Ministers of Social Affairs and Employment will be invited by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU to give their views on the concept of 'economy of wellbeing' at a short ministerial meeting on employment and social policy (EPSCO) on Monday 8 July.
The debate, which will be public, will open with a speech by the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurría, who will present his organisation's report on the economy of wellbeing, a report commissioned by the Finnish Presidency.
According to the Finnish Presidency, the European Union should strive to be not only the most competitive economy, but also the most "socially supportive" in the world. To this end, it wants to maintain the momentum created with the proclamation of the European pillar of social rights and continue the debate and reflection on "the mutually reinforcing links between human well-being and sustainable economic growth". Thus, the objective of the Finnish Presidency is to provide input for conclusions for the EPSCO Council, which will be held in Luxembourg on 24 October.
The concept of Economy of wellbeing will also occupy ministers during lunch, which will be held behind closed doors in the presence of the President of the Eurogroup, the Portuguese Mário Centeno. More specifically, they will focus on the question of the link between the 'European Semester' budget process and the economy of wellbeing.
A second public debate is planned on the social aspects of the European Commission's communication 'Clean planet for all' (see EUROPE 12201/11), which aims to establish a long-term strategic vision for achieving a climate-neutral economy.
Here, the Finnish Presidency will seek to survey the Member States on how social and employment policies can support the transition to a green economy. In addition, it will seek to prioritise actions in order to determine the most urgent actions to be taken to limit the impact of this economic and societal transition on the most vulnerable workers. No conclusions are expected from the Finnish Presidency on this point.
In the morning, ministers will approve the 2019 country recommendations on national reform programmes and the Member States' employment guidelines. As a reminder, this Council of 8 July was added for these specific points, since the European Commission had delayed their publication due to the European elections (see EUROPE 12272/26).
Documents
To read the OECD report on the economy of wellbeing : https://bit.ly/2FTTMO1
To consult the document with information to feed into the debate on the Commission's report 'Clean Planet for all': https://bit.ly/329R0gV
To access: - the recommendations on the national reform programmes: https://bit.ly/2XLdLJ0 ; - the assessment of the implementation of the recommendations 2018: https://bit.ly/2XLzZuo and https://bit.ly/32esE63; the decision on the employment guidelines: https://bit.ly/30c60cv (Original in French by Pascal Hansens)