During an exchange at the ‘Employment and Social Policy’ Council (EPSCO) on Monday, 6 December, French Minister Delegate Brigitte Klinkert confirmed her country’s interest in the Belgian-Spanish proposal to establish a social-imbalance alert mechanism in the coming months.
Indicating that France “will have its heart set on” continuing discussions on the autumn semester and package over the course of the coming months—certainly under the French Presidency of the Council of the EU—the minister delegate expressed Paris’s interest in this proposal, which aims to introduce a mechanism similar to that on macroeconomic imbalances but for social issues (see EUROPE 12813/13).
“Such a mechanism would, in fact, augment requirements with regard to social and employment policy in Member States. It could thus contribute to a more inclusive recovery and to the strengthening of social convergence within the Union”, she declared. The Frenchwoman added that it was necessary to take a closer look at how this mechanism could be implemented by ensuring consistency with the establishment of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and “by conducting an in-depth expert assessment of this proposal”.
During the speeches, Belgium hoped to quickly start the analysis of the Council’s advisory committees under the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Belgian-Spanish proposal had received strong support—notably from Portugal, Italy, Cyprus, and France but from certain Baltic countries as well—during the ‘EPSCO’ Council last October (see EUROPE 12813/1). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)