European Union News - Social Affairs

All the member states have agreed to promote a European programme to facilitate labor mobility of young people with the goal of halving youth unemployment by adapting Erasmus programme to the labour market.

Under the banner of the 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, the European Commission has today launched a competition for journalists reporting on issues related to the Year's themes. The European Year Journalist Award is open to print, online and audiovisual journalists and prizes will be awarded at national level and at European level for the most original and newsworthy reports.

This Thursday, the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, opened the Science against Poverty International Conference in La Granja (Segovia); the event, which forms part of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, is intended to highlight 'research and technology's enormous potential' for promoting human development.

Roma communities, the European Union’s largest ethnic minority, continue to face persistent discrimination and segregation. The European Commission urged Member States in a report today to use EU funds for the social and economic integration of Roma. A separate report evaluated the progress achieved in integration over the past two years. Participants at the second Europe-wide Roma Summit, to be held in Córdoba, Spain on 8-9 April, will review these reports.

Barcelona will host a conference on "New skills and new jobs for a more competitive Europe" as part of the Spanish Presidency of the EU. It will be chaired by the Spanish Minister of Employment and Inmigration, Celestino Corbacho.

The Official Journal of the European Union of April 7th has published the Decision that establishes the European Progress Microfinance Facility for employment and social inclusion.

Representatives from the European Union institutions, Member States, international organisations and Roma civil society will meet on 8 and 9 April 2010 in Córdoba (Spain) to examine the progress on Roma community inclusion in Europe. The event is jointly organised by the Commission and the Spanish Presidency

The European Commission has proposed new rules to step up the fight against trafficking in human beings. The new proposal will help to combat modern slavery by ensuring consistency of national rules on crimes and penalties, better assistance for victims and tougher action to prosecute criminals responsible for trafficking.

The European Commission has proposed new rules obliging EU countries to impose more severe punishment on those who sexually abuse children. The proposal also calls for criminal prosecution of activities like 'grooming' (befriending children with the intention of sexually abusing them) and "sex tourism", even if the child abuse has taken place outside the EU.

The European Council has agreed on the key elements of the new strategy for jobs and growth, the EU 2020 strategy. To president Van Rompuy, who chaired the meeting on 25-26 March, the strategy sums up the European model of social market economy with a strong environmental dimension.