

In order to counteract those risks, CEEP is addressing to the Trilogue concrete proposals

The Press Release is available here



Involvement of Social Partners in structural reforms is crucial for effective and inclusive policies

copyright©European Union 2012

In a meeting with the College of the European Commissioners today discussing the social dimension of EMU including the role of social dialogue, Hans-Joachim Reck, President of CEEP underlined the importance of strengthening the role of social partners in European policy-making, specifically in governance reforms as well as economic and social reforms. Mr Reck stated: “This is a question of the democratic accountability and legitimacy of the European Union which is needed now more than ever.” While addressing measures to integrate a social dimension into the EMU, Mr Reck highlighted that the current problems haunting Europe and in particular the EMU cannot only be solved with austerity measures. Mr Reck said: “Actions to tackle unemployment and financial shortcomings must be connected with investments in enabling sectors such as infrastructure or digital services”. In his intervention Mr Reck also called for stronger solidarity between Member States and the need for further harmonisation in policy areas to solve current distortions.

In order to achieve this CEEP could support several proposed measures such as a social scoreboard of key employment and social indicators to detect social imbalances and the further elaboration of bilateral contracts between Member States and the EU Commission, similar to what is currently discussed under the heading “Convergence and Competiveness Instrument”.

“This would complement and rebalance the current system of macro-economic benchmarking as well as ensure continued investment in physical and social infrastructures in Member States experiencing difficulties”, concluded Mr Reck.


The Press Release is available here




Fostering Youth Employment in Public Services: Time to act


“With more than 22% of young people unemployed in the EU, it is now time to act to address this urgent issue” agreed Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of the the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public services (CEEP) and Patrick Itschert, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Presenting today the results of the project “Fostering Youth Employment in Public Services”, jointly managed by ETUC and CEEP, the two partners highlighted the need to focus on this important issue for Europe’s future.

Valeria Ronzitti explained “To foster youth employment is an essential element for Public services development, their high quality and effectiveness. Investment in public services alone will not turn public services into an employer of choice unless their image and variety of available career opportunities are promoted. Therefore CEEP is very pleased that this joint project with ETUC has provided many innovative examples on how to reach that goal, and I am confident that our partnership will be equally effective in spreading those examples and turn them into wider actions”.

Patrick Itschert went further by stating “. We cannot sacrifice one or even two generations of young people in Europe. Public authorities as well as social partners must assume their responsibilities and address the fundamental concerns of young people. This joint project was a very good opportunity to exchange practices and to develop the partnership between CEEP and ETUC in the framework of the youth employment challenge”.

The Press Release is available here 


Strengthening social dialogue in public services is essential across Europe

In reaction to the recently published Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue in Europe 2012 report and the related European Commission (EC) conference in Budapest, CEEP welcomed the extensive focus put on industrial relations in the public sector. “We are very pleased that the EC’s analysis puts such a strong emphasis on some public services. This signifies a real recognition of the importance of ensuring effective social dialogue in these areas for the resilience of the economy and social cohesion as a whole”, declared Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of CEEP.

“Nevertheless, we regret that once again it is not exactly clear what we are talking about” continued Valeria Ronzitti, highlighting the mixed use in the text between the terms public sector and public services. The term ‘public services’ is far more appropriate, encapsulating all services of general interest such as transport and water services as well as all types of providers. The narrow approach of the report referring only to public administration, health and education does not capture the real extent of public services. “Recent texts published by the EC have embraced the functional definition of public services as established by CEEP in its 2010 ‘Mapping of Public Services’ project: why not use it also in the analysis of Industrial Relations and thereby reflect the reality on the ground?” questioned Ms Ronzitti, calling for coherence within the EC services.

Going from terminology to analysis, CEEP agrees with the report that social dialogue in public services is under increasing strain. The impact of the crisis has been significant, as fiscal consolidation measures in some countries have excluded recourse to social dialogue in the restructuring and modernisation processes. “This is of great concern as the unwillingness of some governments to support collectively agreed solutions damages not only the quality of service provision but also trust in the democratic process and the attractiveness of public services as a future employer of choice”, stated Ms Ronzitti.

Finally, Ms Ronzitti echoed the reference made at the conference by Sophie Thörne, Chair of CEEP Social Affairs Board, to the three vital prerequisites for social dialogue: A suitable legal framework, a genuine capacity of social partners to organise their common activities and negotiations, and mutual trust and respect. “Strengthening these three fundamentals at all levels is an essential element of the recovery from the crisis and preserving the European social model.”

The press release is available here

Tripartite Social Summit: The long-term vision towards recovery is still missing

At the Tripartite Social Summit today, Hans-Joachim Reck, President of CEEP said that growth-friendly expenditure with a long-term perspective was essential for Europe. He urged that investments in education, research and innovation, as well as energy had to be prioritised to return to a path of sustainable growth and job creation. Mr Reck welcomed the allocations for research and development and infrastructure, of the European Council agreed on in a Multi-financial Framework: “Investments in infrastructure do have a positive impact on growth and job creation. But commitments must now turn into action”, Mr Reck stated. Referring to the recently proposed decrease in the Cohesion Policy budget, Mr Reck demonstrated that this is not always the case.

To underline the need of stable public services, he presented the results of the first “Pulse of Public Services” survey conducted by CEEP in February 2013. “Figures show cuts or limitations in public budgets are considered by public service employers to be the biggest impediment to investments, thereby hindering growth over the next 12 months.”

With regards to European initiatives to tackle youth unemployment, the President of CEEP noted that longer term strategies would be needed to foster lasting employment and overcome the demographic challenges facing public services.

”We need further monitoring and benchmarking instruments to better observe social and employment indicators in the European Union. Reasserting the social dimension is a difficult, but important task. I assure the full involvement of CEEP at all levels in this discussion”, concluded Mr Reck.

The Speaking Note can be viewed here

The Press Release is available here



Public Services Employers’ Forum

In a joint declaration addressed to  the Tripartite Social Summit, partners of the Public Services Employers’ Forum (PSEF) have highlighted three elements for reshaping the future in view of the current issues high on the European agenda:


1. Prioritise an EU budget for the medium- and long-term;

2. Secure the provision of public services;

3. Support employment and youth employability.

The joint declaration can be viewed here

The Press Release is available here


Signatories to the declaration include: CEEP – European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services, EURELECTRIC – Union of the Electricity Industry, HOSPEEM – European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association, EBU – European Broadcasting Union, EFEE – European Federation of Education Employers, CER – The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, CEMR – Council of European Municipalities and Regions, UITP – International Association of Public Transport.

AWARD OF CONCESSION CONTRACTS: CEEP calls on the Trilogue to “get it right”

Ahead of the first Trilogue on the proposal for a Directive on the award of concession contracts, “CEEP reiterates its commitment to working with the co-legislators to ensure a clear, simple and adequate legislative framework for the provision of services of general interest, bringing legal certainty rather than additional burdens”, stated CEEP General Secretary, Valeria Ronzitti.

This requires above all to ensure the right scope for the future Directive in order to avoid any side effects which would give a wrong signal on the European Legislators’ objectives. In this regard, “CEEP calls on the Trilogue to secure Article 1 on the freedom of authorities in providing, commissioning and organising SGIs and reinforce it with a clear reference to Article 14 of TFEU. This article provides for the necessary frame and it has to be guaranteed that the whole text of the Directive is coherent with that provision”.

To improve the definition of cooperation between contracting authorities or entities affiliated or not is essential. “Should articles 11 and article 15 be agreed upon as they stand now, it would indeed lead to serious damage to providers of services of general interest in several Member States, endangering the provision of those essential services to citizens and businesses”.

To further deepen the “light” regime for the awarding procedure, adapted to specificities of concession contracts, along the lines of the IMCO proposal.

“CEEP is at the full disposal of the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament to help them reach a text that would favour and not endanger the provision of Services of General Interests at national, regional and local levels”, concluded Valeria Ronzitti.

‘SOCIAL INVESTMENT PACKAGE’: the importance of investing in human capital and strengthening public services is finally on the agenda


“CEEP welcomes the publication of this Package,” declared Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of CEEP, commenting today on the adoption of the European Commission Communication ‘Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion’.

“CEEP has long emphasised that better investment is needed in public services to ensure inclusive growth and higher levels of employment, as shown by the current crisis. Therefore, through the Package’s focus on the importance of investing in childcare, education and training, active labour market policies, housing support and health services, the Commission’s adoption today truly serves to reinforce this message.” Our members, being education and healthcare providers, as well as local public authorities, are central to the provision of these services. However, as the Social Investment Package implies, “there must be recognition at Member State level that strengthened public services helps achieve effective, efficient and sustainable social budgets. This message now needs to be put into action.”

In terms of implementation of the Package, CEEP supports the emphasis on Structural Funds to assist active inclusion and social innovation of public services. “There is high potential for public services to innovate. Our members are catalysts for innovation in public services both in terms of new models of delivery, for example in the field of care, and employment practices such as the integration of disadvantaged groups within their workforce.”

It is also welcome that Member States are urged to strengthen the involvement of social partners throughout the European Semester, “although the Commission must bear in mind that genuine involvement needs to occur at the European level too to ensure EU policy guidance is both relevant and effective,” concluded Valeria Ronzitti.

CEEP at Informal Troika in Dublin, Ireland

Investments in human capital needed to tackle increasing skills mismatch in Europe

This is the key message delivered by Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of CEEP, at the meeting of the European Social Partners with the European Ministers of Employment and Social Security in Dublin today.

Linked to skills mismatches Ms Ronzitti also highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between education and training providers on the one hand and enterprises on the other. “As the representatives of both education and training providers and enterprises we have a specific role to play in this regard and we are currently working on a project establishing bridges between public services providers and the education sector”.

Addressing the alarming high levels of youth unemployment in many Member States, Ms Ronzitti underlined that “Member States and social partners at all levels have a shared responsibility to reverse this situation. For instance Members States have the responsibility to be coherent in their policies and give priority to growth-friendly expenditure such as investments in education instead of cutting such spending”.

With regard to the ongoing debate at European level on the social dimension of the EMU, including social dialogue, Valeria Ronzitti stated as a final remark that “at CEEP we are in favour of this debate because we are convinced that European economic and social integration should and will continue. But for this debate to be truly meaningful, social partners need to be involved.”

The Press Release is available here

Public Procurement - Joint Statement of the Public Services
Employer Forum ahead of IMCO vote on 18/12/2012


The partners of the Public Services Employers’ Forum (PSEF) expressed their concerned prior to the vote at the IMCO meeting in the European Parliament on the proposal for a new directive on public procurement.

Welcoming the clarification of the proposal on the scope of the public procurement package and to modernize its rules, they are nevertheless unsure of the outcome of current discussions. 

Partners of the PSEF very much insist on the need for clarity and simplicity and call for further improvements in order to ensure the efficiency of the new rules.

The Public Services Employers’ Forum is an informal forum of European employers’ organisations collaborating on matters of joint interest.
Signatories of this joint statement are:

- CEEP – the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public services
- CER - the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies
- CEMR – the Council of European Municipalities and Regions
- EURELECTIC – the Union of the Electricty Industry
- HOSPEEM - the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association
- UITP – the International Association of Public Transport

The Joint Declaration is available here



Joint Employers Press Release on the Working Time Directive negotiations

BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and UEAPME regret that the ETUC is not able to continue negotiations on the revision of the working time directive, which is essential to re-establish the conditions for its application in practice.  

Employers have made substantial and concrete proposals to solve the crucial issue of on-call time and its link in some countries with the use of the opt out, which allows Member States to derogate from the 48h weekly working time limit. These proposals are to the benefit of both employers and employees.

The distinctive nature of on-call time needs to be defined in the directive to allow legal certainty for a different treatment than working time.

Considering the limited time that remains until the extended deadline set by the European Commission at the end of 2012, we are now at the end of the negotiations.

BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and UEAPME remain ready to examine proposals from ETUC, in particular with regard to the latest employers’ proposal to which no counterproposal has been tabled.

In case of failure, it would be up to the European Commission to propose a solution to address the problems linked to the current unsatisfactory situation. The credibility of European law needs to be restored.
 

The joint press release is available here



European Cross-Industry Employers

"EMPLOYER PRACTICES FOR ACTIVE AGEING SHOULD BE RECOGNISED AND PROMOTED FURTHER”

Yesterday in Nicosia, the Cyprus Presidency co-organised the closing conference for the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012, which is a strong signal and contribution from the EU to addressing major demographic challenges in Europe by identifying effective solutions.

The number of workers retiring each year constitutes a real challenge to Europe’s economic growth potential, to the sustainability of public finances including pensions systems, and therefore to the competitiveness of enterprises.
Policy-makers should create the necessary conditions for active ageing to be an efficient and well-functioning policy principle1. Older workers should be encouraged to stay longer in work and employers to recruit and retain them. If the right conditions are put in place, employers can help to make active ageing a reality on labour markets.

European cross-industry employer organisations BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and UEAPME have undertaken to identify and promote initiatives from private and public service enterprises of all sizes and sectors, across the European Union. In the final synthesis paper of their joint project2, European employers present a range of useful practices from flexible working to better skills-mapping on the basis of which they have drawn up ten key messages for policy-makers.
Next year, we will identify and discuss future actions and / or ways in which employers can work, separately or jointly with the other European social partner, namely the European Trade Union Confederation, to better address demographic ageing and its impact on employment.

The final synthesis report is available here


Local Public Services Enterprises go for Innovation

CEEP closed today its 15th Annual Local Enterprises Conference with a declaration highlighting the key role of innovative local public services for growth in Europe. "Local public services providers are fully engaged in a process of modernisation of their mission of providing public services to citizens and businesses in their territories. This modernisation through innovation aims above all at improving the quality, affordability, safety and effectiveness of those services and takes place both in the operational management of the enterprises and in their daily activities" declared Hans-Joachim RECK, President of CEEP, echoing the final declaration of the conference. The 16,000 local enterprises representatives gathered in CEEP called on European policy makers to better take into account their added-value and specificities when setting the legal and financing framework impacting the provision of Services of General Interest.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

“Being innovative requires having the capacities and tools to act, added Valeria RONZITTI, General Secretary of CEEP. “Therefore, Local public services’ providers call for a pragmatic and proportionate approach which will allow to draw up the main lines of the “tool box” at their disposal when providing SGIs, giving them the necessary room for manoeuvre to effectively carry out their mission. This will enable even further local public services’ enterprises to be an engine for investments and growth in Europe." For more details, the Final Declaration of the 15th CEEP Annual Local Enterprises Conference is available here

 

CEEP-CSR Label Awarding Ceremony

"A great day for 23 Public Services providers in Europe"

Since then, this label has become recognised as a competitive advantage in tendering processes and as a tool to raise the corporate image of the awarded before public authorities as well as citizens.

“The awarding ceremony is an excellent occasion to celebrate the best of the enterprises having gone through a very strict evaluation process, based on a self-assessment, an evaluation by external experts and the selection by a highly qualified jury. This process is the proof that the voluntary approach to CSR, including when it comes to social and environmental criteria in public procurement, is the best way to achieve concrete results”, declared Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of CEEP.

This year, 4 enterprises received a “special award” for their high results scored in the evaluation by external experts as well as for the innovativeness of their practices, as evaluated by the jury:

  GEBALIS, EEM (PT)
  Groupe CILIOPÉE (FR)
  HEAG Südhessiche Energie AG – HSE (DE)
  HERA SpA (IT)

Moreover, 19 enterprises received the Label:

  ACEA Spa (IT)
  Adminstração do Porto de Sines, SA (PT)
  AIMAG Spa (IT)
  Ambiente Servizi SpA (IT)
  Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (DE)
  Berliner Wasserbetriebe (DE)
  Bremer Straβenbahn AG (DE)
  Entreprises publiques locales d’aménagement de l’agglomération dijonnaise - EPLAAD  (FR)
  Entsorgung Dortmund GmbH – EDG (DE)
  ISS s.a. (BE)
  Marche multiservizi SpA (IT)
  Nantes métropole Gestion Equipements – NGE (FR)
  Séquano aménagement (FR)
  Société Immobilière du Département de La Réunion - SIDR (FR)
  Société Immobilière de Nouvelle-Calédonie – SIC (FR)
  Société Anonyme de Construction de la Ville de Lyon – SACVL (FR)
  Société d’économie mixte d’aménagement de l’est de Paris – SEMAEST (FR)
  Société d'équipement du Rhône et de Lyon – SERL (FR)
  Stockholm Vatten AB (SE)

 More information available on www.ceepcsrlabel.eu

CEEP at MEDPOL

CEEP: Investments in European infrastructures are essential to get out of the crisis

This was the key message that Milena Angelova, Executive Vice President of CEEP, presented at the Macroeconomic Dialogue meeting of the European Social Partners with EU economic policy makers today in Brussels.

Ms Angelova stated: “Europe is falling behind in infrastructures due to cuts in public budgets but also due to the lack of a clear European industrial, transport and energy policy line. If investments in our network industries are not increased we will lose out on competitiveness vis-à-vis other regions both in terms of lower increases in productivity and in employment creation”.

In her intervention Milena Angelova also underlined that the European Union should be more audacious in pushing forward the initiatives to compensate the reduction in public investment due to the austerity measures by relying more on other financing instruments. Ms Angelova highlighted in this respect that project bonds have a clear potential in bridging the gap between EU 2020 ambitions and budgetary realities in financing large infrastructure projects.

As a final remark, Ms Angelova emphasised that the current negotiation on the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework is of great importance. “For CEEP it is essential that care is taken to ensure that the budget lines on the Connecting Europe Facility and the cohesion policies for the programming period 2014-2020 are preserved”.

The speaking note of Ms Angelova is available here



" Compact for Growth in Public Services - Time for Implementation" 

Hans-Joachim Reck, President of CEEP, presented this key message at the Tripartite Social Summit today in Brussels. The proposal for a “Compact for Growth in Public Services” had been launched ahead of the June European Council meeting and the CEEP President took the opportunity to review two of the ingredients of this Compact.

With regard to investments in infrastructures, Mr Reck stated that “CEEP welcomes the decision to launch the Project Bond pilot phase and call on decision makers to ensure that the remaining funds still to be mobilised are allocated by the first semester of 2013.” He clearly emphasised that this is not about “asking money for public services”, it is about investing in the future. In this respect, the CEEP President gave a concrete example from the Joint Declaration of the Public Services Employers Forum presented by CEEP at the Summit: “Each Euro publically invested in rail infrastructure brings an added value of two Euros for national economies.” With respect to concrete projects CEEP argues for an integrated approach for investments in infrastructure. For the energy sector this would for example mean that transmission and distribution networks need to be considered as one unit in terms of security of supply, competitiveness and sustainability and therefore need to be expanded in parallel.

CEEP President also highlighted the importance of investing in the jobs of the future. “The Employment package clearly emphasises that the biggest employment growth potential is in public services, notably in green and white jobs.” Mr Reck continued: “But when it comes to putting in place concrete actions to favour this job creation, implementation is lagging behind.” He then reiterated CEEP’s call for a reprogramming of Structural Funds in support of the creation of green and white jobs.

Following the celebrations of the 20th Anniversary of the European Single Market, Mr Reck concluded that public services' employers believe that the Single Market is a unique achievement. However, the stocktaking of the last 20 years should mainly be used to better plan the future. He then referred to the twelve actions set in the Single Market Act II, stating that they should be preceded by an adequate impact assessment in order to avoid repeating mistakes from the past.

The press release is available here

The speaking note of President Reck is available here