02/12/2015 – EAPN has sent a letter to Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs (EPSCO Council) in view of their next meeting (07-08 Dec), where they will discuss proposals on improving EU Social Governance, a first response to the Annual Growth Survey, as well as the Recommendation on long-term unemployment. EAPN call on Social Ministers…
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27/11/2015 – The EU Semester Alliance held its first stakeholder dialogue meeting with key representatives from the European Commission and the Council of Ministers engaged in the Semester process. This first roundtable exchange discussed the latest developments and changes in the 2016 European Semester, in the light of the 5 Presidents Report, including a first reaction to the new Annual Growth Survey based on the Alliance’s joint letter to President Juncker, set within the broader context of how to progress on a more democratic, social and sustainable Europe.
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27/11/2015 – The EU Semester Alliance held its first stakeholder dialogue meeting with key representatives from the European Commission and the Council of Ministers engaged in the Semester process. This first roundtable exchange discussed the latest developments and changes in the 2016 European Semester, in the light of the 5 Presidents Report, including a first…
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Brussels, 30 November 2015 – As the European Commission finally adopted the Annual Growth Survey package (AGS 2016) last Thursday, Commissioner Thyssen promised to put “social fairness at the heart of our economic recovery. Member States need to overcome bottlenecks to job creation, improve the way labour markets work and make sure everybody in Europe…
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Brussels, 30 November 2015 – As the European Commission finally adopted the Annual Growth Survey package (AGS 2016) last Thursday, Commissioner Thyssen promised to put “social fairness at the heart of our economic recovery. Member States need to overcome bottlenecks to job creation, improve the way labour markets work and make sure everybody in Europe can enjoy a decent level of social protection if we want to achieve more convergence.” However, the evidence of this new approach is not so clear, nor does the package contain any mention of the promised Social Pillar on rights and social standards.
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19/11/2015 – Eighteen months into the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative, employers across Scotland are reporting the business benefits of paying the Living Wage, including dramatic improvements in staff retention and absence rates, and increased productivity.
19/11/2015 – Eighteen months into the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative, employers across Scotland are reporting the business benefits of paying the Living Wage, including dramatic improvements in staff retention and absence rates, and increased productivity.
18/11/2015 – This ILO paper: (i) examines the latest IMF government spending projections for 187 countries between 2005 and 2020 ; (ii) reviews 616 IMF country reports in 183 countries to identify the main adjustment measures considered by governments in both high-income and developing countries; (iii) applies the United Nations Global Policy Model to simulate the impact of expenditure consolidation on economic growth and employment; (iv) discusses how austerity threatens welfare and social progress; and (v) calls for urgent action by governments to adopt alternative and equitable policies for socio-economic recovery.
Details18/11/2015 – The article “Europe 2020 and the Fight against Poverty: Beyond Competence Clash, Towards “Hybrid” Governance Solutions?” by Matteo Jessoula, published online in Social Policy & Administration, issue 4/2015, summarizes the findings of the WP4 I coordinated within the reserach project COPE-Combating Poverty In Europe.
Details18/11/2015 – Today the Commission has launched a public consultation on how to improve work-life balance and reduce obstacles to women’s participation in the labour market. This consultation follows the recent withdrawal of the Commission’s 2008 proposal to amend the Maternity Leave Directive. The Commission has committed to replacing the withdrawn proposal with a ‘new start’ initiative in its Work Programme for 2016.
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