Economy – Page 10 – Nuyts Professional

02/03/2020

Europe launches campaign to tackle undeclared work

The Commission is launching today the first European campaign for declared work. It will work hand in hand with the European Platform tackling undeclared work and the European Labour Authority. The initiative intends to raise awareness amongst workers, companies and policymakers that undeclared work does not pay off. It deprives workers of social protection, it distorts competition between businesses, and it leads to huge gaps in public finances

A new Special Eurobarometer illustrates the scale of the problem: one in ten Europeans report they have purchased goods or services in the past year that might have derived from undeclared work. A third of Europeans know somebody who works undeclared.

Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, said: “All work matters. All workers deserve their social rights. By launching this campaign today, we want workers, companies, and governments to come together in recognising the benefits of declared work. The EU is stepping up efforts in tackling undeclared work, encouraging cooperation between Member States and raising awareness throughout Europe. Together we can make undeclared work a thing of the past.”

The campaign to transform undeclared into declared work is kicking off on social media (#EU4FairWork). On 16 March 2020, a Week for Action for Declared Workwill start in EU Member States with a range of activities: for example, inspections in sectors at risk, information sessions, visits in secondary schools, and more. The Commission will also adopt a report on the activities of the European Platform tackling undeclared work, composed of the relevant authorities of all Member States and representatives of cross-industry social partners on EU level. The network aims to help EU countries learn from each other and engage in closer cross-border cooperation. The Platform, launched in 2016, is now on its way to becoming part of the European Labour Authority (ELA), allowing to do even more. Continue reading “Europe launches campaign to tackle undeclared work”

26/02/2020

Analysing each Member State’s key socio-economic challenges

The Commission has today published country reports analysing each Member State’s key socio-economic challenges.

Shortcut to direct links : Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Spain.

The analysis in the country reports reflects the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy, presented in December 2019, focusing on competitive sustainability with the aim to build an economy that works for people and the planet. Implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and performance on its accompanying social scoreboard is also assessed for each Member State. The country reports focus on four dimensions: environmental sustainability, productivity gains, fairness and macroeconomic stability.

For the first time, the reports assess Member States’ progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the macro-economic and employment policies that can help to achieve them. They also analyse the challenges and opportunities for each country arising from the climate and energy transition. In the same vein, they identify priorities for support by the Just Transition Fund. Continue reading “Analysing each Member State’s key socio-economic challenges”

20/02/2020

Future European economic policy must be in line with the European Green Deal

The Committee urges EU Member States to make sustainable economic growth the top priority for European and national economic policies in 2020 and beyond and recommends complementing the current accommodative monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) with a cautiously expansive fiscal policy at euro area level.

In the EESC’s view, the Green Deal represents not only a major shift for EU economies, but also an opportunity to enhance economic prosperity and convergence within the euro area and the EU as a whole. The Green Deal should become the backbone of future EU and euro area economic policy and lead to a new economic paradigm. The economic priorities for 2020 should therefore be aligned with it.

At today’s plenary session (19/02/2020), the Committee adopted its opinions on the European Commission’s Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2020 (ECO/502) and on the recommendation for the economic policy of the Euro area (ECO/503). The opinions deliver the perspective and contribution of Europe’s organised civil society to the ongoing debate on the economic priorities for the year ahead and beyond in the framework of the European Semester. The priorities were discussed by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council on 18/02/2020 and will be formally adopted at the upcoming European Summit in March 2020. Continue reading “Future European economic policy must be in line with the European Green Deal”