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

PositionAlejandro 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 will be extremely difficult to reach a compromise". Although the EP plenary was widely expected to reach this decision, the proportion of supporting votes has surprised the member states, sources close to the Council said.

Right after the vote, Cercas said that "This is a triumph for all the political groups in the European Parliament. It is clear that the Socialists did not clinch this victory on their own. The Council now has to follow the position of the EP, they have to back what the citizens want. I call on the Commission to stop supporting the Council and play the role of an arbitrator".

Asked to comment on the fact that the Council did not give a mandate to the French Presidency to negotiate on the details of the directive, Cercas said: "They refused to budge because they did not realise that I could get a majority. I would like to see the looks on their faces today. We have proven to the prophets of doom that they were wrong. The EP is alive and kicking".

MEPs say that through their overwhelming support for Cercas' amendments, they made it clear that there must be no exceptions to the 48 hours-maximum working week (counted on average during one year) and that the opt-out must end three years after the adoption of the directive. As per the EP vote, any period of on-call time should...

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