Local authorities’ role in implementing European Employment Strategy

- case Finland

Mr. Lauri Lamminmäki, Senior AdviserAssociation of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities

Challenges in the Finnish Labour Market

persistently high unemployment

structural problems

increasing regional disparities

ageing labour

The European Employment Strategy

Based on new employment provisions in the Amsterdam - EU Treaty (1997) :

Art. 126 : employment, a matter of common concern; call for developing a coordinated EU employment strategy

Art. 128: framework for policy coordination, based on a management by objectives approach

Annual Employment Guidelines proposed by the Commission, decided by the Council

Annual National Action Plans (NAPs) in response to Employment Guidelines

Annual Assessment through the Joint Employment Report from the Commission and the Council and Recommendations to Member States

The European Employment Strategy

The Lisbon European Council (March 2000) set full employment as an essential long-term goal for the new European economy (2010)

The Nice European Council (December 2000) introduced the issue of quality in work

The Barcelona European Council (March 2002) called for strengthening the EES and claimed for “more and better jobs”

Evaluation of the EES (2002) based on five years experience

Communication on the review of EES (1/2003)

New guidelines will be proposed in April 2003

European Employment Strategy- three levels

Community level

National level

Regional and local level

guidelines recommendations evaluation reports ESF, EQUAL other community policies

National Action Plans (NAPs) ESF-programmes

Local Action Plans for Employment (LAPs)

The local dimension in the EES

"Partnership at all levels should be encouraged, including with the social partners, regional and local authorities and representatives of civil society so that they can contribute, in their respective fields of responsibility, to promoting a high level of employment"

Employment Guidelines for 2002

Regional and local action for employment (GL 11)

“All actors at the regional and local levels, including the social partners, must be mobilised to implement the European Employment Strategy by identifying the potential for job creation at local level and strengthening partnerships to this end.

Member States will: take into account, where appropriate, in their overall employment policy the regional

development dimension,

encourage local and regional authorities to develop strategies for employment in order to exploit fully the possibilities offered by job creation at local level and promote partnerships to this end with all the actors concerned, including the representatives of civil society,

promote measures to enhance the competitive development and the capacity of the social economy to create more jobs and to enhance their quality, especially the provision of goods and services linked to needs not yet satisfied by the market, and examine, with the aim of reducing any obstacles to such measures,

strengthen the role of the public employment services at all levels in identifying local employment opportunities and improving the functioning of local labour markets."

The roles of local authorities

The overall management of local employment strategy process

Translating EES to local language, tailoring of guidelines to local circumstances

Creating and supporting local partnership networks

Managing the networks, effective implementation of strategies

Effective use of existing financial instruments (EU, national, local)

Applying the indicators, evaluation

Connecting the local dimension to national employment strategies

Impact of EU on local authorities’ role

role recognised on all levels

wider perspective, more integrated and strategic approach,

Better awareness of the European dimension,

new channels and forums for the exchange of information and expertise

Better professional skills, new contact networks

Challenges for local authorities

More open and active, less bureaucratic and administrative

closer to the citizens, closer to local needs and resources

new forums for discussion and participation

common language and understanding

new working methods, experimentalism and risk-taking

more external expertise, better local analysis

strong local leadership and personal commitment