Cyprus to ‘place emphasis on protection of workers’ during Council of EU presidency

Cyprus will “place particular emphasis on the protection of workers” during its six-month term as the holder of the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency, Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas said.

He made the comments during a visit to Brussels, and stressed that the Cypriot government “remains committed to strengthening the social pillar of the EU” and will also place emphasis on “quality jobs and the adaptation of the labour market to new economic and technological challenges”.

Additionally, he said that the creation of “quality jobs” and the promotion of “fair employment and fair worker mobility” are “structural elements of European social policy”.

Those elements, he said, “contribute to the strengthening of social justice, cohesion, and sustainable and inclusive development”.

In its programme for its six-month term, the Cypriot government said that “in a labour market reshaped by digitalisation and the rise of artificial intelligence”, it will “promote policies that harness technological progress to improve job quality, reduce inequalities, and ensure just transition”.

As such, it said that it will “foster the dialogue for fair, inclusive, and quality labour market policies in a rapidly changing work landscape”.

It also said that it will “highlight fair labour mobility as a vital element of a resilient and cohesive European labour market”.

“In an era marked by demographic changes, skills shortages, and the transition to the green and digital age, promoting equitable mobility among member states, while safeguarding workers’ rights, is essential for the union’s competitiveness,” it said.

On this point, it said it aims to “promote discussions that contribute to a coordinated European approach that protects workers’ rights, enhance the coordination of social security systems and social cohesion, and ensure a modern and fair framework for labour mobility across the union”.