Domov EUD Politika EUD in EU Komisija EU The Public hearing of the Employment Committee – update on the European Semester

The Public hearing of the Employment Committee – update on the European Semester

marec 13, 2023

Komisija EU, Parlament EU, EUD in EU, Evropski steber socialnih pravic in evropski semester, Politika, Strateški načrt

On March 13^th, EUD joined the public hearing of the Employment Committee (EMCO) – the advisory body for Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in the Employment and Social Affairs Council (EPSCO).

This meeting of the EMCO, provided an occasion to follow the exchange of views on the European Semester 2023 among the different EU Member States. In particular, the European Semester constitutes an important instrument to provide economic and social policy coordination across EU Member States. The mechanism of the European Semester entails several phases, including the discussion on the economic and employment situation of Member States within the European Council.

In the March session, the Council focused on competitiveness and skills in light of the green and digital transition. Specifically, as 2023 is the European Year of Skills, countries’ delegates praised the focus on the promotion of increasing, effective, and inclusive investment in training as well as upskilling of the workforce. During this session, all representatives of Member States provided a general overview on the political reforms aimed to be implemented within the context of the European Semester 2023. The necessity to improve employment for women and persons with disabilities was stressed, as well as potential measures to tackle the shortages in skilled labour. In the pursuit of this goal, national representatives highlighted the importance to design and implement the required policies in collaboration with stakeholders while also providing monitoring systems to ensure inclusiveness.

EUD welcomes the political plans of EU Member States in the context of the European Semester mechanism. EUD appreciates the inclusive employment goals as the employment gap between persons with and without disabilities remains an important issue in the EU. In this regard, EUD calls on the European institutions and Member States to ensure the full inclusion of deaf persons in the labour force and in the training of required skills. Finally, EUD highlights the importance to provide the deaf community with the digital skills, knowledge and technology to ensure their participation in the labour market while implementing EU policies for the digitalization and green transition.