MEPs to participate in the Porto Social Forum
The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee is sending a 9-member delegation to Portugal on 27 May to participate in the Porto Social Forum.
During the event, MEPs will discuss important social issues, such as the Roadmap on a Social Europe. At the Parliament’s last plenary session, MEPs adopted a resolution on the roadmap, in which they urged that social rights should be treated with the same urgency as economic and environmental ones. The European Year of Skills, which kicked off on 9 May 2023, will also be on the agenda of the forum.
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Ahead of the visit, the chair of the delegation, Dragoş Pîslaru (Renew, RO), said: “We, in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, see the Porto Social Forum as a pivotal moment in constructing a strong Social Europe. Now is the moment to show that social policies go beyond political ideology and that investing in people is at the core of our Union. It is the moment to renew our European social model and show the strong commitment of the three European institutions and social partners to a resilient social dimension of the EU. People are and will be Europe’s competitive advantage, on a global scale. Their well-being is fundamental for a strong democracy.
Committee Chair Dragoş Pîslaru will be joined by eight other MEPs: Dennis Radtke (EPP, DE) and Agnes Jongerius (S&D, NL) - the two co-rapporteurs of the above resolution, Jose Manuel Fernandes (EPP, PT), Estrella Durá Ferrandis (S&D, ES), Max Orville (Renew, FR), Rosa D’Amato (Greens, IT), Beata Szydło (ECR, PL), and Joao Albuquerque (S&D, PT).
Background
The Porto Social Forum takes place two years after the Porto Social Summit, which focused on the adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and on the implementation of its 20 principles.
The forum, scheduled to take place every two years, is organised by the Portuguese government in cooperation with the European Commission, with the involvement of the European Parliament and is endorsed by the Swedish Presidency of the Council.
Ministers of Social Affairs and Labour from member states, Commissioner Schmit, the presidents of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions as well as social partners and stakeholder organisations will also participate.
Press conference
At the end of the Social Forum, at around 18.00 CEST on 27 May, the Portuguese government, the European Commission, and Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee Chair Pîslaru will hold a press conference.
Contacts:
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Arianne SIKKEN
Press Officer -
Vera RAMALHETE
Gabinete do PE em Portugal