Congress begins extraordinary sessions with Milei’s labor reform in the spotlight

Congress is set to begin the extraordinary sessions period on Monday with a slew of crucial bills to debate.  Until the end of February, lawmakers to are expected to debate the government’s ambitious  labor reform, lowering the age of criminal responsibility, the recently signed EU-Mercosur agreement,  and a provision that would allow mining in areas near glaciers. Formal debate on those issues will not begin just yet. Before any sessions take place, lawmakers will carry out commission meetings to discuss the bills and reach a commission-approved version of each.  Ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) and the opposition will likely meet to negotiate the contents of the bills this week. As of last month, LLA was planning for the labor reform to be debated on February 10 or 11 in the Senate. The labor reform is the only bill on the agenda that already has a version with majority approval in commissions, which was reached on the December extraordinary sessions period. The government is keen on having these bills approved before the ordinary sessions period begins on March 1.  Labor reform The main bill Congress will debate is the labor reform. It is aimed at loosening employment regulations and discouraging litigation with the goal of making it easier for companies to hire people.  Unions have rejected the bill. They protested against it in December and threatened a nationwide strike if it passes. Demonstrations are also expected as Congress debates it in upcoming days. Although the reform has reached the required support in commissions to make it to the Senate floor, the votes are still not guaranteed for it to pass. Changes to the text may allow it to gain backing from opposition sectors that generally cooperate with the government. Interior Minister Diego Santilli and senator Patricia Bullrich, who became head of the LLA bloc after leaving her position as security minister, are leading negotiations with lawmakers and governors to convince them of backing the bill. You may also be interested in: Mileis labor reform seems tailor-made for companies. Business leaders have doubts Age of criminal responsibility Last week, the government announced it would add a bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility to the agenda for the extraordinary sessions. The bill proposes reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14 years of age. Although there has been no official confirmation, the reason for the move appears to be a recent murder committed by minors that made headlines. In late December, 15-year-old Jeremas Monzn was brutally stabbed. Two 14-year-olds are accused of the attack, and his girlfriend (16) is under pre-trial arrest for allegedly luring Monzn to the place of the murder. In recent days, a video of the killing leaked online, reviving the debate over juvenile criminal law. Glaciers and the Mercosur-EU deal The government also wants Congress to debate a modification of the glaciers protection law, which has raised concern in environmentalist groups and some sectors of the opposition. The proposal aims to change certain segments of the norm with the goal of allowing provinces to approve mining projects in areas surrounding large ice masses, which are currently protected at a national level. Congress is also set to debate is the Mercosur-European Union trade agreement. Congress needs to ratify the deal for it to become effective in Argentina, although its implementation has been postponed for at least a year after the European Parliament requested EU judges to carry out a legal check of the accord. The final item in the Congress agenda is Mileis nomination of Fernando Iglesias as Argentine ambassador to Brussels and before the European Union. The embassy position in Brussels had been vacant since June, while the position before the EU has not been occupied since mid-2024. Iglesias designation will be key for the government to follow any developments in the Mercosur-EU deal. You may also be interested in: New pro-mining bills signal shift in Argentinas environmental views