European Union News - Social Affairs

The Task Force to assess Member States' use of EU funding with regard to the social and economic integration of Roma, established in September by the European Commission has now reported its initial findings. According to them it seems that while EU funds offer considerable potential for bolstering Roma inclusion, bottlenecks at national, regional and local levels are limiting their effective use by Member States.

With its new Strategy on Equal Opportunities, the European Commission seeks to implement a series of measures aiming at achieving a balanced workforce, while promoting a more flexible working environment and ensuring its application at the highest level. Although the efforts put in place since 1995 have paid back, with this Strategy the Commission wants to increase the measures and actions put in place until 2014.

European countries have already set a concrete target to reduce poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by 2020, and for that purpose the European Commission has put in place the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion putting forward the ways in which it will help Member states to achieve this objective. It is now Member states' turn to move up a gear in fighting social exclusion, for what they will count upon Commission's support mobilising policies like social protection, employment and education, as well as EU funding.

Following the debate held at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament on 14 December, MEPs rejected the draft Directive providing for the introduction of a single residence and work permit for legal immigrants. Commission must now decide whether to withdraw the proposal ans present a new one or to maintain it, in which case it would return to the Plenary in the coming months.

According to the data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), total workers' remittances sent to their country of origin amounted in 2009 to 30.3 billion Euro, representing a decrease of about 7% towards previous year. These figures show a shift in the positive trends this economic indicator showed over the last years.

In the occasion of the celebration of the Human Rights Day, the European Union has reaffirmed its strong commitment to keep human rights at the centre of its external action. The European Union has underlined its strong commitment to do more to promote and defend human rights throughout the world. Support to human rights defenders is a key element of the EU’s human rights policy in its external action.

According to a new Eurobarometer on graduate employability it seems that employers, when it comes to graduate recruitment, value what is known as 'soft' skills just as much as sector-specific and computer skills. Teamwork, adaptability, communication and language skills are among the characteristics which are most valued by employers who also consider experience as a key asset for employability.

Ministers held a busy session of debate in the first day of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, tackling some of the most awaited dossiers in the agenda. The Council agreed that Parliament's position on the extension of maternity leave to 20 weeks is not conceivable under present circumstances. Ministers also took note of progress made on the directive on equal treatment and adopted two sets of conclusions concerning gender. Further to these issues, ministers also exchanged views on employment policies in the Europe 2020 Strategy and held a policy debate on the future of the pensions systems and adopted conclusions on adequate and sustainable pensions.

There are millions of people who manage to make a difference devoting part of their time to help others by volounteering. To highlight these efforts and encourage more citizens to participate, the European Commission has launched on 2 December the European Year of Volounteering 2011, which will involve a wide range of activities organized under the slogan of the year: “Volunteer! Make a Difference”.