EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL : PHARMA PACKAGE, MATERNITY LEAVE AND ESF ON AGENDA.

The EU's pharmaceutical package' and preparation for the 18-19 June European Council top the agenda of the Employment and Social Affairs Council, on 8 and 9 June in Luxembourg. The participants will also discuss the revision of the maternity leave directive (extending the leave), the drafts directives on anti-discrimination and cross-border health care and the post-2010 Lisbon agenda. The European Commission is expected to react to a decision by Germany and Austria to extend their transitional arrangements' for workers from eight Central and Eastern European member states.

On 8 June, during an informal breakfast, the recently proposed changes to the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Commission's communication on employment will be discussed. This will serve as preparation for the June European Council, and will be followed by a formal policy debate', during which conclusions will be adopted on flexicurity in times of crisis' and on social services in the context of active inclusion'.

The ministers will then attempt to reach a political agreement on a regulation that would extend the provisions of Regulation 883/2004 "concerning the coordination of social security entitlements to nationals of third countries". Furthermore, conclusions on equal opportunities for women and men and on dignified ageing as well as on the "inclusion of the Roma" will be adopted. The ministers will secure a political agreement on a decision on guidelines for the employment policies of member states in 2009.

Next on the agenda will be progress reports on three social' directives. The first deals with the revision of the Directive 92/85/EEC on maternity leave. It includes measures to improve the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding. The second report provides information on the state of play of the proposed anti-discrimination directive (see separate article). The third concerns the proposal for a directive on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity and to repeal ...