Speech by Commissioner Thyssen, in charge of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, following the Press conference by the Estonian Presidency and the Europe Commission, at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, in Luxembourg
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank the Estonian Presidency for their tremendous effort to drive our files forward.
First of all: I want fair labour markets with social rights every country in the European Union adheres to - and the Council has taken today a giant step towards this goal.
The Council's clear support for the European Pillar of Social Rights paves the way for the signing of a Proclamation between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission at the Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth in Gothenburg on 17 November.
This offers a unique opportunity to prove that the EU defends together common social values. It is a clear sign that we deliver on a fairer and more social Europe where equal opportunities are possible for everybody in all walks of life.
But there are more reasons to celebrate: the Council has achieved a breakthrough on how to modernise the EU rules on posting of workers.
The compromise is balanced. It shows that as Europeans - as a family - we can all come together, sit around a table, confront opposite views and reach a fair agreement.
The revision of the posting directive will ensure that the rules are fair for everyone: what applies to locals must also apply to posted workers. Workers and companies alike deserve clear and better rules as quickly as possible.
I hope that we will now be able to enter swiftly into the final stretch of negotiations with the European Parliament and Council to bring this most needed reform to a conclusion. This will be important step forward in the fight against social dumping.
We made some progress on another important file: our proposal to modernise EU legislation on social security coordination between the Member States.
The proposal makes a closer link between the place where contributions are paid and where benefits are claimed.
Together with the revision of the Posting of Workers Directive, this makes the free movement of workers fairer, while Member States will have better tools to fight fraud and abuse.
I will do all I can to make sure that we adopt this reform as soon as possible.
Further discussions are necessary to advance on another important file: our proposal to modernise EU legislation on social security coordination between the Member States.
The proposal makes a closer link between the place where contributions are paid and where benefits are claimed.
Together with the revision of the Posting of Workers Directive, this makes the free movement of workers fairer, while Member States will have better tools to fight fraud and abuse.
I will do all I can to make sure that we make swift progress and adopt this reform as soon as possible.
Let me thank Minister Ossinovski again for the excellent cooperation so far. There is still a lot of work on the table before the end of the year - so we better get back to work. But before I am open to your questions.
SPEECH/17/4128
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