Victims of human trafficking, especially women and children, should receive protection and "unconditional" assistance, the European Parliament demanded in a resolution adopted on 10 February. The victims should be entitled to free legal aid, the penalties for traffickers should be rethought and ways must be found to discourage demand for services supplied by the victims, say MEPs.

 

Speaking in Strasbourg following the European Parliament voting, Mr László Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commented: “I warmly welcome today's vote by the European Parliament which clears the way for the adoption of the new European Microfinance Facility for employment and inclusion. This facility will offer a lifeline to people suffering from the crisis and help create new jobs". Read more.

EU cooperation and funding can support cities and regions in their efforts to create the best conditions for young people to find a job and to play an active role in modern society.

Daniela Bankier, Head of the European Commission’s unit for Equality between Men and Women, called for the gender pay gap to be urgently addressed as it leads to a waste of resources for society and businesses.

The informal EU Council meeting held on 11 February in Brussels ended with consensus on the need to achieve greater coordination of the economy in the short, medium and long term and with a political agreement to overhaul Greece's finances.