Seán Ryan
Ceist:96 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her priorities for the EU Presidency; the events which have been arranged by her Department in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28963/03]
Written Answers. - EU Presidency.
My overall focus for the Irish Presidency will be to advance the EU social policy agenda generally and in particular, make progress in delivering on the ten-year goals set by the Lisbon European Council in 2000. One of the ambitious goals of the Lisbon agenda is to achieve greater social cohesion. In this regard the second round of national action plans for social inclusion are being evaluated at EU level. A joint Council-Commission inclusion report will be considered by the Council of Ministers in time for presentation to the European Council at its spring meeting during the Irish Presidency. We will also be involved in organising a conference of people experiencing poverty, the aim of which will be to further develop ways of promoting participation by and consultation with people experiencing poverty in the context of developing policies in this area.
A key policy area is "Making Work Pay", which explores how the interaction between social protection and working arrangements affects people's decisions to seek, take up, and remain in work. As our contribution to modernising social protection systems, this issue has been chosen as the main theme for discussion at the informal Council of Ministers for employment and social policy in January next.
The issue of migration will also be a priority for my Department during the Irish Presidency. We will be hosting a conference in April the theme of which will be reconciling mobility and social inclusion and its main focus will be on the role of social and economic policies in achieving social inclusion for people moving within the EU. A major priority in this context for the Irish Presidency will be to work for adoption by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament of the proposals to simplify and modernise the EU regulations on social security of migrant workers. This will provide migrant workers moving within the EU with a more streamlined set of rules aimed at protecting their social security and health care rights.
Following the accession of the ten new member states in May next, it is our intention to host a special conference, in co-operation with the Hungarian Government, on the practical application of the new regulations for all member states, particularly the newly acceding states. In the area of family policy and to mark the tenth anniversary of the UN International Year of the Family, the Irish Presidency will be hosting a major international conference the title of which will be Families, Change and Social Policy in Europe. I am happy that these events represent a substantial programme of work and a significant contribution to moving forward the social policy agenda of the Community.