MEPs want say on EU employment guidelines

The European Parliament is calling on the European Council to postpone adopting the EU 2020 economic competitiveness strategy until the autumn, to give MEPs time to properly analyse the proposals.

The Conference of Presidents says Parliament has the legal right to be consulted on the EU’s employment policy guidelines and so could delay adoption of the package if it is not satisfied with the contents.

EU government leaders are currently planning to adopt as a package the EU 2020 programme for economic competitiveness and the integrated economic and employment policy guidelines for the next three years, when they meet in Brussels for the June EU summit.

But this leaves the European Parliament with only a few weeks to give its assessment of the draft guidelines. The Treaty gives Parliament the formal right to be consulted on the employment guidelines, so if they are still treated as a package, the whole set of policies will have to be adopted in the autumn if Parliament decides to give a more thorough assessment of the proposals.

The EU's employment policy guidelines are proposed by the Commission and approved by the Council. They present common priorities to the Member States national employment policies. Since 2005, the employment guidelines have been integrated with the macroeconomic and microeconomic policies and are set for a three year period.