Press Advisories

22. 1. 20098:55

Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs in Luhačovice

The meeting of the Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs will start on 22 January, at 16:00 in Luhačovice and it will last until Saturday, 24 January.

One day before the start of the meeting (21 January) Minster Petr Nečas will meet with representatives of social partners and the Social Platform in Brussels. They will address the issue of labour mobility, which is also the main topic of the meeting of Ministers in Luhačovice.

Full liberalisation of the labour market and elimination of mobility obstacles are the priority of the Czech Presidency in the area of employment. Therefore, the meeting will particularly focus on discussions of individual aspects of mobility. Three thematic parts will address professional and geographical mobility, mobility of persons disadvantaged by unemployment and labour market inactivity.

Each thematic part will be addressed by representatives of two Member States and European Commissioner Vladimír Špidla. Speeches by ministers of the current Social Troika, Sven Otto Littorin from Sweden and Spanish Minister Celestino Corbacho Chaves are planned for the meeting. Agn?s Leclerc will address the meeting on behalf of France and Viera Tomanová on behalf of Slovakia. The Presidency, represented by Minister Petr Nečas, will deliver a statement on geographical mobility in cooperation with Austria that, as well as Germany, still applies limitations on access to the labour market for citizens of the new Member States. The Presidency would like to point out that such measures are unreasonable.

On Friday, the working part of the meeting will be concluded by a lunch dedicated to a discussion on the revision of the working time directive. The rest of the day and Saturday morning will be reserved for the accompanying programme for Ministers and delegates.

A press conference will be held on 22 January at 18:00 and on 23 January at 13:30. The press conference will be attended by the Presidency, Ministers from France and Sweden and Commissioner Vladimír Špidla.

Programme of the working meeting

Thursday, 22 January 2009

16:00 – 17:00 Introductory panel

16:05 – 16:15 Opening of the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs

16:15 – 16:25 Opening speech by European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (Vladimír Špidla)

16:25 – 16:30 Speech by representative of Business Europe (J?rgen R?nnest)

16:30 – 16:35 Speech by representative of the European Trade Union Confederation (Maria Helena Dos Santos André)

16:35 – 16:40 Opening speech by President of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament. (Jan Anderson)

16:40 – 16:45 Speech by President of the Employment Committee (EMCO) (Emilio Gabaglio)

16:45 – 16:50 Speech by President of the Social Protection Committee (SPC) (Aurelio Fernandez)

16:50 – 16:55 Speech by representative of the European Economic and Social Committee (Leila Kurki)

16:55 – 17:00 Contribution of the Youth Forum and summary of conclusions of the speeches.

17:00 – 18:00 First thematic part dedicated to professional mobility

17:00 – 17:05 Contribution of France on the topic of professional mobility (Agn?s Leclerc)

17:05 – 17:10 Contribution of Slovakia on the topic of professional mobility (Viera Tomanová)

17:10 – 17:15 Speech by European Commissioner on professional mobility (Vladimír Špidla)

17:15 – 17:55 Discussion of Ministers on the topic of professional mobility

17:55 – 18:00 Conclusion of the thematic part on professional mobility (Petr Nečas)

18:00 – 18:30 Press conference

Friday, 23 January 2009

9:00 – 10:00 Second thematic part dedicated to geographic mobility

9:05 – 9:10 Contribution of the Czech Presidency on the topic of geographic mobility (P. Nečas)

9:10 – 9:15 Contribution of Austria on the topic of geographic mobility

9:15 – 9:20 Speech by European Commissioner on geographic mobility (Vladimír Špidla)

9:20 – 10:00 Discussion of Ministers on geographic mobility

10:15 – 11:00 Third thematic part dedicated to the mobility of persons on the fringe of the labour market.

10:15 – 10:20 Contribution of Sweden on the mobility of persons on the fringe of the labour market (Sven Otto Littorin)

10:20 – 10:25 Contribution of Spain on the mobility of persons on the fringe of the labour market (Celestino Corbacho Chaves)

10:25 – 10:30 Speech by European Commissioner on the mobility of persons on the fringe of the labour market (Vladimír Špidla)

10:30 – 11:00 Discussion of Ministers of the mobility of persons on the fringe of the labour market

11:00 – 11:05 Conclusion of the meeting (Petr Nečas)

11:05 – 11:25 Group photo

11:30 – 13:30 Working lunch of the Ministers – discussion on regulation of working time

13:30 – 14:00 Press conference (P. Nečas, V. Špidla, Sweden, France)

14:00 Beginning of the accompanying programme

Contact:

Jana Říhová, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

Tel.: +420 221 922 249, GSM: +420 725 761 147, E-mail: jana.rihova@mpsv.cz