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  • 19-02-2021 13:12

EU/Presidency: Costa, union confederation leader prepare Porto social summit


Lisbon, Feb. 19, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's prime minister and the president of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) met on Friday by videoconference to prepare proposals for the European Union's social pillar, which should be approved at the Porto summit in May.

In a message posted on his personal Twitter account, António Costa said that he met the secretary-general of the ETUC, the Italian Luca Visentini this morning.

"We agreed that it is urgent to get the economic recovery underway, anchored in fair climate and digital transitions, associated with the implementation of the social pillar of the European Union, which create new opportunities for all," Costa wrote. Portugal holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union until June.

Costa added in the same message that he expects an "active participation of the social partners in the Porto Social Summit, which will focus on employment, qualifications and innovation and social protection".

In January, after a meeting of the Portuguese presidency with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the Belém Cultural Centre in Lisbon, Costa said that progress in the social pillar of the European Union is essential to combat populism and respond "to [citizens'] fears".

Asked about the traditional opposition of more liberal European member states (such as Ireland or the Netherlands) to an expansion of social rules in the European Union, the Portuguese prime minister defended the importance of the social summit scheduled for 7 May in Porto, where a common commitment will be sought around the social pillar.

"The following day, on 0 May, also in Porto, there will be an informal Council, where a declaration will be worked out that reaffirms the commitment of all member states to develop this social pillar - a pillar that is not worth much by itself, but that should be seen as a solid basis to give confidence to all citizens," António Costa reacted.

"Fear is what most feeds populism. If we want to combat populism effectively, we have to give citizens confidence - confidence in the face of their fears," he said.

PMF/ADB // ADB.

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