Brussels, 22/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - Economic governance and the European semester will be the focus of the work by the Tripartite Social Summit for growth and employment, to be held in Brussels on 28 October just ahead of the European Council. Presidents Herman Van Rompuy (European Council) and José Manuel Barroso (Commission), the acting prime minister, Yves Leterme, and the prime ministers of Hungary and Poland each accompanied by their employment ministers, Commissioner Lázsló Andor and the representatives of the European social partners at the highest level (ETUC/trade unions, BusinessEurope/employers, UEAPME/craft and small and medium-sized enterprise, CEEP/companies providing public services).
In his letter of invitation, the acting Belgian prime minister, Yves Leterme, sets out the content of the work:
“The forthcoming meeting of the European Council will focus on economic governance following the final report of the taskforce chaired by President Van Rompuy. A new governance structure will be a key tool for the success of the EUROPE 2020 strategy for growth and jobs.
A precondition for the success of the new governance mechanism is an appropriate involvement of the social partners at all levels (European, national, regional and local) in the definition, monitoring and implementation of both European and national reform strategies.
The Tripartite Social Summit, to be held before the October European Council meeting, will provide a significant opportunity to discuss with social partners how Europe can support growth and employment through better EU capacity and governance. Within this framework, the summit will also discuss how to combine an exit strategy to cap public indebtedness with an entry strategy investing in skills, technology and modern infrastructures in the most appropriate way”.
On Thursday 21 October in Luxembourg, Joëlle Milquet, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister responsible for employment and equal opportunities, informed employment and social affairs ministers of the preparations for the Tripartite Social Summit, saying that she planned to pass on with conviction the conclusions adopted by the EPSCO Council that day.
The Council points out that the Tripartite Social Summit for growth and employment has the mission of ensuring permanent social dialogue between Council, Commission and social partners at the highest level. It brings together the troika of heads of state and government of the current rotating presidency and the following two (on this occasion, Belgium, Hungary and Poland), each accompanied by their respective employment ministers, the president of the European Commission and the employment commissioner, the president of the European Council and the presidents/general secretaries of the principal European employers' and trade union organisations. (G.B./transl.jl)