Decision 2020/1512 - Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 344/22

Member States and the Union are to work towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment and particularly for promoting a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce, as well as labour markets that are future-oriented and responsive to economic change, with a view to achieving the objectives of full employment and social progress, balanced growth, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment laid down in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union. Member States are to regard promoting employment as a matter of common concern and are to coordinate their action in this respect within the Council, taking into account national practices related to the responsibilities of management and labour.

The Union is to combat social exclusion and discrimination and promote social justice and protection, as well as equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and the protection of the rights of the child. In defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, a high level of education and training and protection of human health as laid down in Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

In accordance with the TFEU, the Union has developed and implemented policy coordination instruments for economic and employment policies. As part of these instruments, the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States (the ‘Guidelines’) set out in the Annex to this Decision, together with the Broad Guidelines for the Economic Policies of the Member States and of the Union set out in Council Recommendation (EU) 2015/1184 (4), form the Integrated Guidelines. They are to guide policy implementation in the Member States and in the Union, reflecting the interdependence between the Member States. The resulting set of coordinated European and national policies and reforms are to constitute an appropriate overall sustainable economic and employment policy mix, which should achieve positive spill-over effects.

The Guidelines are consistent with the Stability and Growth Pact, existing Union legislation and various Union initiatives, including Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 (5) (the ‘Youth Guarantee’),Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 (6),Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 (7),Council Recommendation of 15 March 2018 (8),Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on Key Competences and Lifelong Learning (9),Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 (10),Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 (11) and Council Recommendation of 10 March 2014 (12).

The European Semester combines the different instruments in an overarching framework for integrated multilateral coordination and surveillance of economic and employment policies. While pursuing environmental sustainability, productivity, fairness and stability, the European Semester integrates the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, including strong engagement with social partners, civil...