The open method of coordination and the employment policy of the EU, taking active ageing especially into account

Abstract

"Since the setting up of the European Union, it has been only the nation states that have been responsible for labour market and employment policy. However, since the beginning of the 1990s, the latter have been confronted with increasing problems. For instance, the unemployment rate rose from 7.7% to 11.1% across Europe between 1990 and 1994. Moreover, in comparison to the United States and Japan, a considerably smaller portion of the EU populace was involved in gainful employment and this threatened the financial feasibility of the social insurance systems in the long term. What is more, in the years before, EU politics had been focused on the programme relating to the internal market and on creating a common currency ('Maastricht'). Here one could detect a neglect of socio-political and labour market-related issues. This in turn threatened to undermine the legitimation of the European integration process. And that is why the EU Commission then worked at establishing employment policy as an independent political field. However it was met with resistance on the part of national governments that were reluctant to surrender areas of authority in this field. The result was a compromise: the European Employment Strategy (EES) that was brought into being in 1997 by the then 15 Member States at the EU Summit in Luxembourg. With this, a new method of political steering was created which later became known as the 'Open Method of Coordination' (OMC). The fundamental principles of the OMC are first described below. After that, the main points of substance of the European Employment Strategy are brought into the forefront, paying particular attention to the topic of 'active ageing'. Next, stock is taken as regards the effectivity of the strategy from the perspective of 2010. Finally an outlook for the future will be offered that has being planned under the catchphrase 'Europe 2020'." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Rhein, T. (2011): Die offene Methode der Koordinierung und die Beschäftigungspolitik der EU unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Aktiven Alterns. In: K. Busch, M. Flore, H. Kohl & H. Schlatermund (Hrsg.) (2011): Europa in sozialer Schieflage : sozialpolitische Vorschläge in Zeiten der Krise, p. 175-185.