Brussels, 14/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for Social Affairs Anna Diamantopoulou this week held a meeting with the Belgian Social Affairs and Pensions Minister, Frank Vandenbroecke. Like his colleague, Laurette Onkelinkx (who had met the Commissioner before the summer, see EUROPE of 6 June, p.16), Frank Vandenbroecke hopes to prepare the Belgian Council Presidency during the second half of the year 2001. He mainly insisted on the future evolution of social protection in the long term as well as on the aims of reducing poverty, and on the national action plans for employment to be drawn up by the Member States during 2001.
As far as the "social protection" issue is concerned, the College of Commissioners is expected to discuss, during its meeting on 5 October, the communication on the security and sustainability of pensions, presented on an initiative by Anna Diamantopoulou and which will be twinned with that on the transferability of complementary pensions, presented by Commissioner Fritz Bolkestein.