DUSHANBE, February 9, 2009, Asia-Plus -- The 8th European Regional Meeting of the International Labor Organization (ILO) opened in Lisbon today., press release issued by ILO said.

Impact of global financial crisis on world of work in Europe and Central Asia is high on agenda of quadrennial meeting, which will last till February 13.

The meeting, held every four years, brings together representatives of governments, workers and employers from 51 European and Central Asian ILO member States and provides a unique platform for discussing policy responses to important employment and social challenges.

A Prime Ministers panel on comprehensive policy responses to the financial and economic crisis will be addressed by the Prime Minister of Portugal, H.E. José Socrates; H.E. Ms. Zinaida Greceanii, Prime Minister of Moldova; H. E. Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg and H.E. Mr. Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. The panel will also include Jorge Rocha de Matos, President of the Portuguese Industrial Association, and Anne Demelenne, Secretary-General of the Belgian General Trade Union Confederation (FGTB). ILO Director-General Juan Somavia will chair the discussion.

At a special session, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation, together with the representatives of the social partners, will address measures to mitigate the negative impacts of the economic crisis on employment, the labor market and social conditions.

The discussion will be based on a special report prepared by the ILO on policy responses to the economic crisis. The report takes a close look at the stimulus packages introduced in the region and proposes an integrated policy approach, which places Decent Work at the centre of recovery efforts.

Mr. Somavia will also present two reports on decent work in the European region to the meeting, namely Delivering decent work in Europe and Central Asia, which assesses how different economic growth and productivity trends have affected employment performance and working and living conditions in the region while highlighting key policy challenges and proposing policy solutions, and Towards decent work outcomes: A review of ILO work for 2005–08, which catalogues concrete efforts by countries to progress towards decent work.

Throughout the five-day meeting there will be seven panel discussions on a range of work-related themes, including the economic context and the employment situation in the region, labor market policies and flexicurity, wage policy,  social dialogue, policies to reconcile work and family, social protection and fundamental rights at work.