Bulletin OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES. No 12 1981 Volume 14

Secrétariat Général

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• Droit et juridique

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• Publié par: SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
• Nombre de lectures: 35
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 29 Mo

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ISSN 0378-3693
Bulletin
OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES
Commission
No 12 1981
Volume 14 The Bulletin of the European Communities reports on the activities of the
Commission and the other Community institutions. It is edited by the
Secretariat-General of the Commission (rue de la Loi 200, Β-1049
Brussels) and published eleven times a year (one issue covers July and
August) in the official Community languages and Spanish.
Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
The following reference system is used: the first digit indicates the part
number, the second digit the chapter number and the subsequent digit or
digits the point number. Citations should therefore read as follows:
Bull. EC 1 -1979, point 1.1.3 or 2.2.36.
Supplements to the Bulletin are published in a separate series at irregular
intervals. They contain official Commission material (e.g. communications
to the Council, programmes, reports and proposals). The Supplements do
not appear in Spanish.
Printed in Belgium Bulletin
OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES
ECSC — EEC — EAEC
Commission of the European Communities
Secretariat-General
Brussels
No 12
1981 Sent to press in February 1982
Volume 14 contents
PART ONE Vâ?u%s
7 1. Reorganization of working time
2. Equal opportunities for women — New Community action
programme (1982-85) 8
3. Conciliation between institutions 10
12 4. The Community and Poland
14 5. Renewal of the Multifibre Arrangement
ARI VV O IN DECEMBER 1981
1. Building the Community 16
16 — Restructuring of common policies — May mandate
16 — Economic and monetary policy
17 — Internal market and industrial affairs
23 — Industrial innovation and the information market
24 — Customs union
26 — Competition
34 — Financial institutions and taxation
35 — Employment, education and social policy
38 — Regional policy
39 — Environment and consumers
44 — Agriculture
50 — Fisheries
52 — Transport
— Energy 55
55 — Research and development 2. Enlargement and external relations 58
—t and bilateral relations with applicant countries 5
— Commercial policy
— Development 61
— International organizations and conferences 63
— Industrialized countries5
— Mediterraneans7
— Developing countries
— European political cooperation9
3. Institutional and political matters 70
—l developments and European policy 7
— Institutions and organs of the Communities
• Parliament
• Council 76
• Commission 8
• Court of Justice1
• Economic and Social Committee 85
• ECSC Consultativee
• European Investment Bank7
— Financing Community activities 90
PART THREE DOCUMENTATION
1. ECU 98
2. Additional references in the Official Journal 99
3. Infringement procedures 100
4. Eurobarometer1
Publications of the European Communities Supplements 1981
1/81 Report from the Commission of the European Communities to the
Council pursuant to the mandate of 30 May 1980
2/81 The European automobile industry: Commission statement
*3/81 European Union — Annual reports for 1981
*4/81 A new impetus for the common policies — Follow-up to the man­
date of 30 May 1980
Supplements 1982
*1/82 A new Community action programme on the promotion of equal
opportunities for women, 1982-85
*2/82 Draft of a convention on bankruptcy, winding-up, arrangements,
compositions and similar proceedings
* In preparation. Standardized abbreviations for the designation of certain monetary units in the different languages of
the Community:
ECU = European currency unit
BFR = Belgische frank / Franc belge
DKR = Dansk krone
DM = Deutsche Mark
DR = Greek drachma
FF = Franc français
HFL = Nederlandse gulden (Hollandse florijn)
IRL = Irish pound / punt
LFR = Franc luxembourgeois
LIT = Lira italiana
UKL = Pound sterling
USD = United States dollar 1. Reorganization of working time
workers should have the same rights and ob­Proposals on voluntary part-time
ligations as their full-time colleagues.
work and retirement age
Flexible retirement should be voluntary and
developed in conjunction with part-time
1.1.1. As an expression of its concern to
work and longer holidays for older employ­
see an improvement in living and working
ees. This would make for a gradual with­
conditions and bring about a reduction in
drawal from working life at the end of an
unemployment the Commission placed be­
employee's careeer.
fore the Council two proposals (adopted on
8 December) on the reorganization of work­
ing time, namely a proposal for a Directive
Proposals from the Commission
on voluntary part-time work and a draft Re­
commendation on the principles of a Com­
Voluntary part-time work
munity policy with regard to retirement age.
1.1.4. The proposal for a Directive on vol­
untary part-time work which the Commis­
Background to the proposals sion sent to the Council on 4 January 1982
takes these guidelines into account and refers
1.1.2. The problem of reorganizing work­
to the stance adopted by Parliament in a de­
ing time was first discussed at the Tripartite
bate on the position of women in the Com­
Conference in mid-1977 and at the end of
munity7 in which it was emphasized that
1978. ' At the Tripartite Conference in
part-time work should not be reserved main­
November 1978 the Commission presented
ly for women but available to all workers.
an overall strategy for tackling employment
The Commission's proposal is aimed at problems, pointing out that measures involv­
eliminating the main abuses and discriminat­ing a reorganization of working time consti­
ory practices existing in this field. It is not tuted one of its main objectives.
designed to lay down special rules for part-
The European Council held in Paris in
time workers but to enable them to avail
March 19792 called on the Commission to
themselves of advantages already enjoyed by
present a communication on the social and
full-time workers.
economic implications of a concerted reor­
ganization of working time. 1.1.5. The proposal establishes the prin­
ciple of non-discrimination in matters affect­
ing conditions of employment, rules govern­
Action by the Council
ing dismissal, participation in bodies repre­
senting employees and access to vocational 1.1.3. On the basis of the Standing Com­
training, promotion, social facilities and mittee on Employment's discussions and
medical care at work. It lays down the con­conclusions at its meetings on 21 March
ditions for membership of statutory or occu­19783 and 22 May 19794 and of the Coun­
pational social security schemes and estab­cil's deliberations on 15 May 1979,5 the
lishes the principle that part-time workers' Commission presented a draft Resolution on
remuneration, holiday, redundancy pay and the reorganization of working time to the
retirement benefits should be in proportion Council on 30 October 1979; it was
to those of full-time workers doing an equi-adopted on 18 December 1979.6
As regards part-time work, the Council Re­
1 Bull. EC 6-1977, point 1.1.2; Bull. EC 11-1978,
solution laid down four principles: it should
point 1.3.1.
be voluntary and open to both men and 1 Bull. EC 3-1979, point 1.1.5.
1. EC 3-1978,t 2.1.30. women, it should be made more readily
4 Bull. EC 5-1979, point 2.1.50. available to certain groups of workers,
s. EC,t 2.1.53.
working patterns should be flexible and not
6 OJ C 2, 4.1.1980.
limited to half-time work, and part-time
7 OJ C 50, 9.3.1981.
Bull. EC 12-1981 Equal opportunities for women
valent job. Furthermore, it gives part-time ment for achieving this end—which was one
of the long-term objectives of social policy in workers wishing to take up or resume full-
the Member States—while taking account of time employment priority in the allocation
national differences and the jurisdiction of of vacant posts, depending on their qualifi­
the various bodies concerned. cations. Lastly, the proposal recommends
that part-time workers be included in the to­
1.1.7. The Recommendation calls on the
tal count of employees in an undertaking
Member States to introduce flexible retire­
and provides for the application of proce­
ment gradually into the framework of pen­
dures for consulting and informing workers'
sion schemes, setting out a number of prin­
representatives on recourse to part-time
ciples.
work.
The Member States are recommended to
undertake, as a first stage, an examination Retirement age
of their retirement systems in the light of
1.1.6. The Recommendation on the prin­ these principles over the next two years, and
ciples of a Community policy with regard to to examine the feasibility of generalizing op­
retirement age, which the Commission sent portunities for phased retirement with a
to the Council on 15 December,1 is designed view to easing the transition