The King Juan Carlos I of Spain attended a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Spanish Economic and Social Council (ESC) for the first time in the 21-year existence of this government advisory body made up of the most representative trade unions in Spain, the employers' organizations and representatives of the third sector (consumers, the social economy, agriculture and fisheries). The meeting was also attended by the employment minister, Fátima Báñez.
His Majesty's conversation with the social partners represented on the Council centred on the current economic situation and issues linked to the world of business and work.
The Council's President, Marcos Peña, presented the King with the 2012 Socioeconomic and Employment Report adopted by the Council's plenary session on 30 May. This is the chief report drawn up annually by the Council and details the situation in Spain in three aspects: the economy, employment and society.
The meeting, with a relaxed and cordial tone, lasted about an hour, between midday and 1pm, and afterwards His Majesty was able to chat for a while with the 18 members of the Council's Standing Committee.