The Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs broadly welcomed the new OSH strategy on safety and health at work 2021-2027, during a policy debate at the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO) on Friday afternoon, 15 October.
All Member States welcomed the new strategic framework presented by the European Commission last June (see EUROPE 12750/2). Many stressed the need for a better framework for telework, the rise of new digital practices and the related challenges in terms of psycho-social and musculo-skeletal disorders.
However, several Ministers would have liked more ambition. Finland has called for a European strategy on mental health at work. Denmark would have liked the strategy to go further on threshold limits for mutagens and carcinogens. Luxembourg regretted the lack of quantifiable indicators to measure progress. This shortcoming already existed in the previous strategy, the Minister recalled.
Luxembourg also called on the Commission to present a priority list of mutagens in connection with the Directive to protect workers from toxic substances (see EUROPE 12687/12).
Asked by EUROPE at a press conference about the issue of including 50 mutagens and carcinogens, as requested by the trade unions, the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said that this would not happen overnight, but that the Commission was working on it. He acknowledged that the pace should be “accelerated” in all cases.
Still responding to EUROPE on the European Parliament’s proposals, which call for an occupational exposure limit to asbestos, the Commissioner said he was awaiting the vote in plenary (see other news: EUROPE 12799/22). He will then forward the European Parliament’s proposal to the internal advisory committee responsible for the dossier.
Green Paper on Ageing
Several Ministers said that the discussions on OSH echoed the lunchtime meeting on the Green Paper on Ageing (see EUROPE 12812/18). Asked by EUROPE about the content of the speeches, Janez Cigler Kralj, the Slovenian Minister of Labour, said that the sustainability of pensions and the issue of long-term care were priorities.
Guidelines on employment and gender mainstreaming in the EU budget
The Council adopted a EU Council Decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States.
Furthermore, the Council approved conclusions on gender mainstreaming in the EU Budget. These conclusions are the EU Council’s reaction to a report by the European Court of Auditors on gender mainstreaming in the EU budget.
Social security number
The Commission presented its long-term vision for rural areas. The institution also gave a presentation on the state of play of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) instrument and the European Social Security Pass (ESS Pass).
Link to gender conclusions: https://bit.ly/2YNIgjw
Link to the Employment Policy guidelines: https://bit.ly/2YR1OnF (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)