Social dialogue in the candidate countries

Social dialogue and EMU in the Candidate Countries Workshop

Vienna, 22-24 May 2002

Speech abstract - Lena Skiöld

Head of Information, Worklife and EU Enlargement Project

Work life and EU enlargement: The WLE project

The Work Life and EU Enlargement Project is a co-operation project aiming at giving the candidate countries a better basis for their accession to the European Union. The project covers two areas: labour market and work environment.

One basis for the WLE project is the research and practical knowledge about European working life gathered through the Work Life 2000 project, in preparation of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union. However, all activities in the WLE are planned and developed in accordance to the needs and wishes of the candidate countries.

Workshops have been held in all candidate countries to provide the groundwork for practical implementation projects in each of the countries. These projects are the core of the WLE project. The project topics chosen can be divided into the following categories:

• job creation and industrial restructuring

• labour market forecasting

• new forms of employment

• employment office tasks and training

• risk assessment in the workplace, including stress

• social partnership

• occupational health and safety management

Within the framework of the WLE project there are also comprehensive network programmes, led by experienced European institutions. These are open to all candidate countries. The programmes deal with social dialogue and EMU in the candidate countries, the challenge of industrial restructuring, women and work, stress at work, risk assessment and social partnership

The WLE project is run by the Swedish National Labour Board on commission by the Swedish government and in collaboration with the Italian National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention and the Swedish Work Environment Authority.

There is also an international advisory committee with representatives of

• The European Commission

• The European Parliament

• The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

• The European Agency for Safety and Health

• The European Social Partners (ETUC, Unice, CEEP)

The project started in January 2001 and will be concluded in 2004.

The co-operation with the European Commission is very valuable and, considering the key role of the Commission in the enlargement process, it would be of great importance to the WLE project if this co-operation could be developed further.

Starting out as a newspaper reporter and a press secretary in the Swedish parliament, Lena Skiöld has worked as an information co-ordinator in international projects since 1997. The Work Life 2000 – Quality in Work project, running from 1997 to 2001, involved some 65 international scientific workshops covering the fields of work environment, work organisation and labour market and a major conference during the Swedish presidency of the Euorpean Union. In the Work Life and EU Enlargement project, the aim of which is to facilitate the candidate countries' accession to the EU through practical projects, Lena Skiold is co-ordinator of projects and comprehensive network programmes.