On Thursday 16 July 2015, The Minister of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy, Nicolas Schmit and the Minister of Social Security, Romain Schneider, chaired the informal meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs in Luxembourg, under the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The first session was also attended by Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Worker Mobility, Marianne Thyssen; Minister of Family and Integration, Corinne Cahen; and representatives of the European Parliament. Discussions between the Ministers and EP representatives focused on the 'Social Dimension in the Governance Framework of the European Union' and community governance in the Economic and Monetary Union.
Minister Cahen particularly emphasised that "if we are to achieve the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in the fight against poverty, we need to ensure better coordination of social policies and employment with financial and economic policies."
This strengthening of the social dimension was reported as a key element of the integration process and a fundamental pillar of democratic consensus, including in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy of the European Union in terms of employment and the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
Minister Romain Schneider concluded: "We find that European governance can be even better adapted to the promotion of a balanced competitiveness, a structural convergence and a sustainable inclusive growth while ensuring social cohesion."
Youth and Employment Ministers later discussed during a working lunch the important of strengthening a Guarantee device for young people by offering them more opportunities through professional learning and the creation of quality jobs. It was claimed that education programmes, in conjunction with the Alliance for Learning and initiatives such as Erasmus Pro, should be an important element in European employment policy and that mobility within Europe should be encouraged.
Ministers agreed that interdepartmental actions should be intensified by youth organisation initiatives to reach even the most remote youth labour market. Instruments such as microfinance were cited as importants means for encouraging small to medium entreprises in creating new jobs for young people.
During the second session Minister Nicolas Schmit presented to his European, Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan counterparts a draft session of the Luxembourg Presidency in the field of youth employment through vocational training in the countries of the Maghreb region.
Youth unemployment is a scourge that is not limited to the borders of the European Union, but which also affects Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. This initiative aims to join forces to support young people in their transition from school to the workplace, including a better match between supply and demand for skills in the labor market. This Presidency initiative brings together the key actors including the International Labour Organization, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the Institute of the Mediterranean or the Union for the Mediterranean were also present at the informal meeting ministers.
Youth unemployment is a scourge that is not limited to the borders of the European Union, but which also affects Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. This initiative aims to join forces to support young people in their transition from school to the workplace, including a better match between supply and demand for skills in the labour market. This Presidency initiative brings together the key actors including the International Labour Organization, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the Institute of the Mediterranean or the Union for the Mediterranean were also present at the informal meeting ministers.
Youth unemployment is a scourge that is not limited to the borders of the European Union, but which also affects Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The initiative therefore aims to join forces to support young people in their transition from school to the workplace, including providing a better match between supply and demand for skills in the labour market. This Presidency initiative brings together key actors such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the World Bank, the Institute of the Mediterranean or the Union for the Mediterranean who were also present at the informal meeting of ministers.
The project reportedly received decide support from gathered ministers. Complementary to existing programmess, this initiative will aim to create synergies and to strengthen the partnership between the European Union and the Maghreb countries.
"Today we send a strong signal to young people in Europe and North Africa. We are strongly committed in the fight against unemployment through investment in vocational training," concluded Nicolas Schmit.
Photo by EU2015/Charles Caratini (Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs)
