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When:
08/01/2013 at 12:30
Where:
Berlaymont press room, rue de la loi, Brussels
Topic:
Employment and social rights
Organiser:
European Commission
The news:
On 8 January, Commissioner Andor will present the 2012 review of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) covering such important issues as long-term unemployment, wage polarisation and functioning of social protection systems.
After five years of economic crisis, recession has returned, unemployment has reached levels not experienced in nearly two decades and the social situation is also deteriorating. Groups already at a heightened risk of poverty, such as young adults, children and to some extent migrants, are now experiencing an even worse situation. The ESDE 2012 review analyses both the risks of entering into poverty and the prospects of escaping it, with striking differences between Member States.
Wage developments have also been subject of increasing attention throughout the crisis because of their importance for competitiveness, domestic demand and employment as well as social inequalities. ESDE 2012 also analyses the functioning of Europe’s social protection systems over recent years. At the same time, recognising the importance of the revenue side of the welfare state, the review presents evidence on recent developments in taxation systems, shifts in the tax base and their employment and distributional implications.
The background:
The analysis in the 2012 ESDE underpins the Commission’s Annual Growth Survey 2013 as well as a number of new Commission initiatives. In 2012 the Commission adopted two policy packages supporting Member States’ efforts to make progress towards the Europe 2020 targets despite a worsening economic environment. First, in April 2012 the Commission adopted the Employment Package, setting out a reinforced agenda for job creation and dynamic labour markets. Second, the Commission responded to the fact that young people are particularly hard-hit by the crisis in many different ways, as can be seen throughout this report. Then in December 2012 adopted a Youth Employment Package, including a proposal for development of Youth Guarantee schemes across the Union. The Commission is due to adopt the third policy package in this series, a Social Investment Package, in early 2013. This final package is will aim to help to reconcile the need for effective and activating social policies with the fiscal crisis in many Member States.
The event:
12h30: Press conference by Commissioner László Andor in the Berlaymont press room.
13h00: Technical briefing off-the-record
IP and MEMO will be available on the day.
