WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE : PARLIAMENT BACKS CERCAS REPORT WITH UNEXPECTED MAJORITY.

• Position: Alejandro Cercas

"This is a glorious day for social Europe," commented Spanish Socialist MEP Alejandro Cercas, the European Parliament's rapporteur on the Working Time Directive, following the EP's approval, with substantial majority, of the directive with all the amendments proposed by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, on 17 December in Strasbourg. The MEPs rejected all the amendments that were tabled against the committee's position. Through this, the EP expressed its strong disagreement with the Council's common position - continuously backed by the European Commission - from June 2008. The directive is now expected to go into conciliation and the Czech EU Presidency may hammer out an agreement before the EP stops working in May.

Czech Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Michal Sedlacek, said the Czechs had anticipated the decision: "We are ready to lead the negotiations as the future Presidency of the EU. However, it...