Brussels, 16/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 16 July the EU ministers for employment and social affairs, who were meeting informally in Luxembourg, concluded that the social dimension in EU governance - and more specifically in the governance of economic and monetary union (EMU) - should be strengthened.
“It was noted that the existing system of governance could be better adapted to foster stronger competitiveness in a more balanced way, and to foster structural convergence and inclusive and sustainable growth, while ensuring social cohesion”, Luxembourg's social security minster, Roman Schneider, stated at a press conference at the end of the first debate on the social dimension of EMU, as addressed in the five presidents' report (see EUROPE 11340). In the view of Luxembourg's labour minister, Nicolas Schmit, this “period of overcoming the crisis” should be appropriate for “a different approach from that used in the past”.
Nevertheless, this new approach will not be fundamentally different from the previous one, as all the ministers “stated clearly that the Union's current legal bases should be built upon, but the competences of the member states should also be respected”, Schneider said. Strengthening the social dimension of governance means implementing what the treaties already stipulate on the need for taking into account in EU governance the “requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health”.
The ministers again said that the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) should have greater weight in the European semester budget process. “Social and employment issues are closely linked to the coordination of economic, financial and budget policies” so that the social dimension “should be considered more in the area of implementation as part of governance, as well as in the development of macro-economic adjustment programmes”, Schneider stated. (Jan Kordys)