1. EURES ESF Committee Meeting on 25 October Doede Ackers European Commission DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion Unit C4

2. Structure of the presentation
EURES today
The EURES Reform: the new EURES objectives
EURES under the next MFF
Possible actions co-financed under the ESF in line with the EURES Reform objectives
Other developments relating to EURES and possible actions co-financed under the ESF
Next steps

3. I – EURES today What is EURES?
Set up in 1993, EURES (European Employment Services) is a European network for worker mobility involving the European Commission and the public employment services (PES) of the EEA Member States (the EU countries, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the social partners' organisations. Switzerland also takes part in the co-operation.
The network is responsible for exchanging information on the availability of labour, vacancies, living and work conditions and facilitates cooperation between its members and with stakeholders.
It contributes to the development of a European labour market.

4. I – EURES today Current legal basis
Derived from the fundamental right for freedom of movement of workers:
Council Regulation (EEC) 1612/68 on freedom of movement of workers within the Community, now codified as Regulation 492/2011 of 5 April part II mechanisms for vacancies clearance and exchange of applications which already underwent a reform in It lays down the obligation for the Member States to exchange vacancies and applications for employment which have not been satisfied at national level.
Commission Decision 2003/8/EC of 22 December 2002 which implements Council Regulation 1612/68 as regards the clearance of vacancies and applications for employment, thus defining the EURES network, objectives, composition and governance.

5. I – EURES today What does it do?
Delivery of personalized and on line services on intra-EU labour mobility to its client groups ("mediated services")
The services of EURES consist of information, advice and assistance for placement/ recruitment along with matching CV's and vacancies
The services are delivered essentially by EURES advisers (about 850 advisers in all 31 countries) and other relevant staff of the EURES members and partner organisations involved
The services are principally addressed to the following client groups: jobseekers/ job changers; employers and stakeholders
In cross-border regions, information is provided to cross-border workers and employers on issues such as insurance, taxation etc.

6. I- EURES today Service delivery also through the Portal
Delivery of self-service ("unmediated") through the EU portal
The EURES Job Mobility Portal gathers job vacancies processed by PES covering an estimated 30-40% of the overall European job vacancy market.
On average CV's are live in the system at any one time in a given month. Job seekers create and store their search profiles and receive alerts when jobs matching the profile become available.
About employers have accounts allowing to search for CVs, to create and store search profiles and receive alerts.
The number of monthly visits is about 3,6 million.
The portal is run by the Commission (DG EMPL) and is free of charge for jobseekers and employers.

7. I- EURES today Results so far
Based on an analysis of reports by EURES members and evidence from an independent research in 2010 some extrapolations were made as to the results delivered by EURES
Face-to face service delivers approximately placements in another country per year
Use of self-service tools suggests that per year around jobseekers get a job or a job offer via EURES
The network of advisers have more than contacts per month with jobseekers and employers

8. II- EURES reform – why?
The original purpose of EURES was to give actual access to the freedom of movement of workers by making European labour markets open and accessible to all.
Consequently, the EURES objectives so far have been limited to the provision of information and virtual transparency of labour markets through the "clearance of vacancies and application for employment" as stipulated in the above Regulation
The network did not develop employment objectives (e.g. "to achieve placements, recruitment or matching") and there has been no systematic performance measurement in this regard.

9. II. EURES Reform – why? …..unleash its potential!
There is an urgent need to make labour markets more dynamic and boost "mobility" to enhance growth and employment : i.e. from transparency to results, from information to matching and placement:
Enlargement of the free movement of workers' space from 15 to 25 Member States as of 1 May 2011
Contribute to Europe 2020 target of a 75% employment rate of years old
Limited geographical mobility is one of the reasons for structural mismatch on the labour market (Annual Growth Survey 2012).
High unemployment rates are co-existing with bottleneck vacancies and skills shortages across the Union

10. More reasons for enhancing EURES
Mobility policies are currently high on the political agenda (key role as an adjustment mechanism)
Ensure adequate support for these policies within the multiannual financial framework , ideally by allocating more resources for EURES and enhancing the ownership and accountability for EURES at national level
Focus on achieving better and more results (= recruitments and placements) and measuring and reporting better on these results
Enhance labour market dynamics by mobilising all employment service providers "Employment package", including private employment services
Encourage Partnerships between employment services – PARES Initiative (Europe 2020)

11. II- EURES Reform – proposals
Autumn 2011 – funding mechanisms for EURES under the next MFF:
Commission proposal for a ESF Regulation which includes a reference to "mobility" under investment priority 1
Commission proposal for in the Programme for Social Change and Innovation (PSCI)" with the introduction of a "EURES-axis"
April 2012 – Employment package and Commission Staff working document: "Reforming EURES to meet the goals of Europe 2020"
Autumn 2012 – planned adoption of a Decision replacing the current Decision (consultation of the advisory committee on free movement for workers to end on 25/10)

12. II- EURES Reform – operational objectives
The new Commission Decision will re-establish the new EURES network, improve the governance of EURES, building upon Regulation No (EU) 492/2011 and set inter alia the following operational objectives:
development of the European labour market open and accessible for all
clearance and placement through the exchange of vacancies and applications and participation in targeted mobility activities at EU level
transparency and information exchange on labour markets
development of measures to encourage and facilitate mobility of young workers
exchange of information on traineeships and apprenticeships in the sense of the above Regulation and as appropriate, the placement of trainees and apprentices

13. New intervention logic: from transparency to matching for more jobs
Three key new elements for the reformed EURES
focusing on employment results in matching, placement and recruitment
Getting Public Employment Services (PES) and Private Employment services to systematically cooperate when delivering EURES
Expanding its scope to support targeted mobility schemes at EU level, either a) initiated and implemented at national level based on national needs' assessment; or b) steered and launched by the European Commission based on European intelligence and implemented through a partnership of national services

14. New intervention logic: from transparency to matching for more jobs
1) Focusing more on employment results i.e. matching, placement and recruitment:
EURES will cover all phases of placement, from active preparation to post-placement assistance
EURES should provide real time labour market information and the ability to quickly identify emerging skills demand, profiling and skills assessment, career guidance, electronic matching tools such as Match and Map, comprehensive mobility packages, SMS service to notify job seekers and job changers of relevant vacancies (revamped Job Mobility Portal)

15. New intervention logic: from transparency to matching for more jobs
2) Expanding the scope of EURES to support targeted mobility schemes at EU level
The new focus of EURES here will be to:
fill bottleneck and niches vacancies (vacancies for which recruitment difficulties or market failure have been identified),
help specific groups of workers (such as young people) and countries which are or will become recipients of mobile workers. This means developing at EU level new schemes such as “Your First EURES job”

16. New intervention logic: from transparency to matching for more jobs
3) Get Public Employment Services (PES) and Private Employment services (PRES) to systematically cooperate when delivering EURES
Member States will set up "national network" of EURES service providers in their territory, on the basis of an accreditation system (with objective and transparent criteria).
Extending the scope of cooperation to other employment organisations, such as the private ones, aims to provide EURES with a far bigger outreach capacity by setting up a real European job vacancy platform to better cover the vacancy markets for services. Moreover it will also create an incentive to increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of EURES services.

17. III – EURES under the next MFF
The EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation will ensure a stable and adequate funding for all necessary EURES horizontal activities in the period , such as the portal, training and communication for the network
The European Social Fund will support national and cross border EURES activities for the period , allowing for greater access to funding, more ownership, an integrated approach to mobility activities and other active labour market measures under the PES

18. III- EURES under the next MFF
Direct Management
EURES HORIZONTAL ACTIVITIES
Job Mobility Portal, training and communication, network governance
Shared Management
VERTICAL ACTIVITIES
FINANCED UNDER THE ESF
Examples: Provision of services to client groups;
job fairs (front office) ; data collection and systems;
staff training (back office ) ,

19. IV. Possible actions co-financed under the ESF in line with the EURES Reform
A. Supporting activities in the areas of recruitment, matching and placement
B. Supporting the development of a broader EURES network, notably by opening up to other Employment services

20. A. Activities in the areas of recruitment, matching and placement
Defining elements for an effective EURES service
Strong EURES human network (geographical coverage, competences)
Adequate and flexible combination of self-help and face-to face services
Comprehensive service offer to jobseekers/job changers in the area of information, advice, guidance, placement (economies of scale)
More and better services to employers – e.g. through specialised staff; with a focus on bottleneck vacancies, pre-selection services, thereby ensuring a more result-oriented approach in mobility activities
Timely and reliable transmission of vacancies and job applications to the EURES portal – adequate data collection and systems
Quality control – clients' rights, respect for applicable labour standards, national legal requirements

21. A. … to ensure a comprehensive service package
Nature of the services
Minimum one-to-one universal / compulsory services for all: information to job seekers, job changers and employers (i.e. compulsory services under the above Regulation and in accordance with the future implementing measures of the EURES Decision)
Non-compulsory, individual services according to needs for support i.e. job search assistance and active matching, placement and recruitment; new services according to post crisis dynamics of labour market demands
To support both types of services, modern on line services for all (self service tools): to supplement the unique entry point for intra EU job mobility with matching functionalities (the EU portal)

22. A. … in relation to different client groups
Services defined according to different client groups and subgroups
Job seekers - looking for employment, whether currently employed i.e. job changers or unemployed, and who may or may not have considered moving abroad to improve their job prospects: Job changers, Cross-border workers, unemployed, young workers
Employers - Those looking to recruit, who may or may not have considered recruiting from abroad as the solution to their recruitment problems, including: SME’s, International companies, Recruitment agencies /headhunters
Learning partners - The institutions, organisations and initiatives that work with learners to develop/upgrade skills: Universities, Training and Education institutions, Erasmus, Leonardo
Internal/other partners and stakeholders - institutions and organisations with an interest in the work of EURES: PES staff, Other European Networks, Employer organisations, Press / media

23. A … and also in relation to cross-border activities
One source of funding: Cross-border activities are planned to be financed under the ESF, like other mobility activities / services provided at national level, thus assuring access to more funding possibilities and a coherent treatment as to all mobility activities.
Accountability: The new set up will allow Member States to choose their own priorities in terms of funding for Cross border partnerships (= one type of structure in place to support this kind of activity)
Coherence in service provision: Currently, cross border service offer is often focussed on the provision of information and advice while placement is underdeveloped. There should however not be a difference between the objectives and services of EURES cross-border and EURES Transnational.

24. B. Towards a broader network: opening up to other Employment services
The overall objective is to ensure a wider market coverage than under the current network. This can be done by creating partnerships with other market actors.
According to ECJ ruling Case C-55/96 (par.21), placements are considered as an economic activity. Furthermore, the Court indicated that when "the placement activities in question could extend to the nationals or the territory of other Member States" (Case C-55/96, last sentence of the conclusions), they cannot be done exclusively by the public service.
MS must take into account this principle when accrediting employment services to participate in EURES.

25. B … according to the following model
PES
Private
Empl.
services
EURES
NETWORK
Non public employment services included in the EURES network, but activities at national level could be coordinated by the Public Employment Service in line with delivery of other PES services
In any case, Private Employment services will be asked to guarantee certain quality standards of EURES services and to install a referral system for clients that they cannot serve

26. V. Other Developments and possible actions co-financed under the ESF
Your First EURES Job – Preparatory action 2011 – testing a targeted mobility scheme to help young EU nationals aged to find work in other Member States, combining customised job-matching with financial incentives..
Possibility to develop similar "targeted mobility schemes" in the future
Request from the European Council in June 2012 to include information on apprenticeships and traineeships in EURES: this would increase the accessibility of such places and the matching potential in this area. Work with the Member States to prepare the exchange of information is starting in autumn 2012 and the aim would be to start in 2013.
Possibility to support the extension of this kind of matching in the EURES service delivery package of PES in Member States

27. VI. Next steps Adoption of the EURES Decision (November 2012)
Commission Services to work with the Member States' EURES interlocutors on implementing measures for EURES (catalogue of services, monitoring and reporting cycle on operational objectives for each Member State, the accreditation of the actors in each national network).
Commission services (DG EMPL) to provide general information to the Member States' EURES interlocutors on ESF once the regulatory framework is stable
Identification of the Member States which choose investment priority 1 – employment and labour mobility under the ESF and dialogue on objectives, targets and indicators