Security tight for second day of EU meeting

A large security operation remains in place in Galway city today for the second day of a meeting of European Union employment and social affairs ministers.

The informal conference is being guarded by hundreds of gardaí, anxious to ensure a number of protests that are planned for today do not cause disruption.

A total of 38 ministers drawn from all 15 member states and the 15 accession countries, three applicant states - Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey - and Norway, as member of the Euroupean Economic Area, are attending the meeting.

The three-day event is being chaired by the Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs, Ms Mary Coughlan, and the Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr Frank Fahey.

Also attending are the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Ms Anna Diamantopoulou, and a number of senior union and business representatives.

In a statement this evening, the ministers said they had agreed to prioritise four key policy issues for action at the forthcoming Spring European Council.

The issues are  increasing access to training for older workers; providing more flexible working arrangements  and affordability of childcare;  ensuring that pensions and social welfare systems provide the right incentives, continued and greater investment in education and training.

"There is a need for policies to focus on the broader inactive population and not just those already active in the labour market, and in particular women and older workers," Ms Couglan said. "In this regard specific policies should be developed and focused at categories such as lone parents and people with disabilities."

Ms Diamantopoulou described Ireland as a perfect model for the ten accession states in cutting unemployment by investing in people. Ms told the conference that  such investment was often more profitable, if less tangible, that infrastructure spending.

"In deciding how to use structural funds from the European Union, Ireland has often faced a choice between investing in school buildings or investing in the minds of the teachers who work in those schools," Ms Diamantopoulou said.    "Wisely, it has invariably chosen the latter."

Ireland's economic boom of the 1990s was firmly grounded in education and training, and it is now widely regarded as having one of the most highly skilled workforces in the EU, she said.

The ministers are meeting to discuss improving co-operation between EU states in business creation and development and to promote employment. They agreed yesterday that increased investment in training in human resources is needed to boost competitiveness.

The conference also noted that in future there will be fewer workers supporting more pensioners and increasing the number of people at work is one of the best ways to deal with the pensions problem.

Trade unionists, anti-war and human rights activists have planned a protest outside the meeting at the Corrib Great Southern Hotel. They include such diverse groups as the Irish Anti-War Movement, the Galway One World Centre,  the Galway Refugee Support Group and the Irish Irish Salmon Netsmen's Association.

Also protesting were the Galway Environmental Alliance,  who are objecting to plans by Galway City Council to remove more than 70 mature trees from Eyre Square.