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"Flexicurity - Flexibility through Security"
Neformalni EPSCO, 20.1.2006 - DOPOLDAN
Dear Minister Bartenstein, Dear Colleagues,
I would like to thank the Presidency for putting the issue of flexicurity on the agenda.
I am sure that for us, the ministers responsible for employment, this is the central issue and a very important debate. We have been discussing it for several years now from one point of the view or the other. But the debate in the current context is of special importance since we all are looking for tools how to tackle the challenges that the EU and our countries are facing in the globalized world.
The Presidency has proposed a set of questions concerning flexicurity, and I am happy to make my comments.
1.
Flexicurity is not a well-known concept in Slovenia, and I don't think this will change in the foreseeable future. But the importance of promoting the labour market flexibility which is crucial for competitiveness, while maintaining the high level of social security is my Government's first priority. And this is what I think the flexicurity is all about - the proper balance between economic, social and environmental objectives. Trying to find our own balance between these objectives the Government of Slovenia decided to initiate a comprehensive package of measures. A Framework of Economic and Social Reforms was prepared and is currently under a broad discussion with the social partners and the public at large. Our basic aim is achieving a faster economic growth, higher employment and a higher level of social security at the same time. The details of the measures still have to be finalised, once the public discussion has been concluded and a broad consensus achieved. This is why I very much welcome this discussion. It comes at a best possible time.
The labour market in Slovenia is quite rigid. Because of this, the national reforms should create environment where unemployed people are able to find work more easily and quickly. The basic change that we wish to achieve in this field is motivating unemployed persons and recipients of social benefits to seek work more actively. We need to develop a culture where individuals are not only aware of their rights, but also of their duties. The unemployed have to be actively encouraged to find work. But they also have to be equipped with the means to quickly adapt themselves to a changing world. The active employment policy measures should therefore help creating an environment stimulating the development of people capacities, but on the other hand providing each individual with a safety net of social protection.
With the reforms we will not only motivate the workers to be more pro-active. We want to push also the employers to be more flexible and keen to employ the groups of unemployed who are usually considered as difficult to employ (for example the young, elderly or less educated).But we also want to provide the employers with a possibility to regulate the numbers of employed easier than they can today.
Only by drawing measures on both sides, stimulating the unemployed to be active and at the same time stimulating the employers to hire those unemployed we can reach better flexibility of our labour market.
2.
The national reforms are one of the key goals of the Slovene Government. But they can not be implemented nor can they be effective without a full support and cooperation of the social partners. This of course takes time and is not always easy. However, the whole project depends on the utmost commitment of all stakeholders - from the Government to social partners and local communities, as well.
3.
I have mentioned several times before that it is necessary to draw a strong and clear European framework of policies, still at the same time the specific situation in each country should be respected.
At the European level a framework of measures already exists. I hope we will be able to complete it soon with the important issues we have been discussing lately. The European level therefore matters a lot, not only as a forum for exchange of experiences. Together we can do very much:
-to improve the functioning of our labour markets,
-to increase mobility of our workers; and in this context I hope you share my view that free movement of workers is one of the most important values of our Community,
-to fight the negative demographic trends,
-and last but not least, to make Europe a better home for our citizens.
Thank you.