De Europese Unie en Japan wisselen ideeën uit over de flexibiliteit van arbeidsverdeling (en)

Vladimír Spidla i , EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, will today arrive in Japan for a four-day visit to strengthen cooperation on employment and social affairs issues. He will represent the EU at a joint meeting with the Japanese Government and employers' and workers' organisations to share ideas on the diversification of forms of employment - both in Europe and Japan.

"The EU and Japan are both ageing societies and face a number of very similar challenges in the area of employment and social policy in the context of globalisation, from guaranteeing equal opportunities for all to promoting the adaptability of workers and enterprises," said Commissioner Spidla. "I am very pleased to participate in this 12th EU-Japan symposium on the diversification of forms of employment. Our discussions will help improve our understanding of policy responses developed in both regions and find the best approaches to address similar issues."

The symposium, taking place in Tokyo on 17 January, will discuss policy approaches to the increasing diversification of forms of work, e.g. part-time, fixed-term contract, job-sharing or sub-contract labour. It will look in particular at how to help people better balance work and private life and how best to combine flexibility on the labour market with employment security for workers - known in Europe as the flexicurity approach.

The event brings together senior policy makers from the EU and Japan - including Commissioner Spidla and Mr Yoichi Masuzoe, Japanese Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare - as well as European and Japanese social partners and experts. It takes place as part of regular cooperation on employment and social affairs issues, fully integrated into the EU-Japan Action Plan objectives adopted in 2001. It follows similar symposia held in Tokyo or Brussels, focusing in recent years on industrial relations and change, promoting employability and employment opportunities for older workers.

Commissioner Spidla will also participate in a major conference for journalists on the issues of demographic change and active ageing in Kyoto on 19 January, organised by the European Commission's Delegation in Japan.

The Commissioner's visit precedes a special G8 summit on employment issues, due to be hosted by the Japanese government in Niigata in May 2008.

For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/world/where/japan/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/international_cooperation/industrialised_en.htm#1