European Economic and Social Committee
Programme
Workshop
The Future of Employment in Europe and Japan
24 June 2009
99, rue Belliard
1040 Brussels
Room JDE 63
From 9:00 a.m.
Registration
9:30-10:30
Opening Remarks
Chair: Ms Eve Päärendson, President of the contact group on
Japan of the EESC
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Mr Filip Hamro-Drotz, President of the External
Relations´ Section of the EESC: The EESC and External
Relations / Asia
 Mr Nobutake Odano, Ambassador of Japan to the EU:
Japan-EU Relations)
 Mrs Irini Ivoni Pari, Vice-President of the EESC:
Programme for Europe
 Mr Jonathan Hatwell, European Commission, DG
RELEX: EU-Japan relations/role of civil society/JAP
review
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10:30 -12:00
SESSION I: The impact of financial crisis on employment
in Japan and Europe
Chair : Mr. Jörn Keck, former EU Ambassador to Japan
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Prof. Hiromasa Kubo, President of EU Insitute in Japan,
Kansai/Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University:
Overview of Japanese labour market and the effect of the
stimulus package on employment
Mr. Osamu Nakayama, First Secretary of the Japanese
Mission (from Ministry of Welfare and Labour):
Overview of the situation in Japan and public authorities
reaction to the crisis
Mr. De Koster, European Commision, The Lisbon
Strategy for growth & jobs
Mrs Erika Koller, Member of Employees´ Group of the
EESC, Member of Contact Group on Japan: The views of
the EESC
Mr. Yoji Tatsui, Executive Director, Department of NonRegular
Employment,
Japanese
Trade
Union
Confederation (JTUC-RENGO): The situation of nonregular workers in Japan
Mr
Tatsuhiro
Ishida,
International
Senior
Consultant/Executive Partner, Acerta Consult (Brussels
Office, Japan Desk) : General employment issues for
Japanese companies based in Europe
Debate, Q & A
12:00-13:00
SESSION II: Maintaining employment, anticipating changes
1. Responsible managment in crisis situation
Chair : Professor Hiromasa Kubo

Associate Prof. Eri Kasagi, Kyushu University,
Research Member of the EUIJ, Kansai: the safety-net in
Japansese social law – Minimum wage, unemployement
benefits and public assistance
 Mr Claudio Cappellini, Member of the Various Interests
Group of the EESC: SMEs for the future of
Europe: active player for employment in bad and good
times
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Debate, Q & A
13:00-14:30
Lunch – Atrium 6
14:30-15:30
2. Flexicurity, sharing jobs
Chair : Mrs Erika Koller, Member of the Japan contact group
of the EESC

Mrs Stavroula Demetriades, European Foundation for
the Improvement of Living and Working conditions, Dublin:
Japan and industrial relations, social dialogue and
flexicurity in the context of the economic crisis
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Mr. Egbert HOLTHUIS, European Commission, DG
Employment: overview of the situation in the EU and EC
& Member States reaction to the crisis
Debate, Q & A
3. Education, Training and upskilling
15:30-17:00
Chair : Mr Krzysztof Pater, President of the Section for
Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship of the EESC
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Ms Inês Alves, Policy Officer for Employment, Social
Cohesion and European Youth Pact, European Youth
Forum: Employment in Times of Crisis: the role of
education, skills and youth organizations
 Mr Julien Guerrier, General Manager, EU-Japan Centre
for Industrial Cooperation: EU-Japan Cooperation in the
field of training businesspeople and students
 Mr Arie Vos, Executive Partner, Acerta Consult: Being
able to manage cultural diversity a key performance
indicator (KPI) for international companies
Debate, Q & A
17:00
Closing remarks and recommendations for the review of the
joint Action Plan EU-Japan & the Year of Innovation &
Creativity.
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Professor Hiromasa Kubo
Ms Eve Päärendson
Interpreting: EN/FR/Japanese
into EN/FR/Japanese