Tackling unemployment is among the main priorities for Spain, which has one of the EU’s highest rates, even though this remains mainly an area where measures must be taken by member states themselves. However, the Council and the European Parliament are examining the micro-finance facility the European Commission proposed to tackle the impact of the financial crisis. This aims to help the unemployed and entrepreneurs who encounter difficulties when seeking loans from banks. They failed to reach a first-reading agreement on 8 December since views differ on whether the money should come from an existing part of the budget or a new budgetary line. Madrid will now have to renegotiate the issue with the European Parliament in the next few months in order to get the crisis mechanism up and running.

Besides the microfinance facility, eyes are mainly focused on the Commission when it comes to new employment legislation. Expected in the next six months are revision of the Working Time Directive after an earlier attempt to amend it failed last Spring and a “proposal improving the implementation of the Posted Workers Directive”. On the latter, the EU’s social partners are still conducting a joint analysis of the “problems” involved but, considering this has taken more than a year already, there is little prospect they will come to a joint conclusion. As for the Working Time Directive, Commission President José Manuel Barroso has promised to make a comprehensive legislative proposal following a new social impact assessment.

SOCIAL POLICY

One of Spain’s main social policy priorities is the anti-discrimination directive. This proposal on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion, belief, disability, age or sexual orientation aims to guarantee equal treatment outside the labour market, particularly in the areas of social protection (including social security and health care), social advantages, education and access to goods and services (including housing). The draft has provoked a debate in the Council as Germany and the Czech Republic have major problems with the text. This could become quite problematic since unanimity is required. Spain is understood to be trying to address the reservations Berlin and Prague have raised.

Special attention will be paid to the mainstreaming of the “perspective of gender equality throughout the Post-Lisbon Strategy” and integration of the “gender perspective” in all policy areas. Spain wants to include key messages on equality of women and men. Madrid will also inherit two subjects from the Swedish Presidency designed to reconcile work and family life. The first aims to amend directive 92/85/EEC on the protection of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding. The European Parliament is still drafting its first-reading position and differs from the Council on whether or not paternity leave should be included in the directive and how payments should be treated. Work must also continue on the directive on equal treatment between self-employed women and men. Governments reached a political agreement on the text at the last Employment Council in November and the European Parliament now has to formulate its own second reading position since views differ on several elements.

Tackling violence against women is a major priority for Madrid, which intends to present Council Conclusions on this topic. Another proposal in this field will be a single European free of charge phone number for information and assistance for victims of gender-based violence (116-016) – a fairly widespread phenomenon in Spain.