Article 1 Task
The task of the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment shall be to ensure, in compliance with the TFEU and the TEU and with due regard for the powers of the institutions and bodies of the Union, that there is a continuous concertation between the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social partners. The Summit shall enable the European social partners to contribute, in the context of their social dialogue, to the various components of the Union's strategy for growth and jobs. It shall facilitate synergies between the actions of the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social partners aimed at the promotion of growth, a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health. For that purpose, it shall draw on the upstream work of and discussions between the Council, the Commission and the social partners in the different concertation forums on economic, social and employment matters.
Article 2 Membership
1. The Summit shall consist of the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission, and, represented at the highest level, the current Council Presidency, the two subsequent Council Presidencies and the social partners. The ministers from the three Council Presidencies and the Commissioner responsible for employment and social affairs shall also participate in the Summit. Depending on the agenda, other ministers from the three Council Presidencies and other Commissioners may also be invited to participate in the Summit. 2. The social partners' representatives shall be divided into two delegations of equal size, one comprising 10 workers' representatives and the other comprising 10 employers' representatives, taking into account the need to ensure gender balance. 3. Both delegations shall consist of representatives of European cross-industry organisations, either representing general interests or more specific interests of supervisory and managerial staff and small and medium-sized businesses at European level. Technical coordination shall be provided for the workers' delegation by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and for the employers' delegation by the Confederation of European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE). ETUC and BUSINESSEUROPE shall ensure that the views expressed by the specific and sectoral organisations are fully taken into account in their contributions and shall, where appropriate, include representatives from some of those organisations in their delegations.
Article 3 Preparation
1. The agenda for the Summit shall be determined jointly by the Council, the Commission and the workers' and employers' cross-industry organisations taking part in the work of the Summit. To this end, preparatory meetings shall take place between the Council, the Commission, ETUC and BUSINESSEUROPE. 2. The matters on the agenda shall be discussed by the Council meeting in its Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs configuration based, as appropriate, on a contribution of its preparatory bodies. 3. The Commission shall provide the secretariat support to the Summit. In particular, the secretariat shall ensure that documents are distributed in adequate time. For the purposes of preparing and organising meetings, the Summit secretariat shall establish appropriate contacts with ETUC and BUSINESSEUROPE, both of which shall be responsible for coordinating their respective delegations.
Article 4 Operation
1. The Summit shall meet at least twice a year. The meetings shall be held before the respective spring and autumn sessions of the European Council. 2. The Summit shall be chaired jointly by the President of the European Council and the President of the Commission, with the participation of the current Council Presidency. 3. The meetings of the Summit shall be convened by the joint chairpersons on their own initiative, in consultation with the social partners. 4. The President of the European Council shall report on the discussions and the outcomes of the Summit to the European Council.
Article 5 Information
The joint chairpersons shall draw up a summary of the Summit's discussions, in order to inform the relevant Council configurations, the European Parliament and the general public of them.
Article 6 Repeal
Decision 2003/174/EC is hereby repealed with effect from 21 October 2016.
Article 7 Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .