The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, is today (Thursday) in Brussels to participate in a major conference organised by the European Commission, entitled “Jobs for Europe”.
Included among the other figures who will address the conference are:
· European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso
· President of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz
· President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy
· 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics, Christopher Pissarides
· OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria
Minister Bruton will contribute to a session on the subject, “impact of the crisis on employment”.
Speaking from Brussels, Minister Bruton said:
“Employment is the Government’s top priority, and during our time in office we have introduced many important changes to address the jobs crisis we inherited, and support the transition from the old, failed economy based on property to a new, sustainable economy based on enterprise and innovation.
“However action at European level is a crucial part of the solution. Many of our European neighbours are facing challenges very similar to those we are confronting in Ireland, and not only can we learn a lot from each other, but we can also achieve progress by developing coordinated policies to be implemented at a European level.
“Today’s event brings together the major players from member states as well as the key European institutions. I look forward to hearing lessons from other countries, and sharing with them the employment policy measures we have developed in Ireland, in particular the Action Plan for Jobs with its cross-Departmental approach and quarterly deadlines as a means of mobilising all of Government for action on employment. My hope is that we can make progress on this crucial issue over the course of the day”.
Ends.
Notes for editors
The conference will build on the Employment Package put forward by the Commission on 18 April 2012 and on the outcomes of the 2012 European Semester, but also on a series of conferences which the Commission organised during 2011 in order to explore new dimensions of employment policy, notably regarding the functioning of European labour markets, wage developments, flexicurity in a crisis context, and inequalities.
The conference will be structured around five main topics:
· Building a dynamic European labour market: transitions, human capital investment, mobility
· Impact of the crisis on employment: "programme countries", wages, jobless households
· Sectors with high job-creation potential: green economy, white coat jobs, information and communication technologies (ICT)
· Employment policy throughout the life cycle: youth, gender & work-life balance, active ageing
· Pathways to full employment: job guarantee, social economy, welfare to work
The programme of the conference includes three Plenary sessions at which the conference will be addressed by, among others, European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy and Director-General Elect of the International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, and representatives of the EU Social Partners.
Keynote speeches will be given by 2010 Nobel Prize laureate Christopher Pissarides, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, and Italy's Minister of Labour, Social Policies and Equal Opportunities, Elsa Fornerob (deputising for Prime Minister, Mario Monti).