"Green and digital skills a priority"
The Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Mr.On 13 March 2023, in Brussels.
The main issues discussed at the Council were the framework for monitoring employment policies in the EU, the social and economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with emphasis on the dimension of access of Ukrainian refugees to the labour market and the process of ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment at Work.
In his intervention on employment policies, Panagiotou referred to the importance of green and digital skills in the context of the green and digital transition, noting the importance of the Standard Occupational Qualifications framework. Furthermore, he referred to the Industrial Plan of the Green Deal and noted that the third pillar of the Plan concerns the development of human resources skills, which is a key priority for the Ministry of Labour. At the same time, he underlined the importance of the European Year of Skills 2023, for which the Government's Action Plan, which includes a number of targeted initiatives, is currently being developed.
On the access of Ukrainian refugees to the labour market, the Minister referred to the measures implemented by the Republic of Cyprus and expressed the Government's solidarity with the Ukrainian people. In particular, he gave indicative references to actions to integrate Ukrainian refugees into the labour market, social support actions and Greek language learning programmes. He also stressed the importance of training programmes for the acquisition of skills and the need for recognition of professional qualifications, which in the future will make a significant contribution to Ukraine's reconstruction efforts with the help of the EU.
During the discussion on the next steps regarding the adoption of a Decision on the ratification of ILO Convention 190, the Minister said that Cyprus wishes to ratify the Convention as soon as possible because it recognises the importance of the purpose and agrees with the content.
In the margins of the meeting, the Minister held contacts with his counterparts and EU officials, and had a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Democracy and Demography, Ms Suica, during which they discussed current demographic challenges and priorities in relation to the labour market.
(NΓ/ΣΧ)
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