Obtaining a general approach by December on the directive on the working conditions of digital platforms workers, continuing the socio-professional integration of Ukrainian refugees and cushioning the shock of the energy transition and inflation on the most precarious households - “energy poverty being one of the key challenges of social cohesion in the EU” - are some of the objectives that the Czech Presidency of the EU Council has set itself for the next six months.
Prague has also put on the agenda of the Employment and Social Affairs Council on 8-9 December a possible political agreement on the directive on occupational exposure to asbestos, which the European Commission is expected to have proposed by then. A progress report is also planned on the directive on equal treatment.
Among the non-legislative activities, the Czech Presidency will focus on the employment of people with disabilities, the reduction of child poverty by 2030 by supporting the implementation of the Child Guarantee and informal care for dependent people.
The Czech Presidency will also start discussing the draft EU Council recommendations on setting minimum income standards as one of the possible tools to fight poverty, while ensuring respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, it says in its work programme.
First meeting on 14 July on digital platform workers
A first major meeting for Prague will take place on 14 July and will concern the digital platform workers directive. The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU has sent questions to the national delegations in preparation for this meeting.
The last compromise text specifies which groups of people are concerned by the dual objective of the directive: on the one hand, the improvement of working conditions concerns platform workers and, on the other hand, the improvement of protection with regard to the processing of personal data concerns individuals performing platform work.
They were asked two questions: “which changes do delegations deem necessary in Chapters III and IV in order to highlight this twofold objective? Do delegations deem adequate the extent to which the proposed Directive establishes rights in chapters III and IV to the self-employed persons (or more generally ‘persons performing platform work’)?”
Trilogues on the Social Climate Fund
The Czech Presidency will also lead the first negotiation meetings with the European Parliament on the Social Climate Fund, adopted on 28 June by the EU27 Environment Ministers (see EUROPE 12982/7). The first trilogues will not take place until the beginning of September, in theory; the European Parliament will informally coordinate next week on these ‘Fit for 55’ matters.
Links to the programme and timetable: https://aeur.eu/f/2h6 ; https://aeur.eu/f/2gv
Link to the note on digital platforms: https://aeur.eu/f/2gy (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)