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The contribution of Bulgaria to the development of the debate on the European Social Pillar is one of the most important commitments our country made for the time of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, deputy minister Zornitsa Roussinova said at a meeting with the nationally representative organisations of the syndicates and employers, held at the Ministry of labour and social policy today.

During the talks the participants discussed the involvement of the social partners in the events of the Bulgarian Presidency calendar in the field of employment and social policy and their support to the development of a national plan for the implementation of the European Social Pillar.

Bulgaria has committed to conclude the activities that all the EU member states have engaged with during the official proclamation of the Pillar at the social summit in Goteborg, Sweden at the end of 2017, Roussinova said. It is important to outline the next steps in the implementation of this initiative, she added.

The European Social Pillar will be the main topic of the tripartite social summit in Brussels in March. During the forum the European ministers and the social partners will discuss the possible social implications of the multiannual financial framework from the perspective of the commitments to implement the Pillar. I hope that the social dimension of Europe’s budget will be visible to all, deputy minister Roussinova underscored. 

She added that the Bulgarian Presidency’s calendar includes a conference, dedicated to the European Social Pillar on 27 June in Sofia. One of the significant events in it is also the public discussion of the future of the European Social Fund, to be held on 15 and 16 February in Sofia. 

The nationally representative organisations of the syndicates and employers will take an active part in the international conference “The future of Labour” on 21 - 22 March. The forum’s conclusions will be presented to the Employment and Social Policy Council of the EU in Brussels in June.