.bmp)
1. How is the EU leading the fight against climate change?
The European Union has long been at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change and has played a key role in the development of the two major treaties addressing the issue, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, agreed in 1997.
The EU has been taking serious steps to address its own greenhouse gas emissions since the early 1990s. In 2000 the Commission launched the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The ECCP has led to the adoption of a wide range of new policies and measures. These include the pioneering >EU Emissions Trading System, which has become the cornerstone of EU efforts to reduce emissions cost-effectively, and a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/fluor/index_en.htm"legislation to tackle emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
Monitoring data and projections indicate that the 15 countries that were EU members at the time of the EU's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 will reach their Kyoto Protocol target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This requires emissions in 2008-2012 to be 8% below 1990 levels.
However, Kyoto is only a first step and its targets expire in 2012. International negotiations are now taking place under the UNFCCC with the goal of reaching a global agreement governing action to address climate change after 2012.
In January 2007, as part of an integrated climate change and energy policy, the European Commission set out proposals and options for an ambitious global agreement in its a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/future_action.htm" Communication "Limiting Global Climate Change to 2 degrees Celsius: The way ahead for 2020 and beyond".
EU leaders endorsed this vision in March 2007. They committed the EU to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% of 1990 levels by 2020 provided other developed countries commit to making comparable reductions under a global agreement. And to start transforming Europe into a highly energy-efficient, low-carbon economy, they committed to cutting emissions by at least 20% independently of what other countries decide to do.
To underpin these commitments, EU leaders set three key targets to be met by 2020: a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared with projected trends; an increase to 20% in renewable energies' share of total energy consumption; and an increase to 10% in the share of petrol and diesel consumption from sustainably-produced biofuels.
In January 2008 the Commission proposed a major package of climate and energy-related legislative proposals to implement these commitments and targets. These are now being discussed by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, and EU leaders have expressed their wish for agreement to be reached on the package before the end of 2008.
Taken from: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.htm
2. How is Europe managing its migration flows?
(European Union Rulers 2005) Immigration provides Europe with an opportunity. The arrival every year of some 1.6 million immigrants provides an answer to the challenges for Europe presented by the decline in population and economic growth. Immigration to Europe is not, however, without its dangers: illegal immigration networks and trafficking and trade in human beings are major problems for both immigrants and the countries affected by the migratory flows.
(Commission Of The European Communities 2008) EU manages migration as a whole with 2 different approaches:
Promotion of legal migration: governments promote legal migration channels and assists migrants on finding jobs. Third-country citizens should be provided with the information necessary to understand the requirements and procedures for legal entry and stay in the EU. Fair treatment of third country nationals who reside legally on the territory of the Member States should be ensured, with the aim of approximating their legal status to that of EU nationals.
Border managements: Global approach that seeks the prevention of illegal migration. The governments has institutionalized the Detention Centers, which have as objective to support migrants in transit: they receive protection, legal assistance, advice, guidance and help to going back homeThe prevention and reduction of illegal immigration in all its dimensions is critical for the credibility and public acceptance of the policies on legal immigration.
Control of access to the EU territory must be reinforced in order to promote a truly integrated border management, while ensuring easy access for bona fide travelers and persons in need of protection and keeping Europe open to the world. The integrated management of the external borders should be strengthened and policies on border controls should develop in coherence with policies on custom controls and on prevention of other safety and security related threats.
3. What are the main challenges for an ageing workforce in Europe?
Employment initiatives for an ageing workforce
Policy attention and reference to ageing of the workforce has increased markedly in the last decade. At EU level concerns about the sustainability of pensions, economic growth and the future labour supply have stimulated a range of policy processes and recommendations to support the goals of longer working lives and later retirement.
Over the next 20 years the age structure of the working population will change and the general population of working age will decline. At the same time, the strain on social security systems will grow with increasing life expectancy.
There are many challenges:
- to maintain and promote the health and working capacity of workers as they age;
- to develop the skills and employability of older workers;
- to provide suitable working conditions as well as employment opportunities for an ageing workforce.
This agenda for action to improve employment of older workers involves government policies at different levels, the social partners and social dialogue, and of course companies as well as older workers themselves. In the EU 15 policies and practices (particularly in companies) to improve opportunities for older workers and to extend working life have developed significantly over the last decade.
A set of guidelines for "good practice in age management" has been published together with analytical reports on developments in "employment initiatives for an ageing workforce in the EU15" and "age and employment in the new Member States".
(Naegele, G. & Walker, A. 2006) Age management encompasses the following eight dimensions:
■ job recruitment;
■ learning, training and lifelong learning;
■ career development;
■ flexible working time practices;
■ health protection and promotion, and workplace design;
■ redeployment;
■ employment exit and the transition to retirement;
■ comprehensive approaches.
(Kets, M. Korotov, K. 2006) The new configuration of the EU brings great expectations and considerable anxiety for organisations and their members. On the one hand, it can be seen as an opportunity to develop a powerful economic entity with a strong cultural heritage, similar values, and enough diversity to foster creativity and innovation. On the other hand, it brings the fear of diluting national identities, clashing cultural norms, religious strife, and incompatibility of leadership styles and work practices. While almost all organisations – not just European ones – face the diversity challenge, Europe is in a much more complex situation. Diversity issues, according to any human resources, management or organisational behaviour textbook, traditionally include local minorities, gender, disability, sexual orientation and the like. Obviously, Europe faces all of these, but if we see Europe as a single economic entity, unlike other economies, it also faces diversity issues in several additional dimensions.
So an important task for new European leaders is to mobilize their followers' resources and help them avoid the paralysis that sometimes greets the new and unknown.
There are some universal elements that make for highly effective leadership. They include such themes as:
• Taking time to listen to your subordinates and making their opinions count.
• Caring about the people who work for you and being ready to help them when they have personal problems or doubts.
•Setting a good example of what is expected of the people in the organisation by "walking the talk".
• Creating "stretch" opportunities for your people and supporting their personal growth and development.
• Encouraging your employees, giving them praise and recognition when warranted.
• Keeping your staff informed and updated by creating transparent organisations.
• Setting clear expectations by providing regular feedback.
• Promoting a culture that helps your employees obtain a feeling of collective identity, encouraging people to move from "I" to "we".
• Making work meaningful for your employees.
As European leadership coaches and researchers of leadership behaviour, we have discovered that leaders want to get the best out of their people. They hope to create an ambience where their people feel inspired and give their best. They need to pay serious attention to their employees'
"fear and loathing" of Europe. They have the responsibility to contain these anxieties and recast them as challenges. They need to provide "transitional space" and, in doing so,they will not only create a greater sense of self-awareness about an individual's strengths and weaknesses, but they will also be able to awaken their people's creative potential and lay to rest the lumpenproletariat stereotype – the kind of people left behind by mainstream corporate society.
Psychological insight will help their employees acquire a greater sense of self-determination and a feeling of control over their lives. It will help them realise a sense of impact, a strong belief that their actions are making a difference in their organisations, and that their organisations can have an impact on society at large. Using transitional space will also help them secure a greater sense of competence and a feeling of personal growth and development.
An essential part of this process is acquiring a sense of belonging that comes with being part of an organisation – the feeling of being part of a community of people who like to work together. Our observations also suggest the importance of having a feeling of enjoyment in what one is doing. Having fun together is a major part of the organisational success equation. Last, but certainly not least, people need to be instilled with a sense of meaning about the activities in which they are engaged. This feeling is highly significant because, as human beings, we are sense-making individuals. Leaders fulfil many different roles in their employees'
Biblipgraphy:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.htm
Commission Of The European Communities. Brussels, 17.6.2008. A Common Immigration Policy For Europe:Principles, Actions And Tools. Communication From The Commission To The European Parliament, The Council, The European Economic And Social Committee And The Committee Of The Regions. Recover on May 20, 2009 from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0359:FIN:EN:PDF
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/albania/ipa/cross_border_2007_al_mk_programme_en.pdf
Gonzales-Perez, M. A. 2009. Presentation "Europe" part of the subject Organizations and Cultures at the University EAFIT
Naegele, G. & Walker, A. 2006. A guide to good practice in age management. Luxenbourg: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
De Vries, Manfred Kets & Konstantin Korotov. 2006. The future of European Business Leadership. European Business Forum, 24: 36-42.
European Union Rulers. (2008, April 25). Migration flow management: a new European strategy. Recover form youtube on May 20, 2009.
Image from Shutterstock.com
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario