Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for her very kind welcome. I also thank her and the members for inviting me to appear before the committee. This is the first occasion on which I have had the opportunity to address them. I look forward to this and all of our subsequent engagements.

I am here to discuss the agenda of the forthcoming EPSCO Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 16 October. This is the first formal meeting of the Council to take place under the Italian Presidency. The next one will be held in December. The outgoing Commission will be represented at the Council meeting by Laszlo Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. As members will be aware, this is a time of transition. The new Legislature is only commencing its work and the incoming Commission college will not take up office until November.

I understand the committee has already received a background note on the draft agenda for the Council meeting. I should point out that the actual agenda for the Council meeting has not yet been finalised. We are awaiting the outcome of the next meeting of the permanent representatives in COREPER I on 10 October as it will only be then that the Presidency's plans for the agenda can be finally confirmed. It is likely, however, that the main items on this EPSCO Council agenda will be twofold, namely the proposal establishing a European platform to enhance co-operation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work; and the conduct of policy debate on the outlook for the forthcoming mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy, including an evaluation of the European semester. The Italian Presidency had also planned to include another item on the Council's agenda, that is, a Commission proposal for a directive setting specific rules on working time for the inland waterway transport sector. That proposal is based on an agreement which was reached in February 2012 by main social partner interests in the sector, namely, the European Barge Union and the European Skippers Organisation, representing the employers' side, and the European Transport Workers' Federation. Following the most recent discussion of this proposal at Council working group level on Friday last, it appears that the Italian Presidency has accepted that it would be premature to bring it forward in its current form.

Reservations raised by Ireland are now shared in different respects by up to nine other member states. Consequently, we expect this item will be withdrawn from the agenda for next week's meeting.

I welcome any move by the Italian Presidency to allow sufficient time for the necessary consideration of the issues raised by a significant number of member states, notably those which are not considered to be covered by the European inland waterway transport system or which involve significant levels of cross-border inland waterways transport activity. Clarification of a number of issues relating to the scope and application of the proposals should be pursued directly by the Commission on behalf of the Council working group through dialogue within the EU sectoral social partner organisations or with those organisations, which signed the agreement in 2012. That was the procedure used four years ago when the Council wished to get clarification about the intentions of the parties to the EU social partner agreement on the prevention of "sharps" injuries in the hospital health care sector, and we would like to see that approach being taken in this instance. I understand the committee initially considered that this proposal might not warrant further scrutiny but I invite it to examine further the evolving character of the discussion on this proposal, which we view as inappropriate for the circumstances of Ireland's inland waterways. I would be happy to facilitate a full exchange of information between the committee and officials from my Department, as well as the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, on all the issues involved. It would help us to tease out the matter in a more complete fashion as it relates to Ireland.

With regard to the first item on the Council agenda, Ireland supports the proposal concerning co-operation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work. I understand the committee reviewed this proposal at a meeting with officials from my Department on 27 May this year. As members are aware, the Irish Government is looking forward to the adoption of the proposal, as a platform can open opportunities for transitional exchanges of information and mutual learning between enforcement authorities throughout the European Union. The National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, is the most appropriate body to discharge the role of the single point of contact in the Irish context, and it will represent the enforcement authorities in this State on the platform in a co-ordinated manner. It will also disseminate information on its activities. The Council is likely to endorse a general approach on this proposal, which essentially means the Council has confirmed its stance while awaiting confirmation of the European Parliament's position on the proposal.

The second important item will be a preliminary policy debate, instigated by the Italian Presidency, which has asked employment Ministers to consider the forthcoming mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy from an employment and social policy perspective. I very much welcome this opportunity, as we enter the recovery stage after the worst global financial crisis the EU has ever faced, to highlight how the current EU strategy and its governance continues to emphasise fiscal consolidation and economic reform at the expense of supporting effective demand through appropriate macroeconomic policies at the level of the Union of the eurozone.

The new Commission President, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, has indicated that the European Semester should be the vehicle for pursuing the modernisation of labour markets and social protection systems, including a view to progressing towards the targets set out in the Europe 2020 strategy in the fields of employment and social inclusion. In line with the Government's consistent approach to promoting the social dimension of the economic and monetary union, EMU, I will urge my fellow employment Ministers to use the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy as a means of securing greater coherence between fiscal, economic and social policies at the EU level. Members can buy into that approach, as it is of interest to them.

I look forward to working with the Commissioner-designate, Ms Marianne Thyssen, who has been nominated to the portfolio of employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility, with the restructured portfolios proposed by the incoming Commission President. She will be in charge of the employment and social aspects of the European Semester, promoting labour market reforms and helping co-ordinate employment policies of member states and strengthening the EU's social market economy. She can also be expected to work closely with the new Vice President for the euro and social dialogue in order to streamline and reinforce the European Semester of economic policy co-ordination. I am pleased the director general of employment and social affairs has been strengthened as part of a better balanced and workable division of responsibilities. This should greatly assist the new Commissioner in contributing to the jobs, growth and investment package to be steered and co-ordinated by the new Vice President for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness.

I thank the committee for its attention.

I am happy to respond to questions or observations members of the committee may have about EPSCO and its agenda.