site.btaSocial Minister Kalfin: The Meaning of the EU Is to Offer Common Policies Where Individual States Cannot Cope Alone

Social Minister Kalfin: The Meaning of the EU Is to Offer Common Policies Where Individual States Cannot Cope Alone

Luxembourg/Sofia, October 5 (BTA) - There are social subjects and such related with employment with which individual countries cannot cope on national level alone. This is precisely the meaning of the Council of the European Union. To put forward legislative solutions that are uniform and aim better coordination between the member-countries, Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivailo Kalfin remarked Monday, as quoted by his ministry. Kalfin is participating in a regular meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council.

Kalfin's statement was occasioned by the report of the Social Protection Committee dedicated to "Adequate Retirement Incomes in the Context of Ageing Societies". He endorsed the key messages of the report and its priorities for future work, which include youth employment, pension adequacy and support for raising incomes.

"As to the effective European legislation, it is exceedingly important for that to be realistic and aligned with the social, economic and political peculiarities of the individual member-states," Kalfin underscored. Once again, he spoke against the attempts to divide the countries and stressed the need of consolidation of the Council in its attempts to modernize social protection systems and the labour market in the EU.

The report is focused on the new agenda for health and safety at work to encourage better working conditions. It takes note of the state of play of work on relaunching the social dialogue based on information provided by the Commission.