European Union News - Social Affairs

Parents will be able to better combine work and family in the future, as on 30 November employment ministers agreed to strengthen the minimum requirements for parental leave. A new directive will give legal effect to a recent agreement between European employers and trade unions. All employees regardless of their type of contract will enjoy longer periods of leave and better protection against discrimination.

EU countries should work together more closely on the reception of asylum seekers and in fighting against discrimination. Access to justice should be improved and prisoners' rights strengthened. These and other demands were made by MEPs in a resolution on the EU's justice and home affairs programme for the next five years.

The film received the largest number of MEPs' votes from among the three finalists.  Welcome focuses on a swimming instructor in Calais, France, who decides to help out a young Kurdish refugee who needs to swim across the English Channel to join his girlfriend who has already emigrated to England along with her family.

The current crisis is taking its toll on EU labour markets, reversing most of the employment growth achieved since 2000. Men, young people, the low-skilled and workers on temporary contracts have borne the brunt of the employment contraction. Employment in the EU has shrunk by over 4 million jobs since the start of the crisis, although the effect has been somewhat mitigated thanks to the use of shorter working hours and other schemes. But these short term measures, however important, are not in themselves sufficient to ensure a successful exit from the crisis. Employment policies must focus on preparing for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has just announced the winner of the photography competition focussing on safety and health at work. Christopher Azzopardi from Malta was awarded with the 1st prize for his photograph entitled “Beekeeper” at the European Summit on Risk Assessment and SMEs in Bilbao, the closing event of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign.

Vladimír Špidla, EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, has travelled to Egypt to discuss cooperation with the EU on employment and social issues. The two sides have exchanged experiences on tackling the social impacts of the economic crisis and discuss progress towards social and employment objectives under the EU's neighbourhood policy.

Around one in six people in Europe claim to have personally experienced discrimination in the past year, according to a new opinion survey released by the European Commission today. Meanwhile, 64% of Europeans are concerned that the recession will contribute to more age discrimination in the job market. The latest Eurobarometer results come ahead of this year's European Equality Summit, to be held in Stockholm on 16 and-17 November.

Climate change will be the main theme of the EESC plenary session which will adopt an important resolution on sustainable development and climate change. The future European Parliament's working programme will be presented to the EESC by its President, Jerzy Buzek. The EESC will also award the winners of the third edition of the EESC prize for organized civil society.

For the first time, the European Agency for Safety and Healthy at Work (EU-OSHA) has supported the Healthy Workplaces Film Award for the best documentary on work-related topics at the 52nd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. The winner was announced on the award ceremony, on October 31. This action is under "Healthy Workplaces" campaign.

The EU devotes 35% of its total annual budget to regional and social policy. Most of the money is earmarked for nationally-administered programmes to boost poorer regions. The European court of auditors estimated in its last report that at least 11% of the total amount reimbursed in 2007 did not qualify for EU financing