The EU27 ministers of employment and social affairs will meet, on Monday 13 March, for a formal session dedicated to the ‘European Semester 2023’, with a discussion focused on skills and competitiveness, as well as the situation of Ukrainian refugees in the labour market of the Member States and the ILO Convention adopted in 2019 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (ILO Convention 190).
Over lunch, they will look at the protection of vulnerable Ukrainian children who have arrived in the EU, and then continue their discussions with an update from the Commission on the social protection of the self-employed. They will also discuss the report of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection in the EU, adopted on 7 February. However, as expected, the ministers will not be able to make any progress on the issue of digital platform workers, which has been blocked since the EU ‘Employment’ Council on 8 December (see EUROPE 13080/16).
Employment and competitiveness. With regard to the European Semester, the ministers will be invited to adopt the ‘Joint Employment Report’.
The 2023 edition focuses on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in line with the March 2021 Porto Social Summit Action Plan.
The report incorporates the EU’s 2030 headline targets for jobs, skills and poverty reduction and “given the current uncertainties, it is important that this ambition is maintained”.
“Taken together, the national employment targets exceed the ambition of the corresponding EU headline target of at least 78% by 0.5 pps. At the same time, Member States together committed to lifting 600,000 persons more out of poverty than requested by the EU headline target of at least 15 million fewer people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, at least 5 million of which should be children”, the report notes.
The national skills targets, on the other hand, show different levels of ambition, with at least 60% of adults needing to be in training every year by 2030. The overall commitment to date is 57.6%, the report says.
On the situation of Ukrainians in the labour markets of the Member States, the ministers will be asked to take stock of the barriers to entry into employment, while one million of the four million Ukrainian refugees in the EU have a job (see EUROPE 13135/11). They will also look at how refugees adjust to energy costs and inflation.
With regard to the ILO Convention setting out specific standards on combating work-related violence and harassment, the proposal for an EU Council decision authorising Member States to ratify this Convention will be revisited.
Social protection. In the afternoon, the ministers will also discuss social protection, particularly on the basis of the report of the High-Level Group.
The report’s conclusions stress “the importance of an inclusive and equitable welfare state to minimise social risks and mitigate economic hardship”.
A modern welfare state “should provide strong buffers against economic shocks and invest in ‘stepping stones’ that help people through the critical stages of their lives”.
Acknowledging that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for Europe’s different welfare states, the report offers a list of 21 recommendations for modernising and improving the welfare state, for example on childcare for all children under three, which should be free or affordable, or equal opportunities for young people from low-income families.
Digital platform workers
The Swedish Presidency of the EU Council was unable to put an item on the agenda of this EU Council on the digital platform workers directive due to lack of progress. A working group will meet again on 27 March. The Presidency could propose some adjustments to the texts on the most delicate points, such as the criteria for triggering the presumption of salaried status.
The Swedish Presidency still holds out some hope, albeit limited, that an agreement can be reached in June. In the meantime, it will work to reduce the wide divergences between Member States.
Link to the report of the High-Level Group on social protection: https://aeur.eu/f/5qj
Link to the Joint Employment Report: https://aeur.eu/f/5qi (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)