Brussels, 27/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - After having discussed review of European employment strategy (see EUROPE of 25 January, p.8), the EU Social Affairs Ministers held a very general discussion on coordinating social welfare policies at their informal meeting in Nafplion under the chairmanship of Dimitris Reppas. They did not, however, reach a clear consensus on the matter. The Greek Presidency hopes this will be possible during the Social Council on 6 March.
In Nafplion, some Member States were reticent about the prospect of new EU powers in the field of social protection. Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou sought to be reassuring by explaining that the Commission is not seeking new powers but, on the contrary, as it told the Convention's working group on a 'social Europe" (see EUROPE of 23 January, p.5), considers that it is necessary to seek coordination of Member State policies and seek to anchor this coordination in the new Treaty, whereas the social protection policies remain under the competence of Member States alone. In her view, it is not a matter of harmonising social welfare in Europe but said visible joint efforts should be made with regard social protection, which calls for work to be synchronised in these three fields (retirement, poverty and health) in order to ensure real European added value. Ministers thus agreed on application of the open method of coordination for: - the report on poverty 2001-2003 and on its 2-year cycle; - the report on retirements, to which the new Member States will be integrated in 2004 (but no decision was taken on synchronisation of work). On the other hand, they did not agree on the report on health or on its frequency of issue.
During the final press conference, Ms Diamantopoulou felt that, if "if we wait too long, and if we are not bold enough to set reforms in place with regards retirement, then this will cost citizens a great deal. There is now a window of opportunity for avoiding the problems inherent to financing, quality and access to social protection services".
Toward formal institutionalisation of the three-way Social Summit on Growth and Employment
On 23 January, on the occasion of the meeting in Nafplion, the Social Troika with the social partners, Italian Minister Maroni waived his reserve on formalisation of the three-way Social Summit on growth and employment proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE of 23 January, p.11). The summit, which is already held informally on the eve of each Spring Summit, may therefore become institutionalised. Anna Diamantopoulou welcomed this "Italian overture to a formal decision during the Greek Presidency".