Study Published on Future Skills Requirements in the EU
A study published by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) identifies the skills deficits that are likely to occur in the coming years within the EU. The study basically concludes that the services sector will grow while primary sector-related activities will decrease significantly, meaning many European workers will have to learn new skills in the future. The European Commission has taken the forecast into consideration and will work alongside Cedefop to prevent skills "mis-matches" in the future.
According to the study, "real growth" will occur in the services sector: it predicts that tourism, transport and distribution will create 3,5 million new jobs and business and other services will generate close to 9 million new jobs (by 2015). The Cedefop study also believes demand for high-skills will continue to increase. On the other hand, many jobs are set to be lost in the primary sectors such as agriculture (-2 million) and manufacturing (-0,5 million).
A general trend emerges from the study which shows that, over the coming years, technological and organisational changes will increase demand for high skills even in the most "simple" jobs. The director of Cedefop, Aviana Bulgarelli, concludes that "people living in traditional manufacturing and agricultural areas have to be re-skilled for employment in other services".
Involvement of civil society organisations essential for success of EU energy and climate change policy
The European Commission's proposed energy and climate change package was generally welcomed by civil society representatives at a major conference held at the European Economic and Social Committee's headquarters on 31st January and 1st February 2008. However, the much needed technological, financial and behavioural measures to improve energy efficiency and demand management must be socially and environmentally acceptable, said the participants, who insisted on the key role of European civil society organisations in this process.
The European Commission's commitment to small enterprises: Small Business Act
On 31st of January, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the content of a European "Small Business Act". Its objective is to put small and medium sized enterprises at the forefront of decision-making in the EU and to introduce concrete measures to unlock the SMEs' growth potential. It will include new initiatives to reduce regulatory burden on SMEs, facilitate access to Single Market/public procurement, help provide necessary financial/human resources for SME development and help SMEs face the challenge of globalization and climate change. The preparation of a "Small Business Act" for Europe is one of the key measures announced in the Commission's package for the next cycle of the Growth and Jobs Strategy adopted last December. The consultation will be open until the end of March.