The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour welcomes the initiative of the European Commission on enhancing EU cooperation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work.

Investment in social services meets, in many different ways, the high demands of an intelligent, sustainable and integrative growth strategy - on a European level as well as in Austria. Recent studies confirm this.

Statistical Office of the European Communities Eurostat this week presented alarming figures on poverty and social exclusion: in 2011, 27 % of children under 18 in the 27 Member States were either at risk of poverty, had to suffer significant material deprivation and/or lived in households with low levels of employment. In Austria, this already affects every fifth child, whereby here too, the risk of children living in poverty is higher than that of the overall population.

The BAK supports the intentions of the Directive proposal by the European Commission on substantially raising the share of women in management bodies of companies listed on stock exchanges in the European Union.

Following years of negotiation, the European Parliament has now voted in favour of the Free Trade Agreement of the EU with Columbia. In spite of the still existing human rights violations and violent acts against trade unions. The new Agreement is expected to come into force in 2013.

Following the publication by the EU Commission of the White Paper on Pensions, one of the most important strategy papers on the subject of pensions, in February this year, it is now the turn of the European Parliament to have its input. The competent rapporteur recently presented her report and made no secret of her ideas: expanding private retirement savings and occupational retirement schemes as well as the necessity to link the statutory retirement age to life expectancy.

The action plan on corporate governance continues the current course. Current company rules shall be modernised. The Commission focuses on enhanced transparency, greater engagement by shareholders and the promotion of cross-border operations. Individual points of the action plan are going in the right direction. Nevertheless, the rights of employees are being short-changed.