The informal meeting of ministers for Employment and Social Policies - Hoofdinhoud
In the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the informal meeting of ministers for Employment and Social Policies will be held in Bucharest on April 10-11, 2019. The event will take place in Bucharest, at the Palace of the Parliament.
The event brings together the ministers for Employment and Social Policies from the EU Member States and will be chaired by Minister of Labour and Social Justice, Marius Constantin Budăi.
The meeting will be attended by European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen i, Regional Manager for Europe and Central Asia of the International Labour Organization, Heinz Koller, Executive Director of European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), Juan Menéndez-Valdés, Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality, Virginia Langbakk, State Secretary of the National Agency for Equal Opportunities, Aurelia-Grațiela Drăghici, other officials from European agencies.
The event will begin in the morning of April 10th 2019, when the Employment and Social Policy Ministers of the Member States will meet at the Palace of the Parliament to discuss issues related to women’s participation in the labour market and management, to address the pay gap between women and men, and the integration of women with disabilities into the labour market.
The debates on the April 11th will focus on elaborating a strategy to ensure gender equality as well as to integrate gender perspectives into the social dimension of the EU after 2020.
MEETING AGENDA:
Boosting women’s labour market participation
The Romanian Presidency will pursue the strengthening of cooperation between Member States and exchange of best practices on strengthening women’s economic independence and participation in the labour market. There will be a presentation on women’s economic independence, as well as a debate on encouraging and supporting women in atypical work. Also, the discussions in Bucharest will address the issue of the gender pay gap and the situation of women with disabilities.
The European Union and its Member States have a strong mandate to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities and the legislation in this area covers specific aspects of their lives.
The European Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities comprises clear commitments to ensure an increased attention to the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities.
At EU level, about 27.5% of women aged over 16 state they have an activity limitation, compared to 23.0% of men of the same age group. EU legislation provides protection against gender discrimination as well as discrimination based on disability criteria with regard to employment.
Among the 20 principles contained in the European Pillar of Social Rights, some are particularly important to gender equality and women with disabilities: equal opportunities for women and men on the labour market, including the right to equal pay; equal treatment regarding social protection, education and access to goods and services.
Nevertheless, persistent cultural, social, legal, physical and institutional barriers pose restrictions to the full inclusion of women with disabilities in society in all aspects of private and public life, including education and employment.
For women with disabilities, low rates of access to education, technical and vocational training programmes, as well as the lack of opportunities to access the labour market, result in a lack of skills and professional qualifications.
In addition, the stigma and discrimination that women with disabilities are facing, as well as inaccessible work environments, are restrictions to their involvement in the labour market that lead to less safe working conditions.
This can also be observed in EU statistics. According to these, in 2016, persons with disabilities in the EU were more likely to face in-work poverty than the general population. In terms of gender, the employment rate of women with disabilities (45.9%) was slightly lower than that of men with disabilities (50.6%). Looking at the overall quality of life perceived by people with disabilities, Eurofound finds that the extent to which they feel left out varies considerably, depending on whether they are employed or not. Those who have a job report far less often feeling left out of society than long-term unemployed respondents or those who are unable to work because of their disability.
Therefore, although several initiatives have been put forward to promote the rights of women with disabilities, the corresponding policies are limited. Global action must be translated to the national level by strengthening public policies for women with disabilities. For them, it is essential that gender inequality be significantly reduced in all aspects of public and private life.
Practical information:
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-ACCREDITATION
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-Media access to the event is exclusively based on the accreditation to the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
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-Journalists who applied for accreditation on the official portal, https://accreditation.romania2019.eu/ can collect their badges only in person, upon presenting a valid ID and the accreditation approval received via e-mail, from the Accreditation Centre at the Palace of the Parliament (Bucharest, 2-4 Izvor Street, S2 entrance), between 9.00 - 17.00 or, on ministerial meeting days, 7.00 - 18.00;
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-Journalists who do not have a Council Presidency accreditation must apply for it on the spot, at the above-mentioned Accreditation Centre, and should present a valid ID and a signed letter of consent from their company, on letterhead.
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-MEDIA CENTER
During the ministerial meeting, the Media Centre is located in the Iuliu Maniu Hall at the Palace of the Parliament. Journalists’ access is only via the S2 entrance of the Parliament (2-4 Izvor Street, Bucharest);
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-video feeds and footage will be provided by the Romanian Television, the official broadcaster of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union;
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-Journalists will have access to the Palace of the Parliament on April 10th for activities related to the segment on Stimulating women’s participation in the labour market, and respectively on April 11th, for activities related to the segment on Gender budgeting - a tool for achieving gender equality.
Download the media guide:
https://www.romania2019.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/media-guide_en.pdf
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-MEDIA PROGRAMME
Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
08.40 - 09.30 Doorstep statements
Handshake
Location: the Palace of the Parliament, at the C1 entrance (or journalists, accessible only from the inside)
09.30 - 09.45 Tour de table (photo/video opportunity only)
Location: inside the Brătianu Hall
09.45 - 10.20 First working session
Topics: Boosting women’s labour market participation
Women in management
Presentation of good practices on strengthening women’s economic independence and women’s labour market participation
10.50 - 12.15 The second working session
Debate - Encouraging and supporting women in atypical work
12.15 - 12.40 Family Photo
14.30 - 14.45 The third working session
Adressing the gender pay gap: not without better work-life balance. Research note for Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Women with disabilities in the employment market
Adressing the gender pay gap as a follow-up to the EU Action Plan 2017 - 2019
16.20 - 16.30 Press conference
With the participation of Marius Constantin Budăi, Minister of Labour and Social Justice and Marianne Thyssen, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
Thursday, April 11th, 2019
08.40 - 09.30 Doorstep statements
Location: the Palace of the Parliament, at the C1 entrance (or journalists, accessible only from the inside)
09.30 - 09.45 Tour de table (photo/video opportunity only)
Location: inside the Brătianu Hall
09.30 - 09.50 Working session
A strategy to achieve equality between women and men
Debate: Gender mainstreaming in the social aspect of the EU after 2020
12.10 - 13.10 Press conference
With the participation of Marius Constantin Budăi, Minister of Labour and Social Justice and Marianne Thyssen, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility