EMPLOYMENT : GETTING EUROPEANS BACK TO WORK A PRIORITY FOR DUBLIN.

• Position: Irish Presidency - Brief article

The Irish Presidency of the EU has pledged to do all it can in order to rapidly reach an agreement on a proposed youth guarantee' scheme. Ireland's Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton made this promise before the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), on 23 January. "The informal meeting, on 7 and 8 February, will be devoted to getting Europeans back to work. Ministers will be invited to discuss the active inclusion of unemployed households, qualifications, the situation for aged women and the youth guarantee. We hope to reach an agreement on this guarantee during the formal meeting, on 28 February," she said.

The minister also committed to working on the legislative proposal establishing a European aid fund for the most deprived citizens, and to following up the work begun under the Cyprus Presidency on a legislative proposal on the portability and transferability of complementary pension rights. She described the latter dossier as technically...