The final Employment and Social Policy Council’ (EPSCO) under the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU will lead to the adoption on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 December of two political agreements of principle. One will be partial and on the coordination of the Social Security systems and the other will be a directive on the access applicable to products and services.
After a first partial agreement on the regulation on the coordination of the Social Security systems during the meeting on 23 October (see EUROPE 11890), the member states agreed on two new chapters: on long term health care benefits and family allowances.
The negotiations were particularly technical, explains the Estonian Presidency. The latter amended the European Commission proposal in an effort to better take into account the variety of national systems. It clarified the benefits covered by the regulation’s scope and the related concept of care of a need-based on impairment.
The Presidency indicates that with regard to the coordination of long-term health benefits, the working group had not set up a distinct chapter for long-term care but had integrated it into chapter 1. The Presidency also proposed to divide the definition of benefits in kind into two points due to the specific nature of long-term healthcare. The Presidency also added a list of long-term health care benefits provided by derogation and upon which the member states can coordinate certain long-term health benefits.
On family benefits, the Presidency explained that it has clarified the concept of replacement income benefits to cover individual education benefits allocated to parents who are out of work and raising a child and who are subsequently unable to work. The Presidency proposed to differentiate family benefits to take into account the wide variety of systems between member states. The “social question” group drew up a list of individual family benefits.
Slovakia maintained a general scrutiny reservation. Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom maintained a parliamentary scrutiny reservation.
Accessibility to goods and services. With regard to accessibility to goods and services, the Council is expected to reach a political agreement (“general approach”).
The Presidency indicated that it had reorganised the text in an effort to provide a greater legal clarity by separating the parts on products and services and those on both of them.
Similarly to the European Parliament request (see EUROPE 11862), micro-enterprises providing services are exempt. An annex was added to provide clear examples on the accessibility requirements for products and services.
The question of emergency services (the emergency 112 number) was the subject of discussion. Contrary to the Commission’s proposal, the member states decided to exclude the 112 number from the general approach, as well as the Public Safety Answering Points.
Balance between professional and private life. Ministers will examine progress on the negotiations on equal treatment and the balance between private and professional life. Several questions will be tackled by ministers on paternity leave, leave for carers and parental leave.
Parental leave will be set at 10 days but according to one source that spoke to EUROPE, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy have expressed reservations.
The proposal to set a minimum and appropriate level of income and aligning it on sickness benefit (article 8) created a problem for several delegations including Austria, Germany, Spain and even France.
Agreement on maritime time employment convention. The Council is expected to reach a political agreement on the directive on the maritime employment convention in order to strengthen the protection of seafarers and facilitate compensation procedures.
The Council is also expected to adopt a raft of conclusions on: - the future of the Making it e-Easy’ undertaking; - improved support and community care for autonomous living and; - strengthened measures to reduce horizontal gender segregation in education and employment.
The ministers’ dinner will focus on the digital transition and need to guarantee social protection to European citizens.
Finally, the European Commission will present the Council with the European Semester 2018 autumn package, which will contain the annual examination of growth, the joint report on employment and the report on the warning mechanism (see EUROPE 11910). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)