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.
The
two-day informal meeting of the ECOFIN, as well as the 13. Joint ECOFIN
/ FEMIP Ministerial Meeting, organized by the Geek Presidency in Athens
on 1-2 April had a full agenda and Ministers were able to exchange
views on a number of key issues affecting Europe’s economy and financial
situation.
In particular, Europe’s social problems and their
implications for economic growth were discussed, based on a research and
policy paper presented by Bruegel, which confirms the link between
poverty and unemployment on the one hand and economic growth on the
other. There was a fruitful discussion on how fiscal sustainability is
negatively affected by social problems, as well as on concrete measures
to be taken to address persistent unemployment and social insecurity,
which constitute a major problem for the EU.
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MFA, Monday, 25 November 2013
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E. VENIZELOS: We now come to the presentation of the logo. The
Presidency’s logo is very important, because it is the Presidency’s
hallmark.
This hallmark will accompany and certify our every
action. It will accompany every event that happens within the framework
of our Presidency. I think it sets out in a very clear manner our basic
communication strategy for a Greek European Presidency.
Ten years ago, on April 16, 2003, the Treaty of Accession to the
European Union of 10 European countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia
– was signed in Athens. This historical event took place during the
Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is enshrined
forever as one of the most important documents of the reunited Europe.
Later,
on May 1, 2004, all our countries became fully fledged members of the
reunified European family comprising 25 member states at that time. It
was the largest single expansion since the Paris Treaty of 1951, the
forerunner of the EU, in terms of population, number of states and
territory.
Moreover, it was the symbolic completion of the vital
strategic goal of all the acceding member states to finally put an end
to the post-World War II period by returning to the common space of
freedom and stability, democracy and prosperity. The signature of the
Treaty of Athens opened a new era for the acceding countries, for their
citizens and ultimately for the whole of Europe.
