Job rich recovery and undeclared work, the focus of the Employment Ministers Meeting in Athens

Ministers for Employment and Social Policy of the European Union had the opportunity to exchange views and best practices on Europe 2020 Strategy core issues, issues that concern each European citizen. The contribution of these issues to the goal of economic recovery with more jobs and quality jobs and stronger social cohesion is crucial.
On 30 April, at the morning plenary session, the President of the Council, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Welfare of Greece, Ioannis Vroutsis, highlighted that Europe has entered a path to recovery. However, the goal is to lay strong foundations for enhancing the recovery, with special attention to those mostly hit by the crisis.

Afterwards, the key findings from the meetings held on 29.04.2014 were presented. The first meeting with the Social Platform focused on the role of minimum income schemes in economic recovery. The issue of labour market reforms on the way to job rich recovery was discussed at the second meeting with the Social Partners.

• Two parallel workshops took place under the general title: “The Employment and Social Dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy: Lessons Learnt and Future Orientations”.

The Italian Minister of Labour and Welfare, Giuliano Poletti, chaired the first Workshop with the theme: “Labour Market Reforms on the Way to Job Rich Recovery. Combatting the long-term unemployment and increasing the participation in the labour market. The role of wage setting systems and reforms on Employment Protection Legislation”. The Greek Minister of Labour, Social Security and Welfare, Ioannis Vroutsis, chaired Workshop II, the theme of which is “Economic recovery and social policies: the role of minimum income schemes”.
The afternoon plenary session, chaired by Mr. Vroutsis, focused on the issue of undeclared work. Ministers exchanged views and experiences on the topic: “Towards quality jobs: measures to prevent undeclared work”.
Ministers for Employment and Social Policy of the European Union, participating at the meeting, welcomed the initiative of the Greek Presidency to include this issue in the agenda of the Informal EPSCO meeting. Combating undeclared work is one of the Priorities of the Greek Presidency in the field of employment and social policy. 
The Greek Minister underlined that the issues of quality jobs and tackling undeclared work are crucial, for achieving both sustainable recovery and the main objectives of Europe 2020 strategy. He added that facing up to the challenge of undeclared work demands both preventive and repressive actions. 
During the closing session, the President made the following remarks:
Minimum Income Schemes should be designed in a way to provide adequate protection, broad coverage and be characterised by administrative simplicity. Furthermore, schemes should be accompanied by proper activation and training measures as well as the provision of services. While these systems provide for a social shield, we cannot forget that they should operate temporarily as a mechanism to tackle poverty and that the focus of all relevant policies remains the successful labour market integration. The aim is to prevent beneficiaries from being trapped by these schemes and to help re integrate them into the labour market.
It is necessary to remain on the path of reforms so that labour market performances be improved. These reforms must balance the need for improvement in the labour market functioning and quality of work. In order to achieve that, cooperation with the social partners is essential as well as responsible social dialogue, thus contributing to the enhancing of the social dimension of the EMU. 
[gr2014.eu]
30/4/14

Greece probes extremist link to the two young people murders.

AFP - Greek authorities believe an extremist group may be behind a drive-by shooting outside the offices of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in which two men were killed and another wounded, sources close to the investigation said Saturday.

Investigators are examining "all avenues, particularly those that link these events to extremist groups" behind a series of attacks on politicians, police, banks and the media, according to one source.

The revelation came as the mother of the wounded man, 29-year-old Alexandros Gerontas, called on Greek people to "overcome their differences" for the good of the country and to "stop the bloodshed".

In a television interview she described her son, who remains in hospital in a serious condition, as "peaceful" and said he visited the Golden Dawn offices occasionally but not regularly.

Her comments echoed appeals from Greek leaders and the media for calm in the wake of the shootings, which some fear could destabilise the already crisis-wracked country.

Greece's public order minister Nikos Dendias on Friday expressed his sadness at "the death of the young men", saying that "we will not allow our country to become a place to settle scores".

Centre-left newspapers Ethnos and Ta Nea described the shootings as an attack on "democracy itself", while the right-wing Eleftheros Typos said they targeted "the stability of the country".

Golden Dawn is Greece's third-most-popular party, with 18 seats in parliament.

Formerly on the fringe of Greek politics, the group boosted its popularity by tapping into widespread anger over immigration and austerity reforms in debt-wracked Greece, which is slogging through its sixth year of recession and where youth unemployment stands at 60 percent.

Friday's drive-by attack in Athens followed the killing in September of an anti-fascist musician, Pavlos Fyssas, by a self-confessed neo-Nazi.

The hip hop artist's death triggered public outrage, putting pressure on Greek authorities, who launched a crackdown on the party.

Attacks by groups describing themselves as revolutionary and anti-authoritarian are relatively common in Greece.

They are not usually fatal, although in 2009 a police officer was killed by three unknown gunmen in Athens and in 2010 a journalist was shot dead at his home. Both killings were claimed by the Sect of Revolutionaries, an extremist group.

Media reports said the weapon used in Friday's attack, by two unknown assailants on a motorbike, was the same type as the gun used in the 2009 shooting of a police officer.

The Sect of Revolutionaries has been quiet of late, but another extremist group called the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei said in July it had entered into a "collaboration" with the group.

The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei has claimed responsibility for a series of recent attacks including a bomb attack on the car of the Athens prison director.

The two men killed on Friday were Emmanuel Kapelonis and Giorgos Fountoulis, both in their 20s. A spokesman for Golden Dawn said they were members.

Police are hoping that footage from the security cameras of the Golden Dawn offices and shops on the same street will assist them with their investigation.

france24.com
2/10/13

Was the euro ever "about to collapse"?

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Less than six months ago, eurozone watchers had been predicting the breakup of the 17-member bloc of nations as the euro plunged to a 25-month low against the U.S. dollar last July.

Even as recently as November, Warren Buffett, the famed CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, said of the eurozone's future that "it's hard to tell exactly how it comes out."

But since then, the euro has appreciated nearly 11% as its member countries battled to contain sovereign debt crises, rising unemployment and social unrest. The euro now stands at a 13-month high against the greenback.

And flying in the face of last year's critics, former European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet told CNN's Nina dos Santos that the euro "was never about to collapse" and that its viability as a currency is solid.

"The euro as a currency has never been put in question," asserted Trichet, while at the same time admitting the euro area's financial stability and credit worthiness had been tested.

As for the euro, he said it "is certainly reliable and credible."

Yet, the euro's gains over the past seven months is a mixed blessing. Arguments have long-existed for and against a stronger currency. Appreciation means investors are more confident in the euro but eurozone exports become more expensive when sold overseas; devaluation makes the bloc's exports more competitive globally, which many eurozone officials would prefer.

But if the world's major economies devalued their currencies to make exports more competitive and to spur their economies to growth again, it would be chaos, says Trichet.

"If the reasoning is the same in all constituencies you have nothing but...a 'beggar-thy-neighbor' policy which is a recipe for catastrophe."

That catastrophe could take the form of an all-out currency war. And this week, the world's leading banks called on the G20 group of richest nations to avoid such an outcome.

"We believe major central banks should focus on enhancing their cooperation...to guide market expectations and thus help avoid a disorderly interest rate adjustment process and undue exchange rate volatility," the Institute of International Finance wrote in a letter to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who is chairing the G20 finance minister's meeting later this week.

But with the eurozone in recession for the second time in four years, the desire to devalue the euro may be strong. The European Central Bank in December cut its 2013 growth forecast, with a best-case growth rate scenario of only 0.3%.

"It is no time for complacency," warned Trichet who added that the central banks of the United States, Japan and Europe as well as their private sectors should get their "house(s) in order."

.cnn.com(+ COMMENTS+VIDEO)

12/2/13