Minister Calleary attends Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council
- Published on: 10 March 2025
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, today attended his first meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council in Brussels.
Joining with Ministers from across the EU with employment and social affairs portfolios, Minister Calleary acknowledged the importance of the EPSCO Council.
Minister Calleary commented:
“The bringing together of Ministers with social, employment and equality portfolios strengthens the contribution we can all make to guarantee a strong, social Europe of the future, built on our shared values and one which underpins European competitiveness, security and sustainability.”
Council members discussed the labour market and the adoption of the Joint Employment Report. The report illustrates the strength of the EU labour market, across all age groups, in 2024.
Recognising the strong increases in labour market participation, Minister Calleary raised the challenges that remain for more vulnerable groups such as women, younger and older workers, Traveller and Roma, and people with disabilities.
The Minister continued:
"No-one should be left behind. It is imperative that we eliminate barriers for those facing challenges. Through the provision of education and training opportunities, employment incentives, and improved labour market policies, we can help those facing challenges achieve their goals and realise their full potential."
During a semester on promoting longer working lives, the benefits of improved health and wellbeing were noted by Minister Calleary. He raised the positives of the engagement of older people in the labour market to mitigate the challenges of labour shortages in Ireland with an employment rate of 68.2% among those aged 55-64.
Supporting people who wish to work longer, the Minister highlighted the measures already adopted in Ireland.
Minister Calleary said:
“We have already introduced measures to promote later retirement. We have given people the option to defer claiming their state pension until they are 70, with actuarial increases enjoyed upon drawdown. We are offering people a choice. A choice to decide when they wish to retire.”
Ireland will hold the Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026, and in preparation the Minister welcomed the opportunity to engage Ministerial colleagues from across the Member States and with European Commission’s Executive Vice President Mînzatu to create a successful Irish Presidency. A Presidency that delivers for Europe.