OPENING SESSION

William Cockburn has worked at the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) since 1998 where he focused on the areas of research coordination, emerging risks and was responsible for the first European survey of enterprises on new and emerging risks (ESENER). Since 2012 and until September 2021 William was in charge of EU-OSHA’s Prevention and Research Unit, which develops the OSH content for the agency. On 16 October 2023, after a period as Interim Executive Director, William formally took the position as EU-OSHA´s Executive Director. Born in the UK, William trained first as a lawyer and then as an ergonomist. Prior to joining EU-OSHA, he worked in academic research investigating company safety culture and in the private sector as an ergonomics consultant and research manager for projects in health and safety at work.

Mikel Torres Lorenzo, born in Portugalete in 1970, is a Basque economist, university professor and politician. He has since 25 June 2024 held the position of Second Vice-President and Minister of Economy, Labour and Employment of the Basque Government, establishing himself as a key figure on the political and economic landscape of the Basque Country.

He holds a Degree in Economic and Business Science from the University of the Basque Country (UPV), as well as a Master's in Finance and 2 Doctorates in Economy from the same university, with the corresponding Advanced Study Diplomas. Director of Employment, Training and European Projects at BIC Bizkaia Ezkerraldea since 1997 (currently on extended leave of absence), and Professor of the Department of Financial Economy-I of the Faculty of Economic and Business Science of Bilbao (Sarriko) from 2001 to 2008, when he took office as Mayor of Portugalete (2008-2024).

Joaquín Pérez Rey (Madrid, 1973) holds a PhD in Law and received the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize from the University of Castilla-La Mancha. At this university, he is a tenured professor of Labour Law and Social Security.

He has served as Secretary of State for Labour since 2020. He has undertaken research stays at several European universities and has participated in specialized courses and national and international conferences, particularly in Latin America.

During his time in government, pioneering regulations have been approved within the framework of social dialogue, such as the 2020 Labour Reform, which has brought Spain's temporary employment rates in line with European standards and has made a decisive contribution to combating precarious employment in the tourism sector; the so-called Rider Law, which protects workers through delivery platforms; the Remote Work Law, which has inspired European directives on digital disconnection and the protection of and access to algorithms with labor-related effects; and the extension of leave for birth and childcare.

Li Andersson is a Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. In Finland, she has served as leader of the Left Alliance, Member of Parliament, and Minister of Education in the Sanna Marin government between 2019 and 2023.

Andersson's political work combines a strong stance on fundamental and human rights, and an ambitious environmental and climate policy with policies such as strengthening workers' rights and reducing economic and social inequalities.