In February 1999, Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies was due to approve the country's National Action Plan on employment, following numerous amendments and lengthy delays.
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In February 1999, Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies was due to approve the country's National Action Plan on employment, following numerous amendments and lengthy delays.
In early February 1999, it seemed that Luxembourg's much-delayed National Action Plan (NAP) on employment (LU9805157F), in response to the EU Employment Guidelines for 1998 (EU9805107N), was nearing approval. The NAP was agreed in April 1998 by the Tripartite Coordination Committee (Comité de Coordination Tripartite) and draft legislation to implement the NAP was submitted by the government in August 1998 and examined by a special Chamber of Deputies commission (LU9811174F). However, the government's plan that the NAP would be implemented on 1 January 1999 was thwarted (LU9812182F) when its proposals were amended by the Chamber of Deputies commission and criticised by the Council of State (Conseil d?Etat) - the body which examines all draft laws before they are voted on by the Chamber. Working time flexibility was a particularly controversial issue.
In December 1998, the Chamber of Deputies commission issued 36 supplementary amendments to the draft legislation, aimed at securing the agreement of all parties (LU9901187F). On 13 January 1999, the Council of State produced a second, supplementary opinion that no longer contained any formal opposition to the revised draft, and proposed only four textual changes. However, the Council stressed the legal problems likely to flow from the retroactive application of certain provisions to 1 January 1999.
Following the publication of this opinion, the Chamber of Deputies commission met on 20 January to examine the Council's comments. The commission then adopted its final report on the draft - which had undergone 56 amendments since the initial proposal - on 28 January.
As the social partners indicated that they agreed in principle to the final draft, there was due to be a vote on the NAP during the Chamber of Deputies' plenary session on 2-3 February, and the new law should therefore come into force on 1 March 1999.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1999), Chamber of Deputies to vote on employment plan, article.
