The Swedish EU Presidency is expected to put social and employment policy back on the front burner following Prague’s low key approach during the past six months. While some Czech Conservative politicians were seemingly unable to make up their minds as to whether improving child care provisions should be encouraged, the Swedes’ social and employment programme appears to be much less prone to controversy and certainly easier for several member states to support. To quote European Commission sources, after six months at half speed, social policy may now operate at full cruising speed once again.In July, employment and social affairs ministers will hold an informal meeting in Jönköping. The Swedes are expected to concentrate on full labour market inclusion (increasing ‘labour supply’), which is considered not only as a means to overcome the crisis but also a possible solution to problems caused by an ageing population.The Swedish government believes that in times of economic crisis member states should not respond to growing unemployment by ‘locking’ people into social security or early retirement. They argue that “past experience in some member states shows that the use of disability benefit schemes and early retirement schemes to mitigate a rise in unemployment is both costly and counterproductive”.Regarding an ageing population, it says that “intensive structural reforms are necessary in order to deal with the effects of an ageing population by enabling people to find work”.The Swedish Minister for Employment, Sven Otto Littorin, has said that “It is not acceptable that one in three working-age Europeans is unemployed or outside the regular labour market”. Around 100 million working-age Europeans are currently unemployed.Discrimination and gender equalityThe Swedes will convene four meetings during their tenure in their quest for agreements on a new directive and on the revision of two other directives in the fight against discrimination and ensuring gender equality.The Commission’s proposal for a directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (anti-discrimination directive) outside the field of employment will be examined again under the Swedes (it was proposed in July 2008). Unhappy at the EU legislating in this area, the Czechs organised two half-day meetings on this directive. Stockholm favours the directive’s ‘broad’ approach, but Germany and the Czech Republic are opposed. With the German elections looming in the autumn, Stockholm’s chances of concluding an agreement on the directive are remote at best. Furthermore, sources add that the text is “poorly drafted” and needs clarification.The Commission has also presented a revision of Directive 86/613/EEC aimed at making it easier for women to start and run businesses and improving the position of accompanying spouses. The proposal is now being processed by Council working groups, as is a revision on improved safety and health at work for workers who are pregnant, have recently given birth or are breastfeeding (Directive 92/85/EEC). In the autumn, the Swedes will focus on “the importance of gender equality for employment and economic growth”. According to them, to ensure growth and development, the EU must become better at making use of the potential of both women and men which should, they say, be reflected in the next EU growth strategy, the successor to the Lisbon strategy. The Swedes aim to adopt conclusions on the new EU strategy for growth and employment ahead of the European Council in December.