EU Social Policy Ministers met for 2 days in Ljubljana on Thursday 8 July and Friday 9 July to discuss the challenges of inclusiveness and labour market resilience in the face of the twin transitions of ecology and digital technology, as an economic recovery begins to pick up steam and the Covid-19 (see EUROPE 12757/26) pandemic vaccination campaigns progress.
The Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, told the press on Saturday that there was a consensus among Member States on the need to tackle the issue of youth unemployment, to address skills issues in the face of the needs generated by the double transition (and the role of lifelong learning).
Mr Schmit said that the issue of gender equality had been discussed at length, in connection with the need to provide early childhood support. Furthermore, the Commissioner mentioned the National Recovery Plans, in which the social dimension is particularly present.
In a statement, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU reported a convergence of views on the importance of combating age discrimination in order to build a labour market based on intergenerational cooperation.
The ministers met their counterparts from the Western Balkans, with whom they discussed the importance of the Youth Guarantee in combating youth unemployment (see EUROPE 12577/17).
In general, the meeting seemed to confirm the momentum generated by the Porto Social Summit (see EUROPE 12716/3), but did not make a decisive contribution to future actions.
There was no mention of minimum wages, digital platform workers, or even the coordination of social security systems, a diplomatic source confirmed. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)