The Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs of the EU Member States will discuss deconfinement measures in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic at a meeting by videoconference on the morning of Tuesday 5 May.
Ministers will be invited by the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council to discuss the employment impact of the pandemic and national measures taken to mitigate the socio-economic impact of restriction and lockdown measures. Around 26% of jobs are threatened with being wiped out, according to the preparatory document for the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In particular, the Presidency would like to determine what new measures are expected at national level to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic in the area of employment. First and foremost, it will seek to identify what additional measures could be implemented by the Union to ensure the most effective recovery possible.
One of the sub-items that could be addressed, according to a European source, is delays in the implementation in the social sphere of the national measures announced. In Italy, for example, only 10-15% of workers eligible for short-time working aid have actually received it.
Another expected point of discussion will be the implementation of the European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency (the SURE instrument) and in particular the issue of guarantee, which was to be discussed in a technical meeting on Monday 4 May (see EUROPE 12478/5).
Demographic changes
The Ministers will also discuss the demographic challenges currently facing the Union and also in the light of the pandemic. The Presidency’s stated aim is to feed into the work of the Commission, which is preparing a report on the impact of demographic change, a Green Paper on ageing and a long-term “vision” for rural areas. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)