Lessius would like to invite you to the conference on 'Flexicurity and the Lisbon Agenda. A cross-disciplinary reflection on an important challenge of globalization', organised by the Leo Tindemans Chair, in cooperation with the Jean Monnet Chair, on Thursday 17 January 2008.

In current European debate, the notion of 'flexicurity' is on the forefront. It represents the pursuit of a balance between flexibility and security as a key target of the European economy, taking into account the mission of the EU Lisbon Strategy in becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. In this context, this notion goes to the core of European integration, as it can be seen as requiring compromises or, even better, synergies between economic and social progress.

Flexicurity has been defined as a policy strategy that attempts, synchronically and in a deliberate way, to enhance the flexibility of labour markets, the work organisation and labour relations, and to enhance security – employment security and social security – notably for weaker groups in and outside the labour market. Flexicurity implies productive combinations and modes of both flexibility and security. It departs from the awareness that a modernised economic setting, characterised by globalisation, technological progress and demographical trends such as aging, is changing the needs of workers and enterprises. Flexicurity would require flexible though reliable labour contracts, a high level of workforce training, modern social security as well as active labour market policies. Moreover, a productive social dialogue is seen as an essential precondition to make flexicurity work.

European employment policies are designed to foster flexicurity. The European Commission stressed flexicurity in its 2006 Green Paper modernising labour law, which resulted in a synthesis document in October 2007. In June 2007, the Commission presented a Communication that provides input to the development of common flexicurity principles. Further follow-up is still to be expected in 2007 and 2008. Furthermore, the European Social Partners, ETUC and Business Europe have, very recently, presented a joint analysis of labour market challenges and flexicurity.