Press Advisories

23. 1. 20099:24

Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs continues

The meeting of the ministers for Employment and Social Affairs in Luhačovice will last until 24 January.

At the beginning of the meeting minister Nečas informed his colleagues regarding the main points on the agenda of the meeting with the representatives of social partners and the Social Platform that took place on Wednesday, 21 January, in Brussels.

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 second day of the working meeting

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