Presentation of the Greek Presidency's priorities in the areas of employment and social protection by Labour and Social Security Minister Dimitris Reppas
Date: 22-1-2003
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Dimitris Reppas, in his capacity as president of the Labour and Social Affairs Council, presented to the European Parliament the Greek Presidency's priorities in the areas of employment and social protection.
Addressing the European Parliament�s Employment and Social Affairs Committee, Reppas stressed that the Lisbon strategy continued to be the main objective regarding the review of the European Employment Strategy, which will be aiming at full and quality employment.
Reppas noted that during the Greek Presidency the review would be focusing on the following 7 courses of action:
- Promoting active ageing policies, inter alia by extending the working life.
- Equal participation of women in employment.
- Strengthening and improving the effectiveness of active employment policies for the social integration of youth and the unemployed.
- Increasing the rates of participation in the labour market, especially by linking social protection and employment (make work pay).
- Reducing regional inequalities in employment and unemployment, particularly through actions in remote and geographically disadvantaged regions.
- Achieving a balance in labour regulation with two objectives. On the one hand, in order for employees to feel safer and with a wider range of options, so that they can constantly develop their skills and gain satisfaction from their work. And on the other, in order for businesses to become more flexible and have a more specialised work force with greater readiness, so that they can undertake initiatives and cope with changes. This effort could create the conditions for a re-regulation of the labour markets in Member States.
- The mobilisation of all administrative agencies and in particular the more active participation of the social partners in monitoring and implementing the European Employment Strategy and the National Action Plans. In this respect, the strengthening of Social Partner agreements at a European level is of crucial importance.
With regard to social protection, Reppas stressed that the examination of pension systems through the open method of coordination should take place on a regular basis and the EU should not confine itself to the submission of annual reports on pensions, as was the case in 2001.
Reppas also referred to the added value of policies on social protection, which can be achieved by adopting a single process for all its different dimensions.
After outlining the legislative initiatives undertaken by the Greek Presidency in the areas of employment and social protection, such as the promotion of the directive on Temporary Employment, as well as of Regulation No. 1408/71 on the coordination of social security systems, Reppas replied to questions from 18 members of the European Parliament on a wide range of issues.