About: social affairs
Commissioner hearings LIVE: Schmit/Wojciechowski
The European Parliament will be grilling the proposed members of Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission in a series of hearings between 30 September and 8 October.
Gender balance in the workplace: ‘Not a women’s issue anymore’
The work-life balance directive is only a few steps away from becoming law after the European Parliament and EU member states reached political agreement in January. The new rules will boost women’s representation in the workplace while securing at least 10 days of paid parental leave for fathers.
Commissioner Thyssen to leave politics at the end of European mandate
European Commissioner for Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen, (CD & V) will end her political career upon completing the current mandate in Brussels, after 28 years of involvement in European politics.
Prominent MEP provides insight into Rome Declaration
As the Rome Declaration is finalised, Portuguese Partido Socialista MEP Maria João Rodrigues (S&D) provided insight yesterday (21 March), about what ideally should be in it, in anticipation of its unveiling.
EU Socialists and Greens take first step towards a ‘progressive coalition’
In an effort to lay the foundations for a progressive alliance, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) today (7 March) will hold a first ever bureau meeting with the Greens-European Free Alliance (Greens-EFA) group of the European Parliament.
Lord Mayor: London will survive Brexit
The Brexit vote has shaken the City of London but will not destroy it despite creating uncertainty, the newly-installed Lord Mayor of the financial hub told AFP.
Social justice index reveals ‘highly explosive situation’ in Europe
The next European Commission must step up efforts to tackle social justice in the EU, as the economic imbalance between member states intensified during the crisis, warns the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Juncker gives key portfolios to German allies, austerity backers
Jean-Claude Juncker, the incoming head of the European Commission, unveiled an EU executive team today (10 September) that handed key economic responsibilities to French and British commissioners, but overseen by others, in a new-look hierarchy.
Poland ‘can offer economic recipe’ to the EU
SPECIAL REPORT: Poland has proven it is possible to sustain economic growth without relaxing fiscal discipline, MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski told EURACTIV.
Montebourg urges alternative to German austerity
The time has come for France to resist Germany's "obsession" with austerity and promote alternative policies across the eurozone that support household consumption, firebrand French Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg said on Sunday.
European Semester: First-ever EU ‘social indicators’ fail to impress
The European Commission's social affairs and employment policy recommendations to EU countries have been criticised as inconsistent and a "missed opportunity."
Greece introduces ‘supermarket racks for the poor’
A recent government decision presented in the press as allowing supermarkets to sell “expired goods” led to massive public outrage in Greece. As EURACTIV Greece took a closer look, it appeared that the decision concerned goods that were still edible, but with an expired “best before” date.
EU leaders wake up to youth jobs crisis
Young people should be offered a good job within four months after leaving school, EU leaders will say at an informal summit today (30 January), according to a draft statement obtained by EURACTIV. The measure was criticised as empty rhetoric by European socialists.
Military airfield awaits EU leaders as Belgians strike
Belgian authorities are prepared to use a military airfield to receive EU leaders for the extraordinary summit on growth and jobs, as trade unions threatened a mass strike on Monday that is likely to block the Brussels airport.
Business leaders urge EU restraint on social harmonisation
At a time of growing cynicism towards the EU, corporate leaders are pointing to the clear need to complete economic integration but are reluctant to delegate national sovereignty on social policy to the EU, according to a new survey of 2,000 business people released on Wednesday (29 June).
EU ‘ignoring’ social impact of crisis, say NGOs
Austerity measures and public spending cuts are making life worse for the poorest members of society, whose plight is being "systematically ignored" by national and EU policymakers, according to anti-poverty campaigners.
Andor: ‘We have to do more’ to fight poverty
Looking beyond the 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, Employment and Social Policy Commissioner László Andor says the EU and its member states must keep working to find new and more effective ways to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged groups. He spoke to EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Eastern Europe frowns at EU ‘poverty’ target
Eastern EU countries have either rejected or dismissed as irrelevant a planned EU target to reduce poverty, proposed by the European Commission under a ten-year economic plan called 'Europe 2020'. The EURACTIV network reports.
EU money having little effect on poverty in Hungary
While EU-funded projects look nice on paper, the money has little real effect in addressing social issues in Hungary. The huge subsidies could be a strong weapon in the fight against poverty, but EU funds barely reach their target groups. EURACTIV Hungary reports.
Quality of life greater concern to Czechs than poverty
The Czech Republic has been a democratic country for twenty years and an EU member state for six. Although it still faces social problems, the situation is improving and the country is in a relatively good situation compared to older member states. EURACTIV.cz reports on the country's efforts to fight poverty.
Social situation in Slovakia still a painful issue
According to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the goals of the 'Europe 2020' strategy – including that of reducing poverty by 25% – are ''illusory''. So too is the notion that the social situation of all Slovak citizens has improved in the decades since 1989. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
Resourcefulness still the best way to fight poverty in Poland
''Being Polish is not a nationality but a profession,'' goes an old popular saying in the former Communist bloc. Even today, for many Poles, resourcefulness remains the only responses to an economic crisis in which the problem is not prices but salaries. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Romania says poverty reduction is ‘impossible target’
Romania, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has never dealt with poverty reduction in the twenty years since its transition to a market economy, which makes any commitment to the EU's 2020 poverty reduction goals seem "utopian". EURACTIV Romania reports.