The European works councils must be able to get to know each other better.

Women do not even make up 10% of European works councils.

The most important is naturally the question of the European works council.

In terms of sheer numbers, we can already talk about the European works council as a success story.

Moreover, the European works councils usually meet once a year.

There are still 1 200 companies, however, which have not established European works councils.

But we also think that worker involvement should not stop at the European works council.

This proposal also states that we want to use the experience from the debate and the results of the European works council.

The same right applies to members of a special negotiating body or European works council.

I think this approach is important because it means that the European works council can operate more effectively.

European works councils, for example, must have the power to intervene rather than simply the right to be informed.

In 1994 we achieved another success with the directive on European works councils.

But I doubt very much indeed whether a European works council would have been able to change this company' s decision.

Finally, to the revision of the directive on European works councils.

It is clear that companies and their employees still need some time to complete the learning process involved in establishing European works councils.

You then asked if the directive on European works councils was to be revised.

There are currently a good 800 to 820 European works councils representing approximately 145 million workers.

The European works council directive proposal is another example.

My second question is this: the directive on establishing a European works councils dates back to 1995.

Mr President, this is why European works councils mean so much to me.

Why are you postponing the revision of the directive on a European works council, etc., until next year?

However, as will immediately be evident from the document, we still have the improvement of the European works council ahead of us.

We had to wait until September 1994 before the directive on European works councils became official!

However, I should like first and foremost to refer to the European works council project, which our group has fully supported.

In order to combat them, practical responses are required: one of which is to genuinely strengthen European works councils.