This week, the EU Commission launched a public consultation on corporate restructuring and its social consequences. The aim is to identify successful practices and strategies in the field of restructuring and the adoption to change, so that lessons can be learned from the economic crisis. The results of the Consultation will also be integrated into the planned and revived flexicurity agenda.

Interference in the freedom of the media, threatening the independence of justice and the National Bank, and worrying developments concerning the minority rights in Hungary are only some of the issues that triggered an unusually heated discussion in the European Parliament this week.

This week, the European Parliament has announced its ideas on the sustainable future for European transport. Surprisingly positive are the admissions by MEPs that working and social conditions for transport sector employees had to be improved. However, the positive attitude towards the Commission proposal to once again dust off the concept of public private partnerships to fund transport networks leaves a negative connotation.

This week, the European Parliament decided that citizens from third countries, who are legally working within the EU, will enjoy common rights, similar to those of EU citizens as regards working conditions, pensions, social security and access to public services. The law was passed under the title ‘combined working and residence permit’ (Single Permit). However, it remains at the discretion of the Member States whether and how many third country nationals will be admitted and permitted to work.

On July 19th, 2011, the European Commission published a proposal on revising resp. amending EC Regulations 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport and 561/2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport. The EU Commission states as “overall aims of road transport social legislation (the rules on driving time and rest periods) … to improve road safety and drivers’ working conditions and to ensure fair competition between transport companies”.

The present proposal on the TEN Guidelines is an important legislative proposal on implementing the targets, which were introduced in the Transport White Paper this year. In it, the European Commission describes transport as overall positive and calls it the elixir of life of the internal market and guarantor of the quality of life for EU citizens.

The discussions on new rules for services of public interest at EU level are once again in full swing. Only a few weeks ago, the Commission presented draft proposals for the state aid rules to services of general economic interest; this week, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament will vote on a resolution on this subject. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) devoted a separate conference to the issue.

According to the Commission, within seven years from 2014 onwards, €50 billion will flow into the so-called Trans-European networks. These funds will be used to develop the transport, energy and digital infrastructure within the European Union. In order to drive the plans of the EU forward, the Commission also proposes to include private and institutional investors by means of EU Project Bond Initiatives. More growth through further the upgrading and revamping of Trans-European Networks

Based on the fact that no end is in sight with regard to the Euro and economic crisis, this week the European Commission, the Council as well as the European Parliament came out in favour of a common strategy to stabilise the situation. The majority of representatives of Parliament made it clear that the Economic Governance Package was a significant step in the right direction. However, the MEPs warned against passing the entire costs of the crisis to the citizens.

Education is the best insurance against unemployment, in particular in weak labour markets. Education enables people to earn a significantly higher income. Public investments in higher education are profitable - in the long term, every Euro invested brings three times as much back into the state coffers. These results of the OECD Education Study, which was published in Brussels on 13.9.2011, argue for further reforms of the Austrian education system.