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1. The Committee notes the Government's report for the period ending in May 1996. Referring also to the data published by the OECD, the Committee notes that employment growth during the period was not sufficient to absorb the growth of the active population and that the unemployment rate, which stood at 9.6 per cent in 1994, reached 10.4 per cent in 1996. The worrying trends in the distribution of unemployment already noted by the Committee have been confirmed: the unemployment rate of women is double that of men despite a considerably lower activity rate, the unemployment rate among young people is almost 28 per cent and 50 per cent of the unemployed have been seeking work for more than a year. The Committee notes that, in the Government's opinion, the restructuring of industrial enterprises and migration flows are the main causes of the persistent labour market problems.

2. The Committee notes the information concerning the various labour market policy measures which aim, in particular, to encourage the recruitment of certain categories of unemployed experiencing special difficulty in finding employment through subsidies to enterprises, to promote self-employment among young graduates and to encourage geographical mobility. It notes the evaluation findings which were able to be collected on the effectiveness of some of these programmes and asks the Government to continue to provide information on how they are adapted to take account of the results achieved. The Committee also notes the information concerning the modernization of employment services. It asks the Government to provide full information on progress made in this respect in its next report on the application of Convention No. 88.

3. With regard to the requests it has been making on this matter for many years, the Committee regrets to note that the Government's report is confined to a description only of labour market policy measures, but contains none of the information required by the report form on how general and sectoral economic policies contribute "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" to the pursuit of employment objectives, in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee again recalls that an employment policy which is consistent with the Convention covers other aspects of economic and social policy than those for which the Ministry of Labour is responsible, and trusts that the Government will provide full information in it its next report on the measures taken with regard to investment policy, budgetary and monetary policy, trade policy, prices, incomes and wages policy, industrial and regional development policy, and education and training policy, in order to promote "as a major goal" full, productive and freely chosen employment. It again asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the convergence programme (1994-99) and its impact -- noted or expected -- on employment.

4. Article 3. The Committee notes that Act No. 2232 of 31 August 1994 established an Economic and Social Committee in which employers' and workers' representatives participate. It asks the Government to state whether this institution has a say in the formulation and application of the employment policy within the meaning of the Convention.