EESC President participates in 'Spotlight on Jobs' conference, Montepulciano

The President of the Economic and Social Committee, Georges Dassis, participated in the 2016 edition of the 'Spotlight on Jobs' conference, dedicated to labour issues. The event addressed various thematic issues, such as the reform of the labour market, the new role of trade unions, immigration, and innovation.

In his speech, Mr. Dassis emphasised the importance of dedicating European resources to investments and social cohesion, also developing efficient economic governance in the EU i. In this regard, he stated that 'The European economic and social models have to be based on the same values so that the produced richness will be equally shared to all citizens'. For this to be achieved, the EESC President called for "employment and social justice to be considered on the same level as the macroeconomic recommendations of the European semester".

Georges Dassis has also expressed the full support of the EESC to the European Venture Capital Fund, as the committee profoundly believes that "competition should be based on quality and productivity that comes from innovation and not from labor costs and wage cuts". The EESC President concluded by stating that any structural reform to correct economic divergences should consider each Member State's particularities, hence "macroeconomic dialogue must be reinforced in the Eurozone".

The 'Spotlight on Jobs' conference (Luci sul lavoro) was organised in the Italian city of Montepulciano, between the 7th and 9th of July, with the participation of Giuliano Poletti, Minister of Labour and Social Policies.