EMPLOYMENT/SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL : EMPLOYMENT MINISTERS ENDORSE A RAFT OF REPORTS FOR SPRING SUMMIT.

As announced in our 9 March edition, EU's Employment and Social Affairs Ministers spent the majority of their Council session on 10 March adopting a series of reports to be submitted to the Spring European Council: the 2006 joint employment report,athe 2006 joint report on social protection and social inclusion (see Europolitics 3030), the annual report on gender equality (see Europolitics 3033), the joint Social Protection Committee and Economic Policy Committee opinion on the open method of coordination in social protection and social inclusion policies (see Europolitics 3041).

On this point, Austria's Social Affairs Minister, Ursula Haubner, who jointly chaired the meeting, indicated "it is very clear that youth and child poverty must goad us on to greater efforts in combating this phenomenon (...). the second objective is the sustainability and modernisation of social protection systems. Pension systems must be adapted in such a way as to introduce more flexible transition keeping older people in work. Efforts must also be made to improve access to healthcare. Quality healthcare must be guaranteed for all in future. In this context, prevention will be just as important". The Minister also pointed out that "healthcare is akey economic sector and can make a major contribution on the jobs market".

The Council also examined the annual progress report on national reform programmes, the work programmes of Social Protection and Employment Committees (see Europolitics...