always been a driving force . Its influence was clear in one of the most important pieces of legislation of this period , Directive 96 / 71 / EC 9 on the posting of workers . This directive draws up a set of working conditions which workers who are temporarily posted abroad by their employer must be granted in the country to which they are posted ( host country ). Its purpose is to guarantee the protection of workers as well as to provide a level playing field for service providers . As was to happen later with the Services Directive ( 2006 / 123 / EC , also known as the Bolkestein Directive ), many of the amendments proposed by Parliament were the best compromise among contrasting positions within the Council .
The initial years of codecision contributed to a deepening of trust between the institutions and a shift in attitude . Before the signing of the Amsterdam Treaty , Parliament President Gil-Robles met Win Kok , president-in-office of the Council , who informed him that the major requests of Parliament had been accepted in the preliminary text of the draft Treaty ( later called the Amsterdam Treaty ). This acceptance by the Member States of a broader role for Parliament paved the way for the ordinary legislative procedure , introduced 10 years later in the Lisbon Treaty .
Launch of the single currency
The road leading to the single currency was long . The formal process began with the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 . However , the concept had been around for some time and materialised in the European Parliament ’ s draft Treaty of 1984 , based on the Spinelli report . This report advocated the participation of all Member States in the European Monetary System .
9 . Directive 96 / 71 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1996 concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services .
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