Thyssen appointed work, social affairs and labour mobility

Marianne Thyssen (CD&V) has been given the post of European commissioner for work, social affairs, skills and labour mobility. The appointment was announced yesterday by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, along with the other portfolios in the Commission.

The post is seen as less heavyweight than expected, considering that Juncker had promised a major portfolio to Belgium if they nominated a woman to the post. Still, it’s considered an important appointment to Juncker, who has said that work and mobility are key to the future economic health of the EU.

“Making sure Europeans can fully participate in society and equipping them for modern working life is a key social concern,” he told Thyssen via his written confirmation, “but it is also crucial for our productivity and ability to compete globally.”

He went on to tell Thyssen (pictured) that it was an essential task of the Commission to create jobs for Europeans. “We live in a union with a 29th state of unemployed people, many of them young people who feel sidelined,” he wrote. “This 29th state must be our number one concern.”

Thyssen told VRT news that it was the post she would have chosen for herself. “I think that the Commission has to show that economic growth, social progress and job creation are really our number one priority,” she said. “Together with the member states and the regions, I hope to create the best conditions for more employment during the coming years, and I want to empower people to give them the best possible chances in the labour market. This is what I understand is meant by social progress.”

Thyssen still faces a hearing in the European Parliament before her appointment is confirmed.     

photo courtesy CD&V Oud-Heverlee