Brussels, 03/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - During the morning session of their meeting on Monday 7 March in Brussels EU employment and social affairs ministers will look at employment and social policy matters. During the afternoon, they will discuss gender equality. The morning session will be chaired by Sandor Czomba, Hungarian Minister of State for Employment Policy, while the afternoon session will be chaired by Hungarian Minister for National Resources Miklos Réthelyi. Over lunch, discussion will be on measures to improve the employability of older persons.
Contribution to the European Council on 24 and 25 March. The EPSCO Council will hold a policy debate on points presenting an interest for the annual examination of growth and the European semester (joint report on employment, guidelines for member state employment policies) as well as on points linked to the social dimension of the EU 2020 strategy (European platform against poverty and social exclusion, main messages set out in the report on the strategy's social dimension). The ministerial discussions will be steered by a note from the Presidency, setting out the following questions: - 1) How do you consider the assessment made in relation to employment and social inclusion in the Annual Growth Survey package 2011 with special regard to the Joint Employment Report (JER)?; 2) What, in the light of the EUROPE 2020 Progress Report, are the main difficulties faced in the effort to achieve the EU headline targets for employment and social inclusion? 3) With a view to achieving the EUROPE 2020 objectives, what do you consider the most urgent measures to be taken in the field of employment and social inclusion and to be brought to the attention of the Spring European Council?
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the report for employment and the European platform against poverty and social exclusion. It will endorse the opinion of the social protection committee regarding the platform, and will also adopt the main messages of the report on the EU 2020 strategy's social dimension, a report also drafted by the Social Protection Committee (SPC).
The Council points out that it cannot adopt the guidelines on employment before the European Council of 24 March has itself adopted its conclusions on the basis of the joint report on employment, and that it had received the opinions of other institutions and bodies. The Employment Committee and the European Parliament have already accepted the Commission's proposal (namely, to maintain directives unchanged for 2011), unlike the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions, which have not yet given their opinion.
Finally, ministers will receive information on the agenda of the tripartite social summit, which will be held on 24 March, in the morning before the European Council. Participants at the tripartite social summit will have an opportunity to speak out on themes to be examined by the European Council, namely growth and jobs in times of budgetary/fiscal consolidation. Given the role played by the social partners in governance of the strategy, the summit will also discuss how the priorities proposed in the annual growth survey will help to achieve the EU 2020 goals, the EPSCO Council adds.
Directive on posted workers. The Council is due to adopt conclusions on the further development of an electronic exchange system facilitating the cooperation between administrative authorities of the member states when applying the posting of workers directive.
Gender equality. The Council will be called on to adopt conclusions on the new European pact for gender equality covering the period 2011-2020. The pact will be revised and improved and the European Council will be called upon to approve it. Furthermore, the Council will note the Commission's report on progress made towards equality between men and women in 2010, a report which will also be forwarded to the European Council for information. There will not be discussion on quotas for women on corporate management boards. The text of Monday's EPSCO Council does not cover this matter, which will be on the agenda of the next EU presidency.
Pension systems: report on the consultation regarding the Green Paper. The Council will exchange views on the initial conclusions of the report. The aim should be to provide some political guidelines as the Commission services have now started to draft the White Paper, which is expected during the second half of this year. (G.B./transl.jl)