social policy

[EPHA Call to Action] Health in the reform of economic governance

EPHA has launched a call for action for health, civil society and the reform of EU economic governance. Since the financial crisis began in 2007, the EU has introduced numerous new mechanisms, such as tighter coordination of economic and fiscal policies, to alleviate the current symptoms and prevent their recurrence. Several of those measures have impacts on health systems and consequently on health. The EU nowadays has stronger influence and control over national health systems than it (...)

EU Mental Health Compass update: economic analysis of workplace mental health promotion and disorders prevention

Mental health disorders impose significant barriers for the EU realising its policy objectives for improved public health and recovered economic growth. But what is the estimated contribution good mental health can add to EU economy? What numbers are to convince policy-makers and employers to invest in mental health promotion and mental disorders prevention actions? This Economic Analysis of Workplace Programmes gives answers to these questions. After launch of the Joint Action on Mental (...)

[EPT] Fund for European Aid - European Fund - Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (updated on 18 March)

Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived The European Commission (DG Employment) has proposed to set up a European Aid Fund to help the most deprived persons in the EU. A successor to the Food Aid to the Most Deprived, this new Fund would support member state schemes not only by providing food aid to the most deprived people, but also clothing and other essential goods to homeless people and materially-deprived children (such as shoes, soap and shampoo). The proposal is yet to be (...)

A Grassroots Method to Help Eradicate Child Hunger in the Most Deprived Regions of Hungary

The European People’s Party (EPP) held a group hearing on 26 February 2013 on ’A grassroot method to help eradicate child hunger in the most deprived regions of Hungary’. The event was organised by Tamás Deutsch MEP (EPP, HU), and the keynote speaker was the French-Hungarian sociologist Zsuzsa Hegedűs who is the senior advisor to the Hungarian Prime Minister and Chair of the "No Child Should Go Hungry" Foundation ("Minden gyerek lakjon jól" foundation) in Hungary. (...)

[Assessment] Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative: European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion

Within the context of a comprehensive assessment of the state of play of the Europe 2020 strategy and its flagship initiatives, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) has started preparing a survey on the ’European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion’, as seen from a regional perspective. The result of this survey will feed into a Conference on the same topic that the CoR will hold on 29 May 2013 in Brussels. The Conference ’European platform against poverty’ (...)

Redefining and combating poverty - human rights, democracy and common goods in today’s Europe

The two-day conference intended to discuss the subject of poverty and inequality in societies with human rights policies, with participants from different backgrounds, bringing together institutional actors, researchers, activists, associations, and networks, as well as people living in poverty and precariousness and other citizens involved in the themes raised by the Conference. The first day of the discussion was devoted to the analysis of the current situation in terms of poverty, (...)

Poverty and inequality in societies of human rights - the paradox of democracies

The two-day conference involved a discussion on the subject of poverty and inequality in societies with human rights policies and brought together institutional actors, researchers, activists, associations, and networks, as well as people living in poverty and precariousness and other citizens involved in the themes raised by the Conference. The first day of the discussion was devoted to the analysis of the current situation in terms of poverty, inequalities and precariousness of living (...)

European Commission’s Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion - the Child Poverty dimension

On 20 February, the European Commission presented a Communication on its Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion. The initiative aims to help member states use their social budgets more efficiently and effectively by promoting best practices and providing guidance on social investment. Social investment involves strengthening people’s current and future capacities. In particular, social investment helps ’prepare’ people to confront life’s risks, rather (...)

EU budget 2014-2020: EU leaders agree to historic cut

Following over a year of negotiations and a final 24 hour-long summit, the EU budget 2014-2020 was agreed on 8 February. Smaller than the current 2007-2013 budget, the new EU budget (called multiannual financial framework) sets the EU financial priorities and spending limits until 2020. This is the first time in the Union’s history that a net reduction on its budget has been made. The deal struck roughly represents 1% of EU Gross National Income. The net reduction comes at a time when (...)

Governments should act in the best interest of stateless children

Citizenship is the “right to have rights”. Without citizenship, one lacks not only political rights, but often social and economic rights as well. On a symbolic level, citizenship implies being a full member of a national community, and even further, of humanity. On his statement Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights argues in favour of the protection of stateless children. Key messages The best interest of the child is to have citizenship There should be no (...)