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- Ελληνικά
The European Parliament Week, co-organised by the European Parliament (EP) and the current Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), started today in Brussels on 12 and 13 February 2024.
In the context of the work of the EP Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), the role of upward social convergence was discussed in the light of inflation, debt challenges and the rising cost of living. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour, Welfare and Social Security, Mr. Andreas Kaukalias made the following intervention:
"The asymmetric impact of the growing socio-economic challenges in the Member States of the Union on inflation, debt and the cost of living, as well as the further deregulation of the labour market and the weakening of the position of workers underline the urgent need to achieve upward social convergence and drastically address both income inequalities and the unequal and inadequate access of citizens to education, healthcare and housing.
In the case of Cyprus, the December 2023 Eurobarometer lists rising prices, inflation and the cost of living as the dominant issues of concern to workers, while the November 2023 Joint Employment Report reveals the following worrying facts.
- The widening gender employment gap.
- The very high proportion of young people out of employment, education and training.
- The fall in per capita gross disposable household income below 2008 levels.
- The risk of poverty or social exclusion, which rose to 16.7% in 2022, with women and young people being chronically worse off.
- The risk of poverty or social exclusion, which rose to 16.7% in 2022, with women and young people being chronically worse off. In addition, according to Eurostat, Cyprus is lagging behind in spending on support measures for vulnerable social groups, including people with disabilities, as well as in spending on social protection for families and children, as this spending is significantly below the EU average.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that achieving surplus budgets should not come at the expense of the real economy or sustainable and inclusive growth. On the contrary, the budget should be optimally used by national governments to bridge the gap in inequalities caused by the asymmetric effects of the crisis.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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