Employment and Social Affairs Council

July 9th 2009   

During the last two days the Council of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs has had an informal meeting in Jönköbing, Sweden, regarding the subject of labour market inclusion.

The Swedish Minister for Employment Sven Otto Littorin chairs the meeting, and the Ministers for employment and Social Affairs are mainly discussing how to promote employment through more inclusive labour markets and active social security policies.
First and foremost is the subject of labour market inclusion on the agenda, which also is one of the main priorities of the Swedish Presidency. In order to boost employment and growth in the European Union, it is crucial to increase the proportion of the active population actually in work.

The discussion on labour market inclusion should provide an important contribution to the preparation of the Lisbon Strategy on Growth and Jobs post-2010. But the important short-term measures to limit the social impact of the crisis are also being debated.

Apart from the active employment policies, the Ministers are also going having an exchange of views on the nature of social security policies, which need to provide an effective complement to the fight against unemployment.

Read the Press Release from the European Commission here.