State Secretary Dr Rolf Schmachtenberg met with his Swedish counterpart Rasmus Cruce Naeyé from the Ministry of Employment on 28 August 2019 in Berlin. The State Secretaries exchanged ideas on minimum wages and minimum income schemes in Europe. They share the common goal that it must be possible to obtain an adequate income from employment (working full-time) throughout the European Union.
The discussion focused on the issue of Europe's social dimension. The State Secretaries agreed that the social partners have an important role to play in further developing the social dimension of Europe. They plan to strengthen cooperation on these issues in the future. The background to this is that Germany will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July 2020.
The State Secretaries also discussed the question of honesty in terms of social security contributions. Sweden wants to launch initiatives in this field and inquired about Germany's experience with subcontracting liability for social contributions in the construction and the meat industries. Germany's legislative initiative to extend the principle of subcontracting liability to the parcel delivery sector was also addressed. The initiative ensures honesty in terms of contributions, social security for all those who deliver parcels and fairer competition
, said State Secretary Schmachtenberg.