European Union leaders are expected on Friday to name Mr Peter Sutherland as the head of a European Employment Taskforce aimed at boosting employment in the EU. Senior diplomatic sources suggested yesterday that the choice of Mr Sutherland, a former Attorney General and EU Commissioner, is the undisputed choice of all member-states.
The taskforce would identify "practical reform measures" to help member-states increase the number of people in work, improve productivity and reconcile the requirements of social cohesion and a flexible labour market.
Mr Sutherland was not available for comment last night but sources in Brussels suggested that he would accept the post as long as he was satisfied that the taskforce would have sufficient influence on member-states' policies. The Social Affairs Commissioner, Ms Anna Diamantopolou, is understood to have been initially unhappy about the creation of the new post but has been reassured by a proposal that the taskforce chief should report to the Commission as well as to the member-states.
For his part, Mr Sutherland is believed to be seeking an assurance that he should report to EU leaders rather than to enterprise and employment ministers represented in the Competitiveness Council.
Employment policy is a key element in the EU's strategy to make Europe the most dynamic, competitive, knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010. Progress on the Lisbon Strategy, as the economic strategy is known, has been slow so far but the Government is determined that it should be a key priority during Ireland's EU Presidency during the first half of 2004.
The EU wants labour policy to address such issues as: "active and preventive measures for the unemployed and inactive; making work pay; increasing labour supply and participation; change and adaptability; the development of human capital; gender equality; integration and discrimination in the labour market; and regional employment disparities".
Mr Sutherland was the EU Competition Commissioner from 1989 to 1993 and director general of the World Trade Organisation from 1993 until 1995. He has been non-executive chairman of BP since 1997 and chairman and managing director of Goldman Sachs since 1995. He is a member of a number of international organisations, including the Trilateral Commission and the World Economic Forum and is on the board of the European Policy Centre.
