mr president i do not yet have a draft legislative proposal in my pocket
it is too early at this stage to have fixed ideas about the substance of any changes
as you know there is a consultation paper that is deliberately open in tone
i also want to hear the social partners views
the new rules should protect workers from the health and safety risks of excessively long working hours and insufficient rest
they should also be flexible enough to allow for the conciliation of work and family life and to promote the competitiveness of companies especially small and medium-sized enterprises
i think we have to have a solution for that mr kirkhope quite frankly because as you know there are cases before the court of justice that oblige us to find a solution
so we will try to find a broad-based support for a new proposal and avoid the long discussions that marked the last attempt to revise the directive
