European Commission praises "flexicurity" employment policy

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The European Union would like to make it easier to dismiss employees. At the same time, social security should be improved. Then, thanks to the improved flexibility of the market, it should be simpler to find a job. Surveys show that Europeans mostly seem to agree with the need to adapt and change.

The concept of flexicurity, preached by the European Commission, is aimed to encourage EU governments to unfasten their employment policies. According to Vladimír Špidla, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities, a too protective employment policy may paralyze the labour-market. Such a policy "extends the time needed for jobseeking and the period of unemployment", writes the Commission in its report.

On its paper, the Commission is inspired by the social model of the Scandinavian countries - namely by the social system established in Denmark in the late 1990's.

Sources

European Commission. "Flexicurity: getting more people into good jobs" — Europa.eu, June 27, 2007
"Flexibility and social security key to employment, experts agree" — Euractive.com, June 22, 2007
European Commission. "Flexicurity: the response to globalisation and demographics by combining flexibility and security" — Europa.eu, April 2007
Vladimír Špidla, Member of the European Commission. "SPEECH/06/20" — Europa.eu, January 20, 2006
Claus Hjort FREDERIKSEN, Minister for Employment. "Social cohesion and flexicurity – The example of Denmark" — Council of Europe, November, 2005

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