Social Policy and Social Protection

While fully recognising that the main political responsibility in these areas rests with the national, regional or even local authorities, the EU wants to can play a valuable role in promoting cooperation or even joint action, given that most of the problems faced are common to all the Member States.

Social security systems in the 15 EU countries are not all based on the same model. They reflect a history, traditions, social advances and a cultural heritage that are specific to each country and which cannot be changed. Any harmonisation of existing systems is therefore out of the question.

The Social Charter contains the following provision: "According to the arrangements applying in each country, every worker of the European Community shall have a right to adequate social protection and shall, whatever his status or whatever the size of the undertaking in which he is employed, enjoy an adequate level of social security benefits; persons who have been unable either to enter or re-enter the labour market and have no means of subsistence must be able to receive sufficient resources and social assistance in keeping with their particular situation".

On 23 April 1998, the Commission published a report on social protection in Europe (1997), in which it analyses recent trends in Member States' social protection systems and reviews the various measures adopted by Member States to control expenditure and increase efficiency.

The fight against social exclusion features in the Amsterdam Treaty, in conjunction with the possibility of appropriate measures being adopted on a qualified majority basis. With this new development in mind, the Commission is considering relaunching the dialogue on social exclusion with the Member States, the social partners and representatives of civil society (NGOs, foundations, etc.).

To facilitate the economic and social integration of elderly persons and the disabled, the Community has also launched the TIDE initiative, which is designed to promote the creation of an internal market for rehabilitation technologies in Europe.

As regards disabled people, the HELIOS II (1993-97) Community action programme came to an end on 31 December 1996. On the basis of its communication on equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, in which attention is drawn to the insufficiency of policies aimed at accommodating people to their disabilities with resultant marginalisation from society (the approach advocated entails identifying and removing the barriers to the full integration of disabled people in society, particularly as regards their active participation on the labour market), the Commission is preparing a new policy in favour of people with disabilities, geared more to equality of opportunity and cooperation with the relevant associations.

The Commission also promotes schemes designed to reinforce policies for the integration of migrants who are nationals of third countries residing legally on EU territory. To give a new impetus to the overall strategy at EU level, the Commission adopted a communication on racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism. Moreover, 1997 was designated as " European Year Against Racism". This has led to the establishment of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, whose task is to study the extent and development of these phenomena, to analyse the causes and to disseminate examples of good practice. On the basis of the results of the European Year Against Racism (1997) and new Treaty provisions against discrimination, the Commission has adopted an action plan aimed at establishing a partnership among all the players involved in the fight against racism in the European Union (Member States, NGOs, social partners, local authorities, media, etc.).

Finally, the Amsterdam Treaty contains a general provision aimed at combating discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, whereby secondary legislation may be adopted unanimously (new Article 6a).