Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Employment and Social Policy), 10 March 2025

Main results

Challenges of the silver transformation

The Council held a policy debate on the ‘Challenges of the Silver Transformation: Incentives and systemic solutions for promoting voluntary, extended professional activity of older persons’. Ministers discussed ways to encourage older people to stay in or return to the workforce, with the aim of mitigating labour and skills shortages while also preventing or alleviating poverty among older people in the EU.

A silver transformation is taking place across Europe, bringing both challenges and opportunities. Older people can benefit greatly from staying professionally active, and can use their skills and experience to help address labour shortages caused by population ageing. If we want to empower older people to play an active role in the workforce, we need to remove the barriers and disincentives that continue to stand in their way.

Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Polish Minister for Family, Labour, and Social Policy

The debate focused in particular on the role of the European Semester in addressing ageing-related challenges and opportunities. Points raised by member states included the importance of helping older people upskill and reskill for new careers, combatting negative stereotypes, and recognising the particular challenges faced by older women. A number of ministers also shared examples of policy incentives used in their countries to promote longer working lives.

• European Semester 2025: Challenges of the silver transformation: Incentives and systemic solutions for promoting voluntary, extended professional activity of older persons (presidency steering note)
• Watch the public session

European Semester

As part of the European Semester cycle, the Council approved the contribution on the employment and social aspects of the 2025 recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area. It also adopted the 2025 Joint Employment Report and approved conclusions on this report. Finally, the chairs of the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the Social Protection Committee (SPC) presented a letter informing ministers of aspects in the medium-term fiscal-structural plans that are related to the work of the EPSCO Council.

• Employment and social aspects of the 2025 recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area
• 2025 Joint Employment Report
• Draft Council conclusions on the 2025 Joint Employment Report
• Letter from EMCO and the SPC
• The European Semester explained
• Watch the public session

Other business

Under ‘any other business’, the following topics were raised:

• Events organised by the Polish presidency (information from the presidency)
• Tripartite Social Summit (information from the presidency and the Commission)
• Need to update Directive 79/7 on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security (information from Spain)
• A Union of Skills (information from the Commission)
• Pact for European Social Dialogue (information from the Commission)
• Possible withdrawal of the equal treatment directive (information from Belgium, Estonia, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands)

The 2025 work programmes of the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee were also presented (information from EMCO and the SPC):

• EMCO work programme
• SPC work programme

Informal lunch debate

Over lunch, an informal debate took place on the right to disconnect. Ministers shared their views on the best measures for raising awareness among employers and employees of the risks associated with the ‘always-on’ work culture, and shared examples of a right to disconnect at national level.

• Watch the recording of the press conference