European Employment Strategy (EES)
European Employment Strategy (EES) : The Treaty of Amsterdam, which entered into force in 1999, introduced the concept of a European strategy for employment, following on from the integrated strategy for employment launched at the Essen European Council in 1994. At Essen, the European Council had asked the European Union (EU) Member States to draw up multiannual programmes for employment (MAPs) and to provide the Commission with reports on their implementation. These reports described the main measures taken by the Governments to apply their multiannual programmes over the previous 12 months, to assess, in certain cases, the impact of those measures on employment, and to announce major changes or new initiatives in this field. Following from this, the EES was launched at the Luxembourg Jobs Summit in November 1997 on the basis of the new provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty. It was built around priority themes under the four pillars of employability, entrepreneurship, adaptability and equal opportunities. Each year, the EU Member States draw up National Action Plans on Employment (NAPS) implementing these broad policy guidelines. The NAPS are analysed by the European Commission and the Council, and the results, presented in a Joint Employment Report, serve as a basis for reprioritizing and making recommendations to EU Member States in respect of their employment policies. Five years after its launch, an extensive evaluation of the EES was carried out.In January 2003, the Commission adopted a communication presenting a new approach through the EES, better adapted to the needs of an ageing population, increasing women's participation in the labour market, enlargement and the increasing pace of economic change. The aim was to become more closely aligned to the goal of the Lisbon European Council (2000): sustained economic growth, more and better jobs, and social cohesion. In line with the Lisbon Strategy for economic, social and environmental renewal (2000), three overarching objectives have been set by the new European employment guidelines: full employment; quality and productivity at work; and strengthened social cohesion and inclusion. However, EU progress towards the Lisbon Strategy 2010 of a 70 per cent employment rate is unlikely to be met. Against the background of economic slowdown in the EU, in 2003 the European Commission established a European Employment Taskforce. See: European Social Funds (ESF)
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