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Together with a number of other European members states, the Maltese Government signed a letter in order to turn the proposal by the European Commission for the Directive on adequate minimum wages into a recommendation. These member states including Malta believe that the Directive as proposed does not take into account the different realities of member states.
While taking part in a multilateral videoconference with the Ministers of Employment of the signatory countries of this letter, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela reaffirmed that while Malta supports the objective behind the Directive of every worker’s right to a decent living, Malta believes in a national policy for setting the minimum wage that takes into account the national characteristics of each country.
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council and members of the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the draft regulation establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) which is part of the 2021-2027 EU budget.
With an overall financial envelope of nearly EUR 88 billion (in 2018 prices), ESF+ will support investment in job creation, education and training, as well as social inclusion, access to healthcare, and measures for eradicating poverty in the EU.
The European Social Fund+ will make a decisive contribution to mitigate the negative consequences of the current crisis by promoting employment and reducing poverty levels, creating better opportunities for all, especially young people and children. The more vulnerable groups will also be favoured by ESF+.
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.
Ministers are outlining the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU to parliamentary committees, in a series of meetings.
Portugal holds the Presidency of the Council until the end of June 2021. The first set of hearings takes place between 25 and 28 January. A second set of hearings will take place the following week. This press release will be updated regularly.
Foreign Affairs
On 26 January,
Foreign Affairs Minister Augusto Santos Silva outlined a range of external action priorities to the Foreign Affairs Committee. He spoke of the importance of reviving the transatlantic dialogue between the EU and the new Biden administration, promoting stronger ties between the EU and the Asia-Pacific region, notably India, as well as intensifying EU cooperation with Africa and the African Union, for example when it comes to finalising a new Post-Cotonou Partnership Agreement.
European Social Fund Plus: Council and Parliament reach a provisional deal
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council and members of the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the draft regulation establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) which is part of the 2021-2027 EU budget.
With an overall financial envelope of nearly EUR 88 billion (in 2018 prices), ESF+ will support investment in job creation, education and training, as well as social inclusion, access to healthcare, and measures for eradicating poverty in the EU.
The European Social Fund+ will make a decisive contribution to mitigate the negative consequences of the current crisis by promoting employment and reducing poverty levels, creating better opportunities for all, especially young people and children. The more vulnerable groups will also be favoured by ESF+.
– Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
Story of the week: As the European Commission readies new rules on Artificial Intelligence to be presented in March, we take look at what could be in store.
Podcast: In this week’s edition, we draw on comments from high-level Commission officials to get a picture of the EU executive’s vision for AI in the EU. We also catch up with Ella Jakubowska, a campaign officer for EDRi, the European Digital Rights group, who is behind a new EU Citizens Initiative dubbed ‘Reclaim Your Face,’ which advocates for a blanket ban on facial recognition technologies in public spaces.