On Thursday 11 October, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) protested in a press release dated the same day at the decision by the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU to cancel a ministerial meeting on Employment and Social Policy (EPSCO) scheduled that same day.
The trade unions say that on the agenda was a point on implementation of the European pillar of social rights and in particular, progress on the regulation establishing the European Labour Authority (see other article).
"This arbitrary and unjustified decision sends out completely the wrong message to European citizens", says ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini. Members of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) had already expressed discontent to EUROPE at a meeting in Vienna earlier in the week (see EUROPE 12114).
Master of the game
It is for the Council to decide on its agenda, it is the Council which is master of the game, commented Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen at a press conference on the inter-institutional agreement on the carcinogen and mutagen directive (see other article).
The commissioner continued that what was important for the Commission and for herself, was to finally see a lot of results at the end of the Austrian Presidency – words that could be seen as a warning.
A high-ranking internal source says a presidency of the Council of the EU has never before simply cancelled a ministerial meeting. Such meetings have the advantage of organising a multilateral exchange among politicians.
The EPSCO Council of 6 December will therefore have much on the agenda. The source said it was taking place on what in some countries is Santa Claus Day, and hoped the Council would conclude a number of items of legislation.
Not enough advanced work on texts
In a letter to the European Commission dated 5 September and seen by EUROPE, the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU explains: "there are no discussions on other files reaching a phase where ministers could have significant input, nor any other decisions are to be taken by ministers at this stage".
Another source says several member states have reacted to the cancellation, such as Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)