Luxembourg, 04/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The place and the role of the EPSCO Council in the new economic governance process of the EU, known as the European Semester, provoked the lengthiest debates at the meeting of the Social Affairs and Employment Council in Luxembourg, on Thursday 4 October. It is not a question of rivalling the ECOFIN Council but of revalorising the prerogatives of the ministers responsible for social issues in areas that affect employment and the labour markets, explained Cypriot Minister of Employment and Social Affairs Sotiroula Charalambous who was speaking at the final press conference after she had chaired the Council's work for the last time.
Several ministers, including the Belgian, German, Austrian and Lithuanian ministers, thus suggested that joint meetings be organised with their colleagues for the economy and finance. They suggested that the next meetings, scheduled for the month of June 2013 under Irish EU Council Presidency, should be merged in order to have greater clout over the European Semester and especially in respect of specific country-by-country recommendations.
Although, for Charalambous, it is not a matter of competition between different Council formats, several ministers asked during the public debate for the responsibilities and the prerogatives of each group of ministers to be redefined. Today, there are several problems that affect not only substance but also procedure, said the minister from Luxembourg, Nicolas Schmit. On substance, it is necessary to rethink the role of what is “social” in economic governance and, on procedure, it would be appropriate to review the timetable of the European Semester. This last point was evoked by many ministers. There is not enough time to analyse recommendations, which entails logistical difficulties for the national ministries and even prevents any form of dialogue and discussion with the European Commission, which is tasked with producing recommendations on economic reforms and the labour markets. (JK/transl.jl)