Enhanced cooperation between public employment services

SUMMARY OF:

Decision No 573/2014/EU on enhanced cooperation between Public Employment Services (PES)

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DECISION?

Decision No 573/2014/EU sets up — using enhanced cooperation — an EU-wide network of public employment services (PES)* (‘the Network’), from 17 June 2014 to 31 December 2020.
Decision (EU) 2020/1782 amends Decision No 573/2014/EU, extending the Network’s duration until 31 December 2027 and introducing some other changes outlined below.
The Network encourages cooperation between EU countries in areas of employment within PESs’ responsibility, to help implement the EU’s employment policies. This will also help implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, contribute to the aims of the European Green Deal (see summary) and help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

KEY POINTS

Membership

The Network’s members are:

national public employment services;
the European Commission.

The Employment Committee (EMCO), which advises Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on employment matters, acts as an observer.

Remit

Following the changes made by Amending Decision (EU) 2020/1782, the Network’s remit includes the following areas.

Encouraging cooperation between EU countries and supporting:

all vulnerable social groups with high unemployment rates, especially:
- older workers;
- young people not in employment, education or training (‘NEETS’);
- people with disabilities;
- people facing multiple types of discrimination;
decent and sustainable work;
better integration, functioning and inclusiveness of labour markets;
gender equality;
identifying skills shortages and providing information on their extent and location, better matching of job-seekers’ skills with employers’ needs, including by identifying vocational training needs, and the employability of job-seekers and preventing unemployment, for example through career counselling and training;
increased voluntary geographical and job mobility;
integrating people excluded from the labour market;
evaluating and assessing active labour market initiatives and their effective and efficient implementation.

Initiatives to:

develop and implement EU-wide, evidence-based benchlearning* among PES to compare their performance in areas such as:
- reducing unemployment of all age, gender and vulnerable groups;
- reducing the duration of unemployment and inactivity;
- filling job vacancies;
- increasing user satisfaction with PES services;
provide mutual assistance between Network members;
contribute to modernising and strengthening PES in key areas, in view of:
- the EU’s employment and social policies, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Green Deal and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals;
- the challenges related to digitalisation;
- the changing world of work and work patterns;
- demographic changes;
prepare reports;
contribute to implementing relevant policy initiatives;
adopt and implement its annual work programme, including dissemination and cooperation strategies;
promote and share best practices on:
- identifying NEETS and on developing initiatives to ensure they gain the skills necessary to enter and remain in the labour market;
- integrating the long-term unemployed and other vulnerable groups into the labour market.

Cooperating with other labour market bodies, such as other providers of employment services and social services, the social partners, EU agencies in the areas of employment, social policy, gender equality and education and training, equality bodies, vocational training organisations, regional and local authorities, NGOs and private employment services.

Where appropriate, the Network may exchange best practices with relevant public employment services from non-EU countries.

Functioning of the Network

A Board with representatives from national public employment services and a representative from the Commission governs the Network. A secretariat based within the Commission assists the Board and closely cooperates with the EMCO Secretariat.

The Network reports annually to the Board on the initiatives carried out.

The resources necessary to implement this decision will be made available in accordance with the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027.

The Commission:

has the power to adopt delegated acts until 31 December 2027;
has to present an evaluation report on the implementation of this decision by 30 September 2026 to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions.

FROM WHEN DOES THE DECISION APPLY?

It has applied since 17 June 2014.

BACKGROUND

The Network includes all EU countries, plus Norway, Iceland and the Commission.
For more information, see:
- Public employment services (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Public employment services: national agencies that connect job-seekers with employers. They help to match supply and demand on the labour market through information, placement and active support services at local, national and European levels.

Benchlearning: linking benchmarking and mutual learning in order to identify good practice.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Decision No 573/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on enhanced cooperation between Public Employment Services (PES) (OJ L 159, 28.5.2014, pp. 32-39)

Successive amendments to Decision No 573/2014/EU have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.