expert facilities for targeted capacity building in the ACP State, OCTs or their region and short-term technical assistance and advice to them, as well as support of sustainable centres of knowledge and excellence on governance and reform in the public sector.

(a) developing cross-border partnerships, where requested by services territorially responsible for the border regions; counselling and information opportunities before, during and after the mobility experience for jobseekers, mobile workers, including cross-border workers, seasonal workers, migrant workers, posted workers, and employers, in order to promote voluntary geographical mobility on a fair basis and drafting and dissemin ...[+++]ation of material informing jobseekers, mobile workers, employers and EURES advisers on labour law, social security and working conditions in cross-border regions and other Member States;

the Presidency conference on ‘Excellence and equity in early childhood education and care’, held in Budapest on 21-22 February 2011, which emphasised the need to combine the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of early childhood education and care, and of the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — ‘An EU agenda for the rights of the child’

2. In the Hague Programme of 4-5 November 2004, the European Council acknowledged the need for the EU to contribute, in a spirit of shared responsibility to a more accessible, equitable and effective international protection system in partnership with third countries and to provide access to protection and durable solutions at the earliest possible stage. A distinction was drawn between the differing needs of countries in regions of transit and countries in regions of origin. Countries in regions of origin and transit will be encouraged in their efforts to strengthen their capacity for the protection of refugees. On countries and regions of origin, the European Council further invited the Commission to develop EU ...[+++]Regional Protection Programmes in partnership with the third countries concerned and in close consultation and cooperation with UNHCR. These programmes should build on experience gained in pilot protection programmes to be launched before the end of 2005. These programmes will incorporate a variety of relevant instruments, primarily focused on capacity building, and include a joint resettlement programme for those Member States which may be ready to participate in such a programme on a voluntary basis. With regard to countries of transit, the European Council emphasised the need for intensified cooperation and capacity building, both on the southern and eastern borders of the EU to enable those countries better to manage migration and to provide adequate protection for refugees.

42. Considers that social dialogue must be fostered and strengthened as a key factor in meeting the social and labour market policy challenges facing Europe, but also as a key factor in a more pro-active macro-economic dialogue to develop a positive interaction between economic, social and employment policies; therefore expects that the social partners to be involved on a structural basis in the preparation of the annual Spring summits and that the relevant NGOs will also be involved in these preparations, in particular at the annual meeting held before them; supports therefore the replacement of the Standing Committee on Employment by a tripartite concertation committee for growth and employment, as asked for by the social partners in th ...[+++]eir joint contribution to the Laeken European Council; also expects the Commission to support employees and their representatives so that they have access to qualified experts;

8. Calls on the Commission not to pursue its activities aimed at encouraging local employment initiatives, in the context of the new employment policy called for by the Essen Council, in isolation from its other activities in European policy, in particular to make support strategies part of more wide-ranging economic, social and regional development strategies to avoid social fragmentation; measures which have a direct effect on local employment structures should be assessed, before they are implemented, in respect of the quality of ...[+++]their impact on the priority issue of employment and the different EU programmes on the effectiveness of local employment should be coordinated in a coherent way;