Social standards and globalisation ETUC seminar Turin Presentation

Social standards and globalisation ETUC seminar Turin • Presentation by Rudi Delarue European Commission DG Employment and social affairs enlargement and international affairs

Social standards and globalisation • European Commission approach/ concept • Better addressing globalisation in EU and outside • Relations with ILO: policy, techncial cooperation, standards, inside and outside EU • ETUC and other questions • Questions towards ETUC and affiliated organisations

Approach and Concepts • Support for the report of the World Commission SDG and its follow up: • Relevance of EU social and economic model for the external dimension (Communication SDG, 18 May 2004, COM 383 final and other initiatives) – from a fragmented approach towards a more coherent approach – Mutually reinforcing economic, employment, social and environmental policies – Definition of EU social model March 2002 Barcelona Summit

Definition EU social model is based on: • good economic • employment as the best performance guarantee against social exclusion • high level of social protection and education • strong social dialogue

Conceptual approach WCSDG and its proposals supported by EU Commission • better governance at global, regional and national level • includes social dialogue and better involvement of SP • policy coherence between social and economic objectives • decent work including CLS should become a global goal (including for institutions of economic governance such as WB, IMF, WTO) • support strengthening ILO supervisory mechanisms • strengthening ILO and its decent work agenda (employment, social dialogue, rights at work, social protection, gender) • should be taken up more broadly and therefore support for policy coherence initiatives, policy dialogue development and globalisation forum • complementary role CSR

Better addressing globalisation in EU • Important for future EU social agenda • Commission proposals for the future orientations of EU structural funds such as European social fund • Implications for many methods of work and policies

Better addressing social dimension globalisation in EU • Importance of strong social dimension in regional integration as a stepping stone for strengtening SDG • Recognising the positive and negative aspects (see Communication SDG of 18 May 2005, Employment in Europe 2004) • Lisbon agenda • Pro-active approach to change • Investment in human capital • Addressing restructuring • importance of fundamental rights (treaty, charter, specific directives) • workers involvement, employment conditions • balanced approach flexibility and security • social dialogue at alle levels • effective and sustained systems of social protection • complementary role of CSR

Better addressing social dimension globalisation outside EU • mainstreaming approach: – agreements and political dialogue with third countries and regions (Balkans, new neighbours, emerging economies, Latin America, ACP, other developing countries) – make employment and social policy issues (decent work) relevant at all stages of programming (external cooperation) – development policy (MDG review 2005 and decent work): – trade policy: multilateral and bilateral – CSR – strenthening global governance and concrete proposals for better involvement of social partners – importance of a strong social dimension of regional integration as a stepping stone towards strengthening SDG

European Commission relations with ILO • shared principles, approaches and methods of work • joint strategic interest in cooperation • almost all ILO initatives have EU relevance in one way or another: standard setting, ratification, implemenation supervision, policy development, technical cooperation • growing conscience of this in EU institutions, in ILO and in more and more EU Member states and amongst more and more social partners BUT more should be done • stronger EU coordination in ILO will strengthen visibility and relevance of ILO in EU and will facilitate ratification and cooperation • Proposal for a Council Decision authorising EUMS to ratify Convention 185 (seafarers ID) • lower ILO Conventions ratification levels in EU MS in 1985 -2000: lack of visibility of ILO in EU MS, stronger policy coherence between EU MS departments could help a lot both at the ILO and in EU when discussing SDG

Cooperation European Commission and ILO/SDG • contributing to EU coordination (EU Presidency) • on issues of EU interest: our objective is ensuring first an EU position, than outreach and dialogue with others such as IMEC (informal grouping of industrialised market economies) and others: exemple migrant workers ILC June 2004, health and safety at work ILC June 2004, maritime conventions consolidation, SDG but difficult discussion on follow-up in ILO GB and elsewhere ( back to a more administrative approach) • cooperation between ILO and European Commission as institutions: 2001 exchange of letters covers decent work including CLS SDG, EU external cooperation and also 2004 partnership in the field of development cooperation • was on the agenda of the last session of the European social dialogue committee November 2004; SDG on forum the liaison of social dialogue; also EU sector social dialogue committees • other technical ministeries such as maritime transport, trade, justice often more open to discussions on ILO/EU issues than some national employment ministries