Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO)

The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council deals with issues related to improving the standard of living and quality of life of citizens. Employment, social and health policies fall under national competence for the time being, but the European Union does regulate minimum social standards and basic rights in some areas; it sets common objectives, analyses national measures taken, makes recommendations and establishes conditions for equal opportunities for all EU citizens. The Council attaches special importance to the protection of consumers' interests, which ranges from the rights of air passengers, to product safety regulations, making the life of EU citizens easier in more and more areas.

Areas of employment, social policy, health and consumer protection were merged into a single Council formation in 2002, which can meet up to four times a year. On the first day, it addresses employment and social policy issues; on the following day, the competent Ministers discuss health and consumer protection topics. The Council deals with issues such as working conditions, equal opportunities, illness prevention and pandemic protection, access to health services in other EU countries and the strengthening of consumer protection regulations. The Council adopts action plans for the EU financing of policies such as gender equality, the struggle against social exclusion or public health.

Minimum social standards and basic rights

Given that employment and social protection policies are competencies of the Member States, the EU's contribution is to support national policies by regulating minimum social standards and basic rights (for example, gender equality, the prohibition of discrimination, the free movement of labour, work health and work protection, labour law and working conditions). An essential element of EU policies is the open method of coordination, where Member States articulate common objectives, which they each then implement through their own measures. EU-level common objectives were defined in the field of social inclusion (2000), pension systems (2001), health, and elderly care (2004).

Employment and social policy

The EU employment strategy was adopted at meetings of the Council of the European Union in 1997–1999. At these summits, Heads of State and Government committed themselves to the struggle against unemployment. A new reference was included in the Treaty of Amsterdam that came into effect in 1999 and stipulated that increasing employment was a common interest and one of the main objectives of the EU. Employment policy is one of the basic elements of Europe 2020, the new ten-year EU economic and social strategy. The European Social Fund supports European-level employment objectives by financing programmes that create jobs.

The future directions of European social policy were outlined by the European Commission in July 2008, when it adopted the Renewed Social Agenda. The Europe 2020 strategy approved at the end of 2009 defined the establishment of an inclusive society as a priority. The scope of authority of the EU does not extend to harmonising the completely different social security systems. Its role is more about coordinating these systems and guaranteeing rights provided earlier for foreign workers, exchange students and tourists.

Cooperation in the area of health policy

Every Member State is responsible for the good functioning of its health system; however, EU-level cooperation is also needed in areas where the individual countries cannot act effectively. Concerning public health, the EU is active in areas of key importance: nutrition, the fight against obesity, the reduction of smoking and its secondary effects, cooperation on issues related to public health hazards, the monitoring of different contagious diseases – AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, seasonal and H1N1 influenza – from a pandemic point of view, trans-border health services, the strict regulation of the use of human tissue (blood, tissue, cells). An equally important area of common health policy is the creation of a single market for pharmaceutical products, which encourages not only health protection, but also the development of the pharmaceutical industry, competitiveness and research.

The Internal Market cannot function without sufficient consumer protection policy. The discussions on the draft of a new directive on consumer protection are underway between EU institutions.  

PRIORITIES OF THE HUNGARIAN PRESIDENCY 

The launch of the Europe 2020 strategy fundamentally defines the activities of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council.

Europe 2020 strategy in the service of job creation

 The Hungarian Presidency will suggest a debate on the perspectives of job creation in order to highlight areas of economic and employment policy, which if developed in a coordinated manner, could result in a substantial increase in jobs. The Council prepares a joint employment report, formulates recommendations for the assessment of the national action plans developed on the basis of the Europe 2020 strategy and adopts resolutions on guidelines related to Member States’ employment policies.  

The Hungarian Presidency will also pay special attention to two flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 strategy (“Youth on the Move” and "Agenda for New Skills and Jobs"), which aim to improve the employment of young workers and to make easier the transition from education to employment. The work of the Hungarian Presidency in this area will be linked closely to the joint Spanish-Belgian-Hungarian Presidency programme, since youth employment is a comprehensive topic of the Trio.

In terms of employment, the legislative work of the Hungarian Presidency will also cover the review of the directive concerning the protection of workers from the risks arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields and waves and the extension of six labour directives to maritime shipping industry workers.

Demographic challenges, ageing society

It is a priority for Hungary to conduct a comprehensive debate on demographic trends, with a special view to the impact that reconciling work and family life has on demographic processes. The Presidency wishes to propose that the EU declare a European Year of the Family.

The Hungarian Presidency will therefore concentrate on supporting various initiatives related to the ageing society. Hungary supports the initiative to declare 2012, the European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity. A further priority of the Hungarian Presidency will be to renew the European Pact for a gender equality strategy.

The European framework for the social and economic inclusion of Roma

In accordance with the joint Presidency programme, the Trio Presidency set forth the importance of the social and economic integration of Roma in the Córdoba Declaration adopted on 9 April 2010, while also pledging to keep the issue continuously on the agenda. The Hungarian Presidency wishes to deal with the issue of social inclusion of Roma through the use of a horizontal approach and intends to build on the results of the different civil events that are to be organised during the Presidency. Hungary wishes to organise a meeting of the Roma Informal Contact Group and the European Roma Platform. The work of the Hungarian Presidency is also defined by the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies to be developed by the European Commission and the report on the use of EU and Member States funds allocated to integration. The objective of the Hungarian Presidency is to have the Heads of State and Government discuss the European Roma Framework Strategy at their summit in June.

Social protection and social inclusion

With respect to combating poverty, support for the most vulnerable groups and communities – such as the Roma population, those living with disabilities and those excluded from the labour market – is of outstanding significance. The Presidency will assess the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and will organise the 10^th EU Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty. In relation to the flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 strategy (“European platform against poverty”), the Hungarian Presidency wishes to attach great importance to managing the issue of child poverty, and to promote children’s welfare in accordance with the Trio Presidency Declaration of 3 September 2010 in Marche-en-Famennes, as well as the European Commission’s envisaged recommendations.

The European Disability Strategy developed by the European Commission for 2010–2020, which sets out the EU policy, priorities, means and objectives for people living with disabilities, is a priority of the Trio Presidency and Hungary alike. In its Zaragoza Declaration the Trio Presidency committed itself to continuous work in this field, stating that the main task stemming from the Strategy is to have the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilitiesratified and implemented in as many Member States as possible.

Sustainable health systems

Modern health care faces such new challenges as the ageing population, the mobility of health workers and patients, technology development and the sustainability of national health systems. In light of this, the Hungarian Presidency will encourage investment into health systems of the future, support for new models to increase the efficiency of health care, an EU-level approach to health system human resource issues, and the development of e-health systems.

The Hungarian Presidency wishes to achieve progress on the issue of the still open elements of the legislative Pharmaceutical Package that was submitted by the European Commission. It is a Hungarian objective to achieve a political agreement on the draft for information to patients on prescription medicines.

In order to provide better health security for EU citizens, the Hungarian Presidency will pay great attention to the review of the EU Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Planand the cross-border aspects of childhood vaccination. The Hungarian Presidency will assess the future of the EU Public Health Programme. It intends to evaluate initiatives of the EU and Member States on mental health and wishes to encourage children and young people to live a healthy lifestyle.