Deputy PM Birchall at Reykjavik Forum: Romania will prioritise social affairs while holding EU Council Presidency

Romania will pay special attention to the social dimension and the principles that make it - gender equality, social inclusion, occupational safety, work-life balance - when holding the six-month rotating Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019, Romania's Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall told the Women Leaders Global Forum (WPL).

According to a government press statement, Birchall attended the Women Leaders Global Forum (WPL) in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Monday and Tuesday, that aimed to address the role and involvement of women in a digitised and interconnected society.

In her speech, Birchall delivered a message from Romania's Prime Minister Viorica Dancila regarding the priorities in gender policies that Romania will pursue when assuming the rotating Presidency of the EU Council on January 1, 2019.

"Romania will pay special attention to the social dimension while holding the Presidency of the EU Council and its principles: gender equality, social inclusion, occupational safety, and work-life balance. Gender equality is important to us as individuals, it is also essential to the well-being of our societies, and it is the powerful communities that promote and advocate that every citizen can make a difference. Balance between men and women is an essential feature of all stable and transparent democracies. As well as encouraging economic development, it promotes general well-being and leads to a more inclusive and fairer Europe for both women and men," said Birchall.

She added that an important objective of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council will be "to ensure equal opportunities for women and men on the labour market by reducing the gender pay gap and by implementing measures to ensure a balance between family life and work," stressing at the same time that "the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is a gender policy that must be applied with priority."

The event was attended by more than 400 femalepoliticians from over 100 countries: heads of state or government, ministers, lawmakers, mayors, as well as numerous experts, representatives of international organisations and opinion leaders from academia, business and civil society.

Birchall also attended an official dinner extended by Iceland's President Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson to the forum attendees, and had a meeting with Katrin Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland, as well as with Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, Iceland's Foreign Affairs Minister, to discuss items of interest on the European agenda, including the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council. At the same time, issues related to NATO co-operation and various multilateral formats were discussed, as well as the very important role of a solid transatlantic relationship.

On the side-lines of the forum, Birchall had a meeting with Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCDE) Mari Kiviniemi, emphasising that joining the OECD is "one of the priority objectives of Romania's."

Birchall also met Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is the Vice-President of the Republic of Liberia, the Senate President and Chairperson of the Senate Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children to discuss the latest development in the bilateral relationship between Romania and Liberia. She voiced the Romanian government's desire to resume the traditional relations with the sub-Saharan African states, as well as to promote Romania's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Rodica State)