Nicolas Schmit, co-chair of the meeting and Labour, Employment and Immigration Minister of Luxembourg stated: “Our political family has always supported a better incorporation of social and employment issues to the fiscal and economic policy at the EU level. Today, we have made another step forward in building a wide coalition for progressive reforms to the Economic and Monetary Union and for a more social European Semester. Our joint objective is to support social convergence between Member States and to prevent a competition to the lowest standards.“
Lithuanian Finance Minister and co-chair of the meeting, Rimantas Šadžius, added: “This meeting has been a great opportunity to share ideas and coordinate positions between progressive employment and finance ministers. I am very satisfied with its outcomes – there is a clear agreement on the key issue which is our support for a Europe of sustainable welfare. Economic recovery and social progress are two sides of the same coin.“
The meeting was also attended by the following:
Michel Sapin – Finance Minister, France
Pier Carlo Padoan – Finance Minister, Italy
Edward Scicluna – Finance Minister, Malta
Jeroen Dijsselbloem – Finance Minister, the Netherlands
Mario Centeno – Finance Minister, Portugal
José António Vieira da Silva – Minister of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security, Portugal
Ivan Lesay – Deputy Finance Minister, Slovakia
Branislav Ondrus – State Secretary Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic
Magdalena Andersson – Finance Minister, Sweden
Karolina Ekholm – State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Sweden
Charlotte Svensson – State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Sweden
Maria João Rodrigues – Vice President of the S&D Group in the EP
Marcel Mersch – Head of Unit Economic and Social Model Policy, S&D Group in the EP
Irina De Sancho Alonso – Political Adviser, S&D Group in the EP
Yonnec Polet – Deputy Secretary General, PES
Constantin Kourkoulas – Head of EU Policy Unit, PES
Antoine Mertzeisen – Adviser Social and Employment Policy, PES
Elli Chrysanthakopoulou – Adviser Economic and Financial Policy, PES
