Utskottet för sysselsättning och sociala frågor

On 22 March, the EMPL Committee held a public hearing on the “Working conditions of firefighters”. The World Health Organisation recently re-classified firefighters as a profession that is vulnerable to carcinogenics. This hearing informed the EMPL committee’s work in various areas, and in particular the ongoing revision of the Asbestos at Work Directive.

The meeting of the EMPL Committee took place from 22-23 March. Several exchanges of views with Commissioners were foreseen. Members also discussed a draft opinion on "Establishing a Single Market emergency instrument", as well as a kick-off of the discussions on the matters of the 2024 budget-section III. Last but not least, a hearing was held to address the working conditions of firefighters.

On 22 March, members of the EMPL Committee voted on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council. During the second triloge meeting held on 7 March, some key elements were agreed upon, such as the starting day of the European Year of Skills from May 9, 2023 to May 8, 2024.

On 22 March, members of the EMPL committee exchanged views with the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, in the framework of the structured dialogue. The main focus of the discussion was on the implementation of the Disability Rights Strategy 2021 – 2030, with particular attention given to ongoing efforts regarding the Employment package and the Disability Card.

On 23 March, Commissioner Nicolas Schmit appeared before EMPL in the context of the structured dialogue between Parliament and the Commission. This exchange provided Members with an update on legislative and other initiatives which were recently presented by the Commission and those still to be put forward in the coming year. Additionally, members exchanged views on social aspects of economic governance with the participation of André Sapir (Bruegel, Emeritus Professor, ULB).