Greek Minister of Labour, Social Security and Welfare, Yannis Vroutsis presented at a EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council, on 9 December 2013 in Brussels, the programme of the Greek Presidency in the fields of Employment and Social Policy.

 

Minister Vroutsis praised the Lithuanian Presidency for the agreements reached at, at the Council meeting, such as the New Multiannual Financial Framework, the European Globalisation Fund and supplementary pensions. In presenting the programme of the Greek Presidency in the field of Employment and Social Policy, the minister highlighting the following:

 

“Greece, both through its priorities in general, as well as through the Employment and Social Policy in particular, will seek to highlight the positive development dimension of the European Union that focuses on our common principles and values, social cohesion and employment as prerequisites for its sustainability.” He added that “this policy objective is founded on the Social Clause of the Treaty, according to which the entire applied European policy should be evaluated in light of its social implications.”

 

According to Minister Vroutsis, “our first priority is the promotion of employment and especially youth employment. The Greek Presidency will focus on speeding up the implementation of actions relating to the “Initiative for the Youth” and monitoring the implementation of national projects relating to “Youth guarantee”. 

 

Referring to the Proposal for a Directive on the posting of workers, Minister Vroutsis underscored that “the aim of the Greek Presidency will be the finalization of negotiations with the European Parliament and its adoption”, as well as the establishment of a Quality Framework for Internships, the Proposal for a Regulation on the enhancement and renewal of EURES and the Decision on the cooperation of Public Employment Services. He also noted that “the fight against undeclared work is a horizontal dimension. This is the reason why the Greek Presidency has put high on its agenda the early adoption of the Decision on the establishment of a Platform for undeclared work.”

 

In the context of strengthening the Social Dimension, “the Greek Presidency aims to enrich the European Agenda with issues such as ensuring adequate and sustainable social protection systems and the existence of minimum safety nets with a view to addressing social challenges such as the aging population, unemployment, undeclared work and poverty,” the Minister said.

 

With regard to the promotion of equal opportunities, the Greek Minister of Labour stressed that “we will continue our efforts in order to find solutions and reach an agreement regarding the Proposal for a Directive on equal treatment irrespective of religion or other belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and the Proposal for a Directive on improving the gender balance among board-member positions in publicly listed companies.”

Touching upon the active involvement of the social partners as a necessary condition for the success of the Greek Presidency, Minister Vroutsis said that “our priority is the strengthening of the leading European platform for social dialogue, the Tripartite Social Summit, through the adoption of a relevant Council Proposal”.

 

Concluding, the Greek Minister of Labour, Social Security and Welfare invited his colleagues to the informal EPSCO Council that will be held in Athens on 29-30 April 2014 which will include discussions on the integration of the Social Dimension in the European Employment Strategy.