Employment and Social Affairs

Social

Although the EU 2020 strategy lacks a truly comprehensive social pillar, the Belgian presidency intends to make social protection a priority. To that end, the Belgian presidency will continue to strengthen the open coordination method between the Member States.

 

In line with the EU 2020 strategy, poverty reduction will also be on top of the Belgian social agenda. Today, 79 million people, or 16% of the population across Europe, are living in poverty. The Commission wants to see that number reduced by 25% by 2020.

 

As 2010 is the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, the Belgian presidency will host several events throughout the second half of the year to draw attention to the key issues and facilitate discussion. The Belgian Presidency wants people living in poverty to be actively involved in these discussions to improve the quality of the dialogue. The purpose will be to increase visibility around the issues of poverty and social exclusion, and to support the final European declaration on poverty, that European leaders are expected to adopt at the end of the year. 

 

Key Belgian Priorities

• Seek social convergence on higher standards, based on objectives and monitoring indicators.
• Strive for concrete progress in the discussions about social services.
• Reinforce the social ‘safety net’ throughout people’s lives.
• Stress the added value of the EU in the areas of health and ageing (including the issue of pensions).
• Focus attention on violence against women.

Key Dates

• Conference on child poverty [2 - 3 September 2010]
• Ninth Roundtable on poverty reduction and social exclusion [18 - 19 October 2010]
• Conference on social economy [27 -28 October 2010]
• Consensus conference [9 - 10 December 2010]
• Closure of the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion [16 - 17 December 2010]

Employment

Linked with poverty issues and also part of the EU 2020 strategy, Europe focuses on increasing employment and improving work quality. The EU acknowledges that the way out of the crisis is to create a more competitive economy—an economy that is knowledge-based, inclusive and sustainable, and one that offers good employment opportunities for both men and women. The Spanish presidency has already been active in finding agreements on parental leave, social protection of self employed workers and minimum income, the Belgian presidency will pick up where the Spanish one left off.

 

In this vein, the Belgian presidency’s top priorities will be the preservation of the specific measures introduced to support employment and to get out of the financial crisis, the development of green and white jobs, efficient governance, and improvement of security and health at work. Another priority of the Belgian presidency will be the "New Skills for New Jobs" initiative, which was already a focus of the Spanish presidency. The Council expects further concrete steps from the Commission in the autumn of 2010, ensuring its coherence with the EU 2020 Strategy, in particular with the flagship initiative “An agenda for new skills and jobs”.

 

Key Belgian Priorities

• Encourage employment (guidelines, green jobs, white jobs)

Key Dates

• Conference on restructuring together with the European Commission [October 2010]
• 4th Equality Summit [15-16 November 2010]
• Conference on working conditions, working time, white jobs and migration together with the Dublin Foundation [November 2010]