DELIVER the “Maternity leave Directive”!

27/04/2015 – EAPN, with the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), the European delegation of Make Mothers Matter (MMM), ILGA Europe, Social Platform, the European Youth Forum, the European Federation of Nurses (EFN) the European Disability Forum (EDF), the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) and SOLIDAR, representing millions of women and men throughout Europe are deeply concerned about the negative impact of the withdrawal of the proposal to strengthen the Maternity Leave would have on women throughout Europe. They have addressed today a joint letter to Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans to maintain the “Maternity leave Directive”. Please sign the petition “Time to Deliver the Maternity Leave Directive”!

Fighting poverty ranks low in European Commission’s priorities

EAPN Europe writes to European Commission’s President Jean-Claude Juncker to stress its concern on Mid-Term Review delay

21/04/2015 – European Commission’s Mid-Term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy publicised and agreed by all parties has been delayed till the end of this year. EAPN Europe considers this shows the lack of serious commitment and low priority the EC gives to the process and fight against poverty. Europe 2020 aims at reducing poverty in at least 20 million by 2020 and was set as a key priority for the new Commission in order to set a smart, sustainable and inclusive recovery from the financial crisis. The number of people experiencing direct poverty has increased in six million after the strategy Europe 2020 was put in place.

EAPN participates in 1st ECFIN dialogue with NGOs on an EMU for Citizens

26/03/2015- Representatives from five EAPN national networks (Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal) together with EAPN policy coordinator, Sian Jones, participated yesterday in Brussels in the first Civil Society dialogue seminar organised by DG ECFIN. This initiative forms part of ECFIN’s new Communication strategy to ‘connect’ to stakeholders and citizens on EU’s economic agenda.

EAPN Europe meets European Commission Vice President Dombrovskis

18/03/2015 – EAPN President, Sérgio Aires and Barbara Helfferich, Director of EAPN met with European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis for an exchange of views on the better integration of social objectives in the European Semester. EAPN underlined that the European Semester must ensure that economic and social objectives were equally important and that the country specific recommendations should be used to help reduce poverty. 

EAPN Letter to EPSCO Council March 9th-A clear stand on integrating a social dimension into European policy making is needed

09/03/2015- EAPN has addressed a letter to EPSCO Ministers with regards to their meeting taking place today March 9th on Employment and Social policy issues asking them to make a clear stand on the full integration of a social dimension into European policy making. EAPN not only calls for the integration of a social dimension but puts forward concrete proposals on how to do so. We believe social invesment together with social protection and ensurance of ownership are key to reduce poverty. Investment in growth and jobs alone will not.