Local and regional governments as employers

"Do not do more, do better" to improve the involvement of local government to ensure that disadvantaged people are integrated in the job market in the long term. This is one of the main recommendations of the Council of European Municipalities.and Regions (CEMR) in response to the European Commission's consultation "Taking forward the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market".

 

CEMR believes that the EU Commission's new strategy for 'active inclusion' should focus on improving existing mechanisms and strengthening the dialogue with all actors involved in social inclusion. As employers, service providers and promoters of economic development, local and regional governments are responsible for hundreds of thousands of employees. CEMR calls for a stronger cooperation between all levels of governance, local, regional and national.

 

The integrated approach to active inclusion should be reflected across EU policies; therefore, CEMR calls for greater synergy between the EU social inclusion process and the Lisbon process, which also deals with the social protection and employment.

 

Also, regarding the public services pillar of the active inclusion approach, CEMR hopes that, as indicated in the Lisbon treaty, the EU will develop an appropriate framework for local and regional authorities to organise, finance and deliver their services to all citizens.

 

CEMR recalls that European regional and local governments fulfill an extremely important role to promote the active inclusion of all citizens. To be effective, active inclusion measures need to be based on a bottom-up approach and adapted to the local context.

 

CEMR's response to the European Commission's consultation "Taking forward the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market"