Informal meeting of employment and social affairs ministers (EPSCO): Employment & social policy

The first informal ministerial meeting under the Belgian Presidency takes place in Namur. It underscores the Presidency’s key priority: strengthening the social dimension of the European Union. The informal EPSCO meeting brings together ministers responsible for employment and social affairs of all Member States of the European Union with the Commission, the Parliament, the social partners and civil society.

The agenda of this informal meeting includes: the Council's social agenda for the period after the European elections, as well as the international role of the EU in the field of employment and social policy - including in relation to the possible enlargement of the EU.

Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, provides Ministers with a presentation on social protection linked to provisional findings from Eurofound’s upcoming report Social protection 2.0 - Unemployment and minimum income schemes planned for September 2024. At the request of the Belgian presidency, Eurofound prepared a background paper for this meeting on social protection for the unemployed, focusing in particular on unemployment benefits.

• Presentation: Social protection and SURE, Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound & Prof. dr. Paul Schoukens, Full Professor, KU Leuven

• Background paper: Social protection for the unemployed

Copyright: Photo © Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union / Vlad Vanderkelen