Semester Alliance holds Stakeholder Meeting with invited Guests

On 27 November 2015, the EU Alliance for a democratic, social and sustainable European Semester (EU Semester Alliance) will hold a stakeholder meeting in dialogue with key representatives from the European Commission and the Council of Ministers who are engaged in the Semester process: Michele Calandrino, Policy Officer from Directorate D, Policy Coordination 1: Europe 2020, European Semester and Economic Governance, in  DG Secretariat General  and Muriel Rabau, SPC member for Belgium and Vice Chair of the SPC Bureau.  The purpose of the meeting is to establish a regular dialogue between the EU institutions and representatives of the 16 member organizations  of the Alliance (see below) with key officials on the occasion of the launch of the  Annual Growth Survey 2016.

EAPN participates in High-Level Reflecting Group – Socializing the European Semester

13/11/2015 – Sian Jones, EAPN Policy Coordinator, was invited to participate in a small Reflecting Group composed of experts from EU institutions and stakeholders alike, to provide essential feedback for the completion of the final report due beginning of December 2015 on ‘Further Socializing the European Semester:  Moving forward for the social Triple A’. The report  provides the ‘state of play’ of how social and employment issues are being considered in the semester process – including important new developments in the 2015 cycle.

EAPN participates in EESC/ESC conference: Common Social values, principles and social governance

04/11/2015 – EAPN participated in this important conference organized jointly by EESC and the ESC of Luxembourg on “Common social values and principles & social governance”. The aim was to promote dialogue with decision-makers and stakeholders on key new inputs aiming to influence the Commission’s upcoming proposals for the EU’s Social Pillar or “Social Triple A’ as proposed by President Juncker.

Poverty in Europe is getting worse, not better

Euractiv, 30/10/2015 – Member states have committed to lifting 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. But this has been hard to do in a time of economic recession, writes Georges Dassis, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).The record number of entries for the 2015 Civil Society Prize of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the theme of “Combating poverty” shows the problem is getting worse, not better. Nearly one in four EU citizen (about 120 million people) faces the risk of poverty. The European Union member states are committed to lifting 20 million people out of poverty by 2020.