Full Employment and Social Cohesion: Are they still possible in a changing Europe?
The dramatic increase in unemployment and the concomitant spread of poverty, social exclusion and inequality make the founding principles of the EU, especially the objectives of full employment, a dead letter. Without exaggeration, we could speak for a resounding failure of European policies on employment and social cohesion policies. The problem is more evident in certain regions, as in particular in Greece, Spain or Portugal and other countries, where long-term unemployment rate has enormously increased up to 60% and in some cases even to 70% of total unemployment.
Now it is time for action, not just for realising and describing the problem. The aim of the event of October 14, in the European Parliament is to bring together the findings and specific recommendations of a wide range of important scholars of employment and social policy and to feed with their scientific evidence the policy dialogue on the necessary radical shift in the common European policies on these issues.
Europe is at a turning point. The focus cannot merely be on acting towards an orderly, generous boost of employment and the rehabilitation of the European social model, which was a global model for several postwar decades. The ambition of this event is essentially to step beyond general policy recommendations, in a proactive way, a need clearly illustrated by the current refugee crisis. In fact we have to define, the earliest possible, the necessary policies which could support the 23,8 million people who are unemployed in the EU, in a socially and economically sustainable but also pragmatic and productive way enhancing full employment and social cohesion.
P R O G R A M M E
14.00–14.10 Opening by Mr Thomas ΗÄNDEL, GUE/NGL MEP, Chairman of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee
14.10–15.00 Unemployment: Innovative solutions to old problems
Mrs Kostandinka KUNEVA, GUE/NGL MEP, Employment and Social Affairs Committee, Chair
Mrs Rania ANTONOPOULOU, Alternate Minister of Labour, Greece: “Is there place for real solidarity to unemployed?”
Mr Fernando LUENGO ESCALONILLA, Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Mr. Pedro Emanuel COELHO ARAUJO, PhD on Sociology, Researcher on Social Policies, Employment and Inequalities, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Mrs Isabel ORTIZ, Director of Social Protection, ILO, Geneva
– Short Intervention by Prof. Athina BELEGI: presentation of the research of the National Technical University of Athens: “The influence of the Greek crisis on EU's GDP”.
15.00-16.30 Light Lunch – buffet
16.30-17.50 On the making of a viable European social model for the future
Mrs Tania GONZALEZ PENAS, GUE/NGL MEP, Employment and Social Affairs Committee, Moderator
Mr. Joachim SCHUSTER, S&D MEP, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Mrs Terry REINTKE MEP, Greens, Employment and Social Affairs Committee
Mr. Javier BURÓN CUADRADO, Housing Manager in Barcelona Council, Expert in public policies on housing and new forms of public-private management, Barcelona, Spain
Mr. José Luìs ALBUQUERQUE, Economist, Researcher on The Observatory on Crisis and Alternatives from the Centre for Social Studies, Coimbra, Portugal
Prof Savvas ROBOLIS, Emeritus Professor at Penteoin University, Athens: “Social security system in crisis condition in Greece”
Mr. Alejandro INURRIETA BERUETE, Councillor in Madrid Council, Former CEO of the Public Rental Housing Ministry, Madrid, Spain
17.50-18.50 Debate on Employment and Social Cohesion in a Changing Europe
Moderator Marisa MATIAS, GUE/NGL MEP, Economic and Monetary Union Committee.
18.50-19.00 Conclusions and follow up by Marisa MATIAS, GUE/NGL MEP, Economic and Monetary Union Committee.
For more information please contact;
francisco.oroz[email protected] or [email protected]
GUE/NGL press contact: Gianfranco Battistini
+ 32 475 646628