9 Nov 2012
President Staffan Nilsson participated on 8-9 November 2012 in the annual meeting of the Presidents and Secretary Generals of national ESCs and the EESC in Dublin. Representatives from 16 EU countries and the EESC gathered to debate on the labour market and welfare/benefits reforms.
Staffan Nilsson put forward the recommendations agreed by the EESC on giving employment and social policy an equal footing with finance and economy policies.
"Europe needs a stimulus package focused on a real job creation", stated the EESC President. "We need to strengthen the innovation capacity and build a knowledge-based society to boost the competitiveness". Other recommendations from economic and social councils, among others, were to call for the measurable EU targets for specific groups, easier access to the EU funding for countries with fraught labour market conditions and to pay a particular attention to a long-term unemployment.