Brussels, 06/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The informal meeting of EU employment and social affairs ministers at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on 7-9 July will seek to prepare the programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the announced priorities of which relate to the major challenges of climate and demographic change, restructuring socially responsible companies, tackling discrimination, the EU 2020 strategy and its flagship initiative “Jobs and Skills”, social protection and tackling poverty. To discuss these issues, the Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian ministers responsible for these areas will meet representatives of the social partners (BusinessEurope, CEEP, and UEAPME for employers, and ETUC for the unions), and of the Social Platform on Wednesday 7 July. Thursday 8 July will be divided into two workshops, one on the employment dimension of the EU 2020 strategy and the other on the long-term challenges mentioned above. Social issues will be discussed on Friday 9 July, targeting the social dimension of the EU 2020 strategy (governance, strengthening the WTO, and the European platform against poverty) and also social security and social inclusion (decent minimum income, pension schemes).
The first workshop, on “New challenges, new objectives: New employment policies facing demographic and climatic challenges”, will concentrate on the need to get more people into work, on active ageing, and also on the need to change career paths and working conditions, and on creating “white jobs” (jobs in care and health care). Ministers will be asked to respond to two questions put by the Presidency: (1) What contribution can the European Union make to help member states deal with the consequences of ageing on the labour market? What concrete measures should be taken to increase active ageing and adapt career and working conditions? (2) Which steps should be taken to effectively anticipate the growing needs of care services in terms of labour supply (skills) and demand (work conditions, funding)? What concrete employment policy measures to foster the creation of “white jobs”?
This workshop will also look at policies on “green” employment, which is a driving force essential to a successful transition to a competitive low-carbon economy. The Presidency will essentially highlight the need for economic and industrial change to sustain smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Employment policies must stay ahead of the game in the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy. Here, too, ministers will be asked to respond to two Presidency questions: (1) Do you intend to undertake active policies to prepare the labour market for the transition to the low-carbon economy and foster the creation of green jobs? (2) How could EU-level policies prepare the labour market and its stakeholders to tackle climate change? Should European funds play an active role in dealing with the employment impact of climate change and, if so, how?
The second workshop, “New challenges, new objectives: Growth and competitiveness, the European Employment Strategy within EUROPE 2020”, will focus on two points: firstly, the role of the European Employment Strategy in stimulating growth with jobs and ensuring competitiveness in the EU, and, secondly, the place of employment policies in the governance of EUROPE 2020 and within the framework of economic governance. Ministers, here too, will have to respond to two questions put by the Presidency: (1) Within the context of the Integrated Guidelines, which are the most important and effective employment policies to achieve growth with jobs and the competitiveness of the EU economy? (2) Do you agree that instruments of the European Employment Strategy provided by the Treaty should be aligned with the future cycle of economic governance that is to be decided by the European Council? Do you agree that the existing instruments of the European Employment Strategy should be used in a more streamlined and efficient manner than is currently the case? How do you think this more efficient use could be achieved?
Friday 9 July will be given over to the EU 2020 strategy and to the WTO. Chairman of the Social Protection Committee (SPC) Aurelio Fernandez has written to the president of the EPSCO Council Laurette Onkelinx pointing out that the Committee had already underlined that a reinforced Open Method of Communication in the area of social protection and social inclusion will be needed if the social dimension of EUROPE 2020 is to be implemented. In September, the SPC will adopt an opinion on “the social dimension in the context of EUROPE 2020 and its governance” as a contribution to the EPSCO Council of October. (G.B./transl.rt)