Porto Social Forum with "major mobilisation"

The Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, claimed there has been "major mobilisation" around the Porto Social Forum on the 26th and 27th, which shows the importance of the social dimension in the current inflationist crisis context.

"There has been major mobilisation, clearly overtaking the expectations we had, as all the European Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs want to attend", said the Minister in a statement to Lusa press agency.

According to Ana Mendes Godinho, this "clearly shows the importance of the social dimension and the European Pillar of Social Rights in the context of the world we live in and the inflation crisis, also due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine".

International attendees

The Porto Social Forum will be held on 26 and 27 May, two years after the Porto Social Summit, hosted by the then Presidency of the European Union in May 2021.

In addition to the European Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (OIT), Gilbert Houngbo and the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit.

Representatives of the European Parliament, European social partners Ministers of the countries for which enlargement is on the table, namely Moldova, and the Ukrainian Minister of Social Affairs, Oksana Zholnovych, will also be in attendance.

Themes for the event

The main highlights of the forum will be the evolution of the last two years and the importance of the social dimension and the European Pillar of Social Rights in the current context.

Qualifications will also be addressed at the meeting, namely the countries’ capacity to qualify and upskill people when faced with the green and digital transition, as this year is also the year dedicated to European skills.

On behalf of the Portuguese Government, in addition to the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, the Prime Minister António Costa and the Secretary of State for European Affairs Tiago Antunes will also attend the Forum.

Evaluating the situation regarding the targets set

Ana Mendes Godinho said "this forum will also be used for each country to evaluate where they stand regarding the targets set in the European pillar" whether "in fighting poverty, skills, or concerning investing in children and education".

In the case of Portugal, the Minister said the country "is moving forward and fully meeting the targets we set two years ago in the Porto Social Summit".

The action plan for the European Pillar of Social rights presented by the European Commission in March 2021 envisages a set of targets the EU must meet by 2030.

Among the main targets we find rising the employment rate for the population between 24 and 64 years to at least 78%, increase the annual rate of adult participation in educaiton and training to at least 60% per years, and reduce the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million people, of which five million must be children.