Economic and Social Affairs Committee

Economic and Social Affairs Committee

1. ESTABLISHMENT – SUBJECT

The Economic and Social Affairs Committee belongs to the Collective Government and is provided in the Article 15 par. 1 of the Presidential Disposition 63/2005, «Legislation Codification for the Government and Governmental Organs ».
The Economic and Social Affairs Committee,
in the context of the decisions of the Prime Minister and the Ministries’ Council, decides on issues regarding Economical and Social Affairs of general importance, takes the appropriate measures to implement the Government’s Economic Program, monitors, supervises and coordinates the Programs implementation and decisions, and examines the necessary measures to strengthen social cohesion and improving of life conditions (article 21 par. 4 of Presidential Disposition 63/2005, «Legislation Codification for the Government and Governmental Organs»).

2. COMPOSITION

According to Article 1 No. 3 of the 3.2.2010 PYS (Act of the Council of Ministers) on the « Reconstitution of Economic Committee and Social Policy », in this committee participate the Prime Minister as the president and members the following:

a. The Vice President of the Hellenic Government,
b. Minister of Finance,
c. Minister of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping,
d. Minister of Environment Energy and Climate Change,
e. Minister of Minister of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs,
f. Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks,
g. Minister of Ministry of Labour and Social Security,
h. Minister of Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity,
i. Minster of Ministry of Rural Development and Food and
j. Minster of Ministry of Citizen Protection.

Additional non-voting members of the Economic and Social Affairs Committee are the Head of the Economic Office of Prime Minister’s Office and the President of the Economic Advisers’ Council.

The duties of the Secretary of Economic and Social Affairs Committee are executed by the General Secretary of the Hellenic Government.

3. OPERATION

According to Article 16 of the Presidential Disposition 63/2005, «Legislation Codification for the Government and Governmental Organs»:
1. The Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister may refer for treatment and decision making to the Collective Government Organs according to Article 17 (Governmental Committee) and 18 (Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense) any governmental policy matter that needs to resolved.
2. The council of Ministers, following Prime Minister’s proposition has the possibility to decide on any matter under the jurisdiction of other Collective Government Organs, and cancel any of their decisions.
3. Regarding decision making by other Collective Government Organs, dominate the principles of discussion, open voting and majority voting. In case of tie-voting, predominates the vote of the Organ’s President.
4. The Collective Organs are convened by their president, who sets the agenda. There are cases where it is possible to exclude certain members of the Collective Government Organ at the meetings during which issues of their responsibility are not the object of discussion.
5. In case where Ministers are absent or unavailable, they will be replaced by the Deputy Ministers.
6. During the Collective Government Organs meetings, other non-regular members may be invited, such as Ministers, Alternate Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Prime Minster advisors, service employees and experts, when discussing issues of their jurisdiction.
7. Members of the Collective Government Organs do not receive any paid remunerations or compensations. Persons who provide secretariat services, receive the paid compensations provided by the existing provisions.
8. The Collective Government Organs, to facilitate their work, request information and data from the competent Entities and agencies which must promptly provide the requested materials.
9. The invitation and the agenda of the Collective Government Organ meetings in which the Prime Minister does not participate, are announced by the General Secretariat of the Government.
10. During Collective Government Organs, minutes are kept twice: The first remains in the file saved by the Collective Organ Secretariat, and the other is announced to the General Secretariat of the Government, available to the Prime Minister.
11. The Collective Organ meetings minutes records are totally confidential which remains confidential during the whole time of confidential discussions. Safekeeping the confidentiality of the minutes, constitutes an official obligation of the Secretary of the Organ.
12. The provision of abstracts is allowed under the same conditions provided for the Minister Council’s minutes.