The stated aim of the summit was to provide a link between the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the "social partners" with Straujuma taking the opportunity to emphasise that investment and high-quality jobs are essential pre-conditions for further growth in Europe.
"The economies of the EU Member States are slowly recovering from the crisis; in some Member States the number of jobs is growing slowly. The involvement of all parties in the preparation, adoption and implementation of decisions is essential in order to take into account the interests of both employees and employers equally, as well as to contribute to addressing the challenges of long-term unemployment and poverty," Straujuma said.
According to a press release, Straujuma also "informed about the achievements of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union" saying that these included reviewing "a proposal for the Regulation for a European Fund for Strategic Investments" in what was described as "record time."
"In order to achieve better results, the synergy between the European Fund for Strategic Investments and other European Union funds and programs, particularly the Structural Funds, as well as national, public and private funding sources should be successfully used. It is also necessary to remember the need to promote access to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises," said the Prime Minister.
The Minister for Welfare, Uldis Augulis, and social partners from Latvia also addressed the participants of the Summit.
Straujuma's comments to the press conference at the event can be viewed below:
