Speaking before the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs on Tuesday, 24 January, Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Deputy Minister for Employment Paulina Brandberg defended her government’s plans to join Denmark before the Court of Justice so as to overturn the directive on minimum wages; she felt that all Member States could use this action to “test” and clarify the scope of the EU’s competences.
Having come to present the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU alongside Minister Anna Tenje (who is responsible for the elderly and social security), Paulina Brandberg also promised MEPs that she would do her utmost to reach an agreement on the directive on the working conditions of digital platform workers—after the failure of Czech attempts to do so in December—by June.
Nevertheless, the minister acknowledged the “significant differences” in the positions held by Member States. Replying to French MEP Leïla Chaibi (The Left), she stated that it is “important that we take our time to [...] iron out any problems” among Member States and “establish the best conditions possible” for an agreement. However, the minister did not give details on the work method or on the solutions she will recommend regarding the principle of presumption of salaried status, one of the most complex issues.
The Swedish work programme envisages a potential general agreement in March, but the next technical group in the EU Council will only meet in mid-February.
Other priorities include [encouraging] social dialogue—which will be the subject of an EU Council recommendation on 25 January and which the [Swedish] Presidency plans to have adopted in June (see related article)—and defending the “vital” role of social partners, particularly in Sweden, where they enable the labour market to function well.
It is partly to defend this very specific Swedish model that the government has decided to join Copenhagen before the Court of Justice of the EU.
Questioned—and congratulated—by French MEP Dominique Bilde (ID) during the meeting, the minister praised the quality of the Swedish social model, which enables wages to be set and which “works well” with few strikes. “It is important that we have a directive” that will “work when applied to all the various, different models that exist” in member countries.
The Swedish Presidency also intends to wrap up the dossier on occupational exposure to asbestos. Occupational health and safety will also be a major focus, with an event on the topic in Sweden in mid-May.
Anna Tenje, for her part, confirmed the [Swedish] Presidency’s plan to relaunch work on the coordination of social security systems, whose rules need to “respond to the [new] social and economic realities”. Sweden will also encourage seniors to stay in the labour market longer, with “longer and more sustainable” careers while enjoying “good health”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)