MEMO/08/57
Brussels, 29 January 2008
Informal Ministerials (Slovenia): Employment & Social Affairs and Gender Equality An informal meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers will take place on 1 February in Brdo, Slovenia. It will be preceded by a separate meeting of Gender Equality Ministers on 31 January. Both meetings will be chaired by Ms Marjeta Cotman, Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. The European Commission will be represented by Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. As well as the ministerial meetings, a conference on eliminating gender stereotypes takes place on 29-30 January, and the Troïka will meet with the Social Partners and the Social Platform on 31 January. Conference on gender equality: 29-30 January
The event will begin with a conference on eliminating gender stereotypes on 29-30 January 2008 in Brdo. It will highlight the progress reached in this area so far and pinpoint the key challenges faced in eliminating gender stereotypes in fields such as education and training, employment, private and family life, participation in decision-making and media. Eliminating gender stereotypes is one of the priorities of the programme of the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidency Trio.
Informal meeting of Ministers for Gender Equality: 31 January
The core of the ministerial meeting on 31 January will be a debate on women’s participation and empowerment in society. This theme will provide a framework for discussing balanced participation of women and men in political decision-making, empowerment of girls with a view to achieving gender equality, and the importance of gender equality policies in development cooperation.
Troϊka meetings with the social partners and the Social Platform: 31 January
European employers' and workers' organisations, as well as the Social Platform, will have the opportunity to express their views on the Presidency's background paper on the specific situation of young people and older workers on the labour market.
Informal meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs: 1 February
The main focus of this ministerial will be a debate on flexicurity and how it affects young people, older workers and women. The Commission will give details about a new group which will bring together social partners and senior political figures to promote flexicurity approaches through a series of visits to Member States. The group will target Member States confronted by the typical challenges of establishing integrated flexicurity policies. Since the European Council endorsed the common principles of flexicurity adopted by the Employment and Social Affairs Council in December, the next steps will be to update the Integrated Guidelines 2008-2010 and integrate the common principles of flexicurity into Member States' National Reform Programmes as part of the jobs and growth strategy.
