Social partners support government on Agenda 2000

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In early 1999, the European Union negotiations over the Agenda 2000 reforms were the subject of debate and consultations in Portugal. The social partners all agree that the issue is one of defending the national interest, though they differ when it comes to specific goals. For the trade unions, these goals are to improve living conditions and maintain employment, while employers stress competition issues.

The negotiations between the Member States over the European Union's Agenda 2000 reforms have been an important topic in national debates in Portugal, and the Prime Minister has met the social partners to present the various dossiers and to update them on progress. Agenda 2000 is the name given to a series of reforms, in the context of the forthcoming enlargement of the EU, seeking to modernise Community policies such as agricultural policy and economic and social cohesion, and to give the Union a new financial framework for 2000-6. The Member States were due to conclude an agreement on Agenda 2000 at a special European Council meeting on 26 March 1999. It can be said that all the Portuguese social partners agree on the importance of the issues under discussion and on the need for Portugal to take a strong position in the national interest. However they differ on the specific goals.

The trade unions have stated that the government must exert strong pressure to defend national interests, since the wealthier Member States do not seem to show signs of assuming the economic and social cohesion commitments laid down in the Treaty on European Union. They have also stated that there may be potentially serious consequences of Agenda 2000 for workers, namely increased unemployment. If there is a significant decrease in structural support and in the Cohesion Funds, employment in Portugal will be affected and convergence with the rest of the EU will occur at a much slower pace. The next Community support framework must place focus more on vocational training and people's living conditions and not as much on infrastructures and direct funding to companies, according to the UGT union confederation.

Employers are concerned about the way in which support is distributed, which in their opinion is grossly unfair, especially in the case of agricultural policy, given the different levels of development among countries - according to CIP, representing industrial employers, and CAP, representing agricultural employers. Employers are concerned with the competition Portugal is facing, especially from countries outside the EU, and want to ensure that changes in labour legislation and taxation do not negatively affect the capacity of companies. The government should make an effort to protect the Portuguese position in the negotiations, according to CCP, which represents commerce employers.