PURPOSE: to repeal Council
Decision 2003/174/EC establishing a Tripartite Social Summit
for Growth and Employment and replacing it with a new text
that renews the tasks of the Summit.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2016/1859
on the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment and
repealing Decision 2003/174/EC.
CONTENT: with this Decision, the Council adopts a new
framework for the tasks of the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth
and Employment.
These tasks may be
summarised as follows:
- to ensure, in compliance with the TFEU and the TEU and
with due regard for the powers of the institutions and bodies of
the Union, that there is a continuous concertation between the
European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social
partners;
- enable the European social partners to contribute, in
the context of their social dialogue, to the various components of
the Union's strategy for growth and jobs;
- facilitate synergies between the actions of the
European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social
partners aimed at the promotion of growth, a high level of
employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight
against social exclusion and a high level of education, training
and protection of human health
For that purpose, the Summit shall draw on the
upstream work of and discussions between the Council, the
Commission and the social partners in the different concertation
forums on economic, social and employment matters.
Membership: the Summit
shall consist of:
- the Presidents of the European Council and the
Commission;
- the current Council Presidency represented at the
highest level;
- the two subsequent Council Presidencies;
and
- the social partners.
The ministers from the three Council Presidencies and
the Commissioner responsible for employment and social affairs
shall also participate in the Summit.
The Decision also provides that:
- the social partners' representatives shall be divided
into two delegations of equal size, one comprising 10 workers'
representatives and the other comprising 10 employers'
representatives, taking into account the need to ensure gender
balance;
- both delegations shall consist of representatives of
European cross-industry organisations, either representing general
interests or more specific interests of supervisory and managerial
staff and small and medium-sized businesses at European
level;
- technical coordination shall be provided for the
workers' delegation by the European Trade Union Confederation
(ETUC) and for the employers' delegation by the Confederation of
European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE).
There are technical provisions regarding:
- the preparation of the Summit ;
- the operation of the Summit (which shall meet at least
twice a year, before the respective spring and autumn sessions of
the European Council);
- information regarding the Summits
discussions.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: Decision 2003/174/EC is repealed,
with effect from 21.10.2016.