Digest

Employment and social policy: Employment Task Force (2003): Jobs, jobs, jobs, creating more employment in Europe, Report of the Employment Task Force chaired by Wim Kok, 26 November 2003; European Commission (2004a): Communication from the Commission to the Council, Draft Joint Employment Report 2003/2004, COM (2004) 24 final of 9 January 2004; European Commission (2003a): Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Modernising Social Protection for More and Better Jobs: a compre- hensive approach contributing to making work pay, COM (2003) 842 final, of 30 December 2003; European Commission (2004b): Report from the Commission to the Spring European Council, Delivering Lisbon: Reforms for the Enlarged Union, COM (2004) 29 of 21 January 2003; European Commission (2003b): Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Improving quality in work: a review of recent progress, COM (2003) 728 final, of 26 November 2003; Council of the European Union (2003a): 2549th Council Meeting, Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, Brussels, 1 and 2 December.

Citizenship: Asylum and immigration: European Commission (2003c): Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: biannual update of the scoreboard to review progress on the creation of an area of ‘freedom, security and justice’ in the European Union (second half of 2003), COM (2003) 812 of 30 December 2003; European Commission (2001): Proposal for a Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the qualification and status of third-country nationals and stateless persons as refugees, in accordance with the 1951 Convention, or as persons who otherwise need international protection, COM (2001) 510 of 12 September 2001; European Commission (2000): Proposal for a Council Directive on minimum standards on procedures in MS for granting and withdrawing refugee status, COM (2000) 578 of 20 September 2000; Council of the European Union (2003b): 2548th Council – Justice and Home Affairs, Brussels, 27–8 November 2003, Press: 334 No. 14995/03; European Parliament (2003a): European Parliament legislative resolution A5 – 0210/2003 on the initiative of the Republic of Austria with a view to adopting a Council Regulation establishing the criteria for determining the States which qualify as safe third States for the purpose of taking the responsibility for examining an application for asylum lodged in a Member State by a third-country national and drawing up a list of European safe third States, 23 September 2003. Entry and residence of third-country nationals: Council of the European Union (2003c): Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents, OJ L No. 16, 23/01/2004, pp. 44–53. European Refugee Fund: European Commission (2004c): Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the European Refugee Fund for the period 2005–2010, COM (2004) 102 of 12 February 2004. External Borders Agency: European Commission (2002a): Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament with the title ‘Towards integrated management of the external borders of the MS of the European Union’, COM (2002) 233 of 7 May 2002; European Commission (2003d): Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a European Agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders, COM (2003) 687 11 November 2003. Short-term residence permit: Council of the European Union (2003d): 2538th Council Meeting Justice and Home Affairs, Press Release: Brussels (6/11/2003) – Press: 308 No. 13747/03. Illegal immigration: Council of the European Union (2003e): 2529th Council meeting – Justice and Home Affairs, Press: 278 No. 12762/03, 2–3 October 2003; Council of the European Union (2003f): Council Directive 2003/110/EC of 25 November 2003 on assistance in cases of transit for the purposes of removal by air, OJ L No. 321, 6 December 2003, pp. 26–31; European Commission (2003e): Proposal for a Council decision establishing a secure web-based information and coordination network for MS’ migration management services, COM (2003) 727 of 25 November 2003.

Future of the Union/Relations with the candidate countries: Intergovernmental Conference (2003a): IGC 2003 – Non-institutional issues; including amendments in the economic and financial field, CIG 37/03, 24 October 2003. Budgetary matters: Intergovernmental Conference (2003b): 2003 IGC – Naples Ministerial Conclave: Presidency proposal, CIG 52/03 ADD1, 25 November 2003, IGC 52/03 ADD1 25 November 2003; European Parliament (2003b): European Parliament resolution B5–0482/2003 on the financial provisions in the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, 20 November 2003; Intergovernmental Conference (2003c): IGC 2003 – Intergovernmental Conference (12–13 December 2003) ADDENDUM 1 to the Presidency proposal, 09/12/2003, CIG 60/03 ADD1; European Parliament (2003c): Joint Resolution B5–0513/2003 on the progress report on the work of the Intergovernmental Conference, 4 December 2003; European Commission (2002b): Communication from the Commission to the convention, the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the institutional architecture entitled ‘For the European Union. Peace, freedom, solidarity’, COM (2002) 728 of 4 December 2002; European Parliament (2003d): Resolution of the European Parliament on the result of the Intergovernmental Conference, 18 December 2003; Irish Presidency (2003): Programme of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 January to 30 June 2004.

Health care: European Health Insurance Card: European Commission (2003f): High Level Process on patient mobility and healthcare developments in the European Union: Outcome of the reflection process, European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General, 9 December 2003, ref. HLPR/2003/16.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_overview/Documents/key01_mobility_en.pdf; European Commission (2004d): Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Services in the Internal Market, COM (2004) 2 of 13 January 2004.

Equal opportunities: Gender equality: Council of the European Union (2003g): 2549th Council meeting ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and consumer Affairs’, 15443/03 (Presse 354), 1 and 2 December 2003. Equal treatment in access to goods and services: European Commission (2003g): Proposal for a Council Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between women and men in the access to and supply of goods an services, COM (2003) 657 final, 5 November 2003. ECJ ruling on transsexual’s entitlement to a widow’s or a widower’s pension: European Court of Justice (2004), K.B. v. NHS Pensions Agency and Secretary of State for Health, C-117/01, ruled on 7 January 2004.

Social protection: Second joint report on social inclusion: European Commission (2003h): Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Joint Report on Social Inclusion summarising the results of the examination of the National Action Plans for Social Inclusion (2003–2005), COM (2003) 773 final, 12 December 2003. Adaptation of the Social Protection Committee mandate: European Commission (2003i): Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Social Protection Committee, COM (2003) 305 final of 24 June 2003.

Working conditions: Working time: European Commission (2003j): Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions concerning the re-examination of Directive 93/104/EC concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, COM (2003) 843 of 30 December 2003.