The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union will definitely have a social imprint, as Prime Minister António Costa and the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Ana Mendes Godinho, reminded the press on Thursday 7 January.
“We need to strengthen our social model to respond to the crisis”, said the Prime Minister. “What strengthens populists is fear, one of the roots of which is the future of work”, he continued, recalling that his country had also chosen to place the green and digital transitions at the heart of its Presidency.
These issues will be discussed at a European conference and summit dedicated to social issues on 7 and 8 May in Porto, in line with the Gothenburg summit in November 2017 (see EUROPE 11907/1). This event will aim to “give political impetus to the realisation of the European pillar of social rights in the lives of citizens”. It will lead to a ‘Porto Declaration’.
In her speech, Ana Mendes Godinho went into more detail on the key issues for the next 6 months. She stressed the importance of unblocking interinstitutional negotiations on the coordination of social security systems (see EUROPE 12618/24), which she described as “crucial for mobile workers”. “This is a difficult and important dossier that we want to close”, she added.
Mendes Godinho wants to make progress on the proposal on minimum wages in Europe (see EUROPE 12591/8). In its work schedule, Lisbon in fact indicates that it is aiming for a “general approach” by the EU Council on this proposal presented by the Commission at the end of October, despite the reluctance of Denmark and Sweden.
Mrs Godinho recalled that the EU Council’s legal services are currently examining the proposal (see EUROPE 12600/28). “We will try to build a consensus that the implementation of a European framework respects national systems. We want all doubts to be clarified”, she added. She argues that over the last 5 years, the minimum wage in Portugal has increased by 32% in parallel with a decrease in unemployment. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean, with Camille-Cerise Gessant)