European Commission praises "flexicurity" employment policy

July 3, 2007

The European Union would like to make it easier to dismiss employees. At the same time, social security should be improved. Then, thanks to the improved flexibility of the market, it should be simpler to find a job. Surveys show that Europeans mostly seem to agree with the need to adapt and change.

The concept of flexicurity, preached by the European Commission, is aimed to encourage EU governments to unfasten their employment policies. According to Vladimír Špidla, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities, a too protective employment policy may paralyze the labour-market. Such a policy "extends the time needed for jobseeking and the period of unemployment", writes the Commission in its report.

On its paper, the Commission is inspired by the social model of the Scandinavian countries - namely by the social system established in Denmark in the late 1990's.