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Agenda of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO), 6th December 2018, Brussels

My honourable Friend the Minister of State for Employment (Alok Sharma MP) has made the following Written Statement.

The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will take place on 6^th December 2018 in Brussels. I will represent the UK.

The Council will be invited to agree a General Approach on a Regulation establishing a European Labour Agency and on a third batch of amendments to the worker protection Directive on carcinogens and mutagens (2004/37/EC).

The Council will receive reports on progress in negotiations regarding a Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) and a proposal from 2008 for a Directive on Equal Treatment.

The Council is also expected to reach Political Agreement on a Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and self-employed, and to Adopt a set of Conclusions on gender equality, youth and digitalisation.

The Council will hold a policy debate on an issue related to the European Semester. It will also receive a presentation from the Commission on its 2019 “Autumn Package” of Annual Growth Survey, Alert Mechanism Report, draft Joint Employment Report, and draft Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area. The Council will also approve a contribution on that Recommendation made jointly by the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the Social Protection Committee (SPC); endorse their joint messages on aspects of digitalisation and robotisation; and endorse EMCO’s key messages on the latest biennial assessment of Member States’ progress tackling long-term unemployment.

Under any other business, the Commission will present information on its activities, as well as the Tripartite Social Summit which took place on 16^th October 2018. The Presidency will provide information on current legislative proposals, the joint declaration on Gender Equality and Presidency events on (i) Digitalisation of work; (ii) Fight against occupational cancer; and (iii) Gender equality. The Maltese delegation will present a non-paper on future of the LGBTI list of actions and the Romanian delegation will provide information on their work programme for their upcoming Presidency.