Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Yiannis Panayiotou, discussed the priorities of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU regarding the future of employment, with a delegation of Members of the European Parliament from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, at the Ministry of Labour, on Wednesday afternoon.
‘The meeting with the Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament, Li Andersson, and MEPs Konstantinos Arvanitis and Angelika Winzig was useful and constructive for the joint management of the challenges and prospects of employment in the EU,’ the Minister said in his statement following the meeting.
As he noted, in view of the forthcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, ‘we attach particular importance to close cooperation with the European Parliament, and I am confident that, in particular, our collaboration with the Committee on Employment will be substantial and effective.’
Panayiotou said that he had an in-depth discussion with the MEP delegation on the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency concerning the future of work, which focus on quality jobs, professional skills, social security, and the mobility of workers within the EU.
At the same time, he noted that ‘our shared understanding was reaffirmed regarding the need to further enhance social dialogue and collective bargaining, in order to achieve better regulation of the labour market and employment conditions, as well as to link economic growth with social cohesion through employment.’
He added that the positive course of the Cypriot labour market is the result of good practices that have allowed the creation of conditions for full employment in the country. ‘I am optimistic that through the continued implementation and further strengthening of European policies, this positive path will continue, both for our country and for the other Member States. I believe that the success of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency will be very valuable in this direction, through the implementation of the goals we have set, the achievement of which will be mutually beneficial,’ he concluded.
Li Anderson, MEP and Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, thanked the Minister for receiving the delegation of the European Parliament.
“It is very important for us to have the opportunity to come here in Cyprus, just a few months before Cyprus will commence the Presidency of the Council and hear about your priorities for the Work, but, of course, also, to have a discussion on the priorities for the European Parliament and how we can work together on the joint priorities that we have outlined today and to move forward on work that has importance for workers in Europe, for the European Labour Market, for social cohesion and for competitiveness and for growth,” she said.
Anderson added that the delegation had the opportunity to visit the Department of Labour Inspection, and the Centre for Support for families with children with autism, “to familiarise ourselves with the work that is being done in Cyprus, through the EU funding.”
“It has been very interesting and very good for us to see the concrete work that we can do together, through the cooperation between the EU and Cyprus. We are very much looking forward to continuing the cooperation during your Presidency,” she concluded.