Social Europe - Supplement on new technologies and social change

European Commission Directorate-General For Employment Social Affairs And Inclusion

Description

Special Issue 1983/84
Social policy
Environmental research

Sujets

• Member state of the European Union
• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-EMPLOYMENT_SOCIAL-AFFAIRS-AND-INCLUS
• Nombre de lectures: 14
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

SOCIAL EUROPE
Supplement on NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND
SOCIAL CHANGE
SPECIAL ISSUE 1983/84
€
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EMPLOYMENT,
SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EDUCATION SOCIAL EUROPE
Supplement on NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND
SOCIAL CHANGE
SPECIAL ISSUE 1983/84
€
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EMPLOYMENT,
SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EDUCATION This publication is also available in the following languages:
DE ISBN 92-825-4583-0
FRN 92-825-4585-7
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1984
Reproduction in whole or in part of the contents of this publication is free, provided the source is acknowledged,
ISBN 92-825-4584-9
Catalogue number: CE-NC-84-001-EN-C
Printed in Belgium CONTENTS
Pages
1. EDITORIAL 5
PART ONE : COMMUNITY ACTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1. The European Social Fund - New technologies and
Technical progress (R. Betts) 7
22. New Information Technologies and Social Consensus
(G. Zingone) 13
23. New Technologies : Effects on Health and Safety at
Work (W. Hunter)9
2A. A Small Institute with a Wide Field of Activity :
The activities of the European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in
the field of new technologies (B. Pedersen and
A. Coëffard) 23
25. ESPRIT : for Europe's survival in information
technologies (M. English)
3. PART TWO : ACTIVITIES IN THE MEMBER STATES
3.1. Summary (A. Hingel) 36
3.2. United Kingdom 41
3.3. Federal Republic of Germany 57
3.4. France 6
3.5. Italy 8
3.6. Denmark 93
3.7. Netherlands 101
3.8. Belgium 11
3.9. Ireland 125 1. EDITORIAL
The introduction of new technologies and of technological change,
together with their social implications, are one of the priorities
of Community action.
This was recently reaffirmed by the Standing Committee on Employment
at its meeting on 10 May 1984 when it stated the need for "an overall
Community response to the new industrial revolution" and recognized
"the unavoidable nature of the introduction of new technologies to
boost the competitiveness of European undertakings and to restore
economic growth".
It also referred to the need "to utilize the potential afforded by
technological innovation.... in order to create the conditions for
better employment and improvement in working conditions".
On 7 June, the Council of Ministers will examine a Commission
communication concerning the "social implications of the introduction
of new technologies and technological change".
This, therefore, is the background to the Commission's wish to
provide information, through the medium of its publication "Social
Europe" and its Supplement "New Technologies and Social Change", on
the action that is developing in this field at the level of the
Community.
Our aim is to present, on a regular basis, dossiers of information,
views and studies in the "New Technologies and Social Change" Supplement,
This first issue is a step in this direction. Your reactions and
comments will help us to improve our efforts over the next few months.
J. Degimbe
Director-General PART ONE 2.
COMMUNITY ACTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND - NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNICAL PROGRESS
The object of this present article is to describe in general how
the European Social Fund is used to give help in one specific
area of its operation - the area of new technology and technological
progress.
Future articles will describe in more detail some of the particular
projects which are financed by the E.S.F.
To put the operations of the E.S.F. in this area in perspective it
is necessary to give a certain amount of background information.
This is to enable readers who have little or no knowledge of the E.S.F.,
or even.of the way the Commission operates , to understand the scope and
limitations of the Fund, in particular in the field of developing
technology.
The E.S.F. is one of a number so-called financial instruments of
the Community. These funds have money authorised through the mechanism
of the Community budget for expenditure in certain fields of activity.
The E.S.F. operates in the field of social affairs, and is managed by
officials who work for the Directorate General for Employment, Social
Affairs and Education (D.G. V). The number of officials concerned with
administering the E.S.F. is just over 50.
The annual budget of the E.S.F. (in 1983 1 800 m ECU) is around 5 - 6 %
of the totalt of the Community. The bulk of the funds available
(at least for the moment) are earmarked for assistance to programmes
addressing themselves to the needs of young people and of people in
certain regions of the Community which are underdeveloped or in decline.
The amount available for use in the field of technical progress in 1982
was almost 60 m ECU (about $ 50 m).
How to apply ?
Any of the ten Member States of the Community may submit applications
for assistance in any of the fields in which the E.S.F. operates.
Applications are made by public or private organisations. Standard
applications forms have to be used. These are obtainable from designated
bodies in the Member States.
The completed forms are submitted in the first place to these designated
bodies (in fact government ministries), who have to authorise the
application and give their undertaking that the project will be properly
carried out and completed.
Priority sectors
After examination of the demands by E.S.F. officials, discussions are
held with the committee of the E.S.F. This Committee is a consultative
body, and consists of sixty members, six members from each Member State. Each Member State is represented by two members from its employers'
organisation, two trade union members, and two members who are
government employees. Following discussions with the Committee a
proposal is made for a Commission decision. The Commission decision
is the act that authorises the granting of assistance.
In cases where eligible demands for assistance exceed the funds
available (this is nearly always so), a system of "rationing" is
used, which in Commission parlance is called a weighted reduction.
This is a complex process, but means that most, if not all, eligible
demands receive some assistance. A system of priorities also operates,
and this is linked in with the weighted reduction system.
Now let us see how all this operates in practise. If we take the
applications concerning technical progress approved in 1982 we will
get an idea of the scope and limitations of this part of the E.S.F.'s
activities.
Remembering that some 60 m ECU were available in 1982 for assistance
in the field of technical progress, how was this money spent ?
Most of the applications came from France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
They concerned :
- modernisation of management and production techniques in
small and medium size enterprises
- telecommunications
- data processing
- the motor vehicle sector
- the printing sector
Many more applications were received in 1982 than in 1981. This reflects
the importance attributed by promoters, public authorities, employers
and workers to vocational retraining to meet the needs of technical
progress. The new technologies are affecting every branch of activity
to an ever greater extent. Production and management methods have to
be modernised in response to a rapidly changing market.
All the applications were examined and the following priorities were
considered :
EÌEst_rjriority.
- Operations contributing to safeguarding jobs in sectors
of economic activity where the introduction of new technologies
or production techniques jeopardized employment levels, i.e.
the threat of unemployment.
- Operations encouraging the modernisation of production and
management techniques in small and medium businesses.