EU ministers pledge to invest in career transitions, social dialogue

Paris, Feb 17 (IANS) The impact of the digital and ecological transitions on the labor market tops the agenda of Wednesday's meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' ministers for employment and social policy.The participants in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council session agreed on the need for the member states and the EU to invest in skills, support career transitions and strengthen social dialogue, Xinhua news agency reported."We have to build a new European model for growth in which the social dimension plays a central role," France's Minister of Labor, Employment and Economic Inclusion Elisabeth Borne said during the meeting held in the southern French city of Bordeaux.The EU already supports these transformations, among others through the European Skills Agenda, which the European Commission presented in July 2020.According to the ministers, it is essential for the member states to invest in the other relevant programs, such as the European Social Fund Plus, the Just Transition Fund, the InvestEU Program, the European Globalization Adjustment Fund or the Recovery and Resilience Facility.In the second half of 2022, the European Commission will present an initiative to support social dialogue focused on the digital and ecological transitions at EU and national level, the French EU Council Presidency said.
--IANS int/shs

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