29/01/2015 – EAPN actively participated in the Annual Seminar launching the Commission’s 2015 Employment and Social Development report, where EAPN highlighted concerns about the lower focus on poverty and assumptions about trickle-down effect from Growth and Jobs as the main strategy.
02 February 2015 – Today, the EU Alliance for a democratic, social and sustainable European Semester or (EU Semester Alliance) releases A Beating Heart for a Better Europe. This video highlights the main activities, benefits and learning of the EU Semester Alliance, particularly incorporating the views of the national level and external stakeholders.
21/01/2015 – Sérgio Aires, president of EAPN, together with other Bureau members met with Commission President Juncker’s cabinet as well as the Stefaan Hermans, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Thyssen, who is also responsible for social policy. These meetings served to introduce EAPN’s work to the new Commission as well to establish good working contacts. EAPN was well received by both cabinets who themselves had been working in the social field in previous years. In particular, Luc Tholoniat of Juncker’s cabinet had been closely involved in developing the Open Method of Co-ordination in early 2000.
15/01/2015 – More than 70 participants, including EAPN, took part in the Civil Society Alliance launch event of the 2015 European Year from Development #EYD2015 in Brussels. The event also launched the Action/2015 campaign calling on local and world leaders to take urgent action to fight, with concrete measures, for a just and sustainable world. The European Group of Action/2015 participated in the EYD2015 Alliance launch too and with CONCORD organized a photo op in front of the European Parliament.
On Tuesday the 13 January 2015, EAPN participated in the first of OSE’s after-work seminars, organized with AK EUROPA and the ÖGB Europabüro, which presented damning new evidence of the negative impact of austerity on welfare states, particularly on social protection and health service, increasing poverty and inequality. The response from Dino Pinelli, Senior Economist from DG ECFIN, recognized the negative impact but underlined Member State responsibility for choice of measures and the need to continue with the treatment. EAPN’s questions focused on 4 issues:
07/01/2015 – The European Trade Union Institute is organising a debate on the European Citizens’ Initiave ‘Right2Water’ on 22 January 2015 in Brussels. We will have an eminent social scholar who has analysed what we have done and putting it in a broader perspective, as well as the rapporteur from the European Parliament Lynn Boylan who is preparing the position of the EP on the ECI.
DRIVERS, in which EAPN is involved, will present its findings and recommendations at the European Parliament in Brussels on 3 February 2015, hosted by MEPs Julie Ward (S&D, UK) & Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, ES).
17/12/2014 – EAPN is recruiting a Development and Policy Officer. Candidates for this post are expected to have a minimum of 5 years relevant work experience.
12/12/2014 – On 6th June 2014, the European Alliance for a Democratic, Social and Sustainable European semester held a Capacity Building workshop for 35 Alliance members in Brussels. The workshop was primarily aimed at national members of the Alliance, including the 3 pilot alliances in Bulgaria, Denmark and Ireland, but also at representatives from Brussels-based Alliance members. Read the full report!
08/12/2014 – EAPN has sent a letter with 6 key messages to Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs ahead of their EPSCO meeting on the 11th December, where they will discuss progress on the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Mid-Term Review, including their first response to the new Annual Growth Survey 2015. With its letter, EAPN shares its assessment of the 2015 AGS “Fresh start or broken promises?”.