Luxembourg Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Nicolas Schmit, and Minister of Social Security, Romain Schneider, defended a social European Union at the "Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs" (EPSCO) Council held on Thursday 16 June 2016 in Luxembourg.
At the Council, ministers held discussions on the employment and social security aspects of the proposal from the European Commission on specific recommendations addressed to Member States as part of the European Semester process, and adopted their contribution to the European Council on the matter.
Ministers Schmit and Schneider defended a social EU through the creation of quality jobs, strengthening social protection systems, relaunching social dialogue, promoting equality and enhancing the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
"Efforts should focus on the development of skills and knowledged, especially young people, and the creation of quality jobs," Nicolas Schmit commented during his speech. "It is our duty to invest in human capital for the fight against unemployment, precariousness and social exclusion."
Romain Schneider meanwhile defended the functioning and sustainability of the Luxembourg pension system, claiming that efforts had been made for many years to ensure in the long-term that every insured person has access to a pension system allowing for a high standard of living.
The social protection of the self-employed was addressed as an issue of growing importance in Europe at a working lunch during which Minister Schneider briefly explained the principles of the Luxembourg system which provides social protection to both employees and the self-employed. He stated that quality social protection should not be a luxury, but a right to everyone, calling for efforts to focus on the quality of the services offered and access to them.
The ministers adopted Council conclusions regrading the fight against poverty and social exclusion and the revival of social dialogue, as well as on the strategic conmmitment of the European Commission for Equal Opportunities and on the Commission's list of actions to promote equality for LGBTI people.
Ministers present also reported on some pending legislative issues, including the proposed Directive concerning the accessibility of products and services and the proposed revised directive on the protection of workers against risks linked to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work.
After the formal Council meeting, the Employment Ministers held discussions with representatives of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which focused on the psoting of workers. During the meeting, Nicolas Schmit expressed support to the concerns of unions and stated that efforts should target the improvement of the regulatory framework to better fight against social dumping and unfair competition.
Photo by European Union
