Latest Social Europes

Social Europe, Publication, Report
new27/03/2012
Encouraging healthy eating and active living in the family setting
Changing health behaviours or encouraging healthy practices is a complex undertaking. Typically, behaviour change interventions target individual, social and environmental factors. One important influence that partly straddles all three is that of the family.
Greening Europe, Social Europe, Agriculture and Food, Climate and Environment, Food, Publication, Report
new21/03/2012
LiveWell for LIFE: Eating our way to a healthy planet

The 'LiveWell for low impact food in Europe (LIFE)' project was launched in Brussels on 28 February

2012 with a policy debate with stakeholders. The project tackles head-on two of the big challenges

facing modern society - rising levels of chronic diseases and runaway climate change – and looks for

solutions that will tackle both simultaneously.
Greening Europe, Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Future of Europe, Publication, Report
new01/03/2012
40 under 40: European Young Leaders’ work plan on Europe’s future
Key messages from the first European Young Leaders (EYL) seminar in Paris: think European but work trans-nationally, re-engage with European citizens yet look beyond Europe’s borders. ‘40 under 40’ promotes a European identity by engaging 40 of the EU's brightest young minds from a wide range of backgrounds.
Op-ed, Global Europe, Social Europe
10/11/2011
Asia, Europe and One Health
by Shada Islam With the world population now estimated at 7 billion, international attention has focused on the impact of the rising population on the battle against poverty, global food security and climate change. A more crowded world is also likely to be more vulnerable to emerging and rapidly-spreading infectious diseases.
Op-ed, Global Europe, Social Europe
09/09/2011
September 11, 2001: A Watershed Moment for European Muslims
by Shada Islam Ten years on, there is little doubt: September 11, 2001 was a watershed moment for Muslims, not just in the Islamic world and the United States but also in Europe. Largely unnoticed until then, 9/11 thrust the spotlight on Europe’s 20 million-strong Muslim community which suddenly found itself in the eye of the storm.
Op-ed, Social Europe, Future of Europe
01/09/2011
A plea for social democracy
By Robert Cox Social democracy was arguably Europe’s greatest 20th century contribution to political governance. But who currently governs in the West? In the US and the UK, we have seen Wall Street and the City increasingly dominate political agendas, both nationally and wider afield, and thereby determine societal and economic choices and priorities.
Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Trustees Speak Out
23/05/2011
Frank Vandenbroucke: The EU Needs a Social Investment Pact
In this Opinion Paper, we argue that long term-goals of social and economic policy in the EU must not fall victim to short-term policy orientations prompted by the banking crisis that hit the global economy in 2008.
News article, Social Europe
05/05/2011
Active and Healthy Ageing: EU seeks innovation responses
The European Union wants to stimulate innovative solutions for dealing with the challenge of an ageing population. Therefore it has set up a steering group that will look into barriers and opportunities to innovation in the area of active and healthy ageing.
Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Trustees Speak Out
10/03/2011
Anna Diamantopoulou: The role of education in greece's economic recovery
If Charles Dickens was invited to write a novel for Greece today, he would probably  probably start by combining the titles of two of his most renowned novels and second, he would start the writing of the story from the title: “Hard Times and Great Expectations”.
Social Europe, Publication, Report
09/02/2011
Should the EU try to save Europe's quality press?
The EU must promote the value of copyright and not restrict advertising if it wants to maintain a free and independent press. The debate, which brought together MEPs, European Commission officials, journalists and media specialists, looked at the key challenges facing Europe's fourth estate, as newspapers struggle with falling advertising revenue and growing competition from the internet. The panel also addressed issues including EU subsidies for the media, and how Brussels can use its copyright and competition laws to protect quality journalism in an increasingly volatile market.
Press release, Social Europe
08/02/2011
Should the EU try to save Europe's Quality Press?
BRUSSELS: 9 FEBRUARY 2011 - Quality newspapers across the world are losing readers and advertising revenues to Internet competitors and most have so far failed to find sustainable business models even when they go online themselves. This debate will explore the ways in which EU intervention could safeguard the future of Europe’s broadsheets and quality print news.
News article, Competitive Europe, Social Europe
19/01/2011
EU vows to crack down on financial excess in football
Education and Sport Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou, has announced that the EU will move to rein in football clubs that live beyond their means. "Too many clubs are spending more than they earn which is unsustainable… under our new powers I see it as a top priority to combat this," she said.

News article, Social Europe
18/01/2011
“Healthcare tourism” high on EU agenda
The new Hungarian EU Presidency is to push “cross-border healthcare treatment” as one of the core themes of its term. ''Exploiting the untapped healthcare potential of Europe is a key priority of our presidency,'' declared Zoltán Kovács, junior minister for public administration.

News article, Social Europe
12/01/2011
Dioxin contamination spreads to pork
The European Commission is threatening to ramp up regulation of the animal feed industy after investigators confirmed the presence of dioxin contamination in German pork products. Suspect exports have now entered the supply chains of five other European countries causing China and South Korea to restrict pork and egg imports.
News article, Social Europe
07/01/2011
Dioxin infected eggs contaminate European supply chains
The EU has confirmed that shipments of eggs suspected of being contaminated with the carcinogen dioxin in Germany have entered the supply chains of both the Netherlands and the UK. EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, has vowed to investigate the matter, but considers it "too early" to enact a ban on exports.
Social Europe, Publication, Report
14/11/2010
An innovative healthcare agenda for Europe
The European Commission acknowledges that healthcare is a critical issue as an ageing population has to contend with reduced budgets affecting every aspect of their lives. The Commission believes that more can be achieved with the same funding. Policymakers in individual countries and within the European institutions are urged to seek out and analyse the best examples of innovative healthcare from around the world and focus their efforts on replicating these. Download full report here: EN
Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Trustees Speak Out
21/10/2010
John Monks: How we can get out of this financial crisis without increasing the levels of poverty?
How we can get out of this financial crisis without increasing the levels of poverty? John Monks tells it like it is in an interview with Andy Carling...
Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Future of Europe, Publication, Report
14/10/2010
The State of Europe: Tough questions for the EU
Opening Friends of Europe’s seventh annual State of Europe summit, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said that after the actions member states have taken to defend the euro and the European Union, it is time for them to move out of survival mode and focus on more forward-looking measures to stimulate innovation, enhance competitiveness and deepen market integration.
Social Europe, Publication, Report
28/09/2010
Just what the doctor ordered: An EU response to medication non-adherence
Medication non-adherence is costing EU governments an estimated 125 billion euros and contributing to the premature deaths of nearly 200,000 Europeans a year, heard the participants at Friends of Europe’s Policymakers Debate, ‘Just what the doctor ordered: an EU response to medication non-adherence’ on 28 September in Brussels.
News article, Social Europe
16/08/2010
Age related cancer increase drives EU to tackle breast cancer
Breast cancer accounts for 26% of all new cancer cases among European women, and 17% of women dying from cancer die from breast cancer every year. Des...
News article, Social Europe
06/08/2010
Passport handouts lead to back door enlargement
Romania and Bulgaria are currently offering national status to minority or ethnic groups residing beyond their frontiers and Hungary plans to do the s...
News article, Social Europe
02/08/2010
60% of 2009 EU population growth comes from immigration
Overall, the population increased in nineteen member states and decreased in eight, with the largest relative increases observed in Luxembourg (up 17....
News article, Social Europe
05/07/2010
Brussels to raise retirement age
In a paper to be released this week, it is expected to be critical the supervisory framework around EU pensions and, while it is acknowledged that EU ...
News article, Social Europe
30/04/2010
EU administration needs to be more transparent and citizen-friendly
Other types of alleged maladministration concerned late payments for EU projects, unfairness, abuse of power and discrimination. Lack of transparen...
Social Europe, Publication, Report
27/04/2010
Where is Europe's food labelling debate going next?
Following the Policymakers’ Dinner Debate on the future of food labelling in Europe on 27 April, this report highlights that the stand-off over food labelling is showing no sign of abating, despite two years of debate and a vote by the European Parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee on 16 March, which came out in favour of mandatory front-of-pack labels.
Social Europe, Publication, Report
02/12/2009
Planning Europe's Healthcare Revolution

Europe’s healthcare system is undergoing a revolution, with e-health leading the way. Advances in the ICT industry mean knowledge can move quickly and services can be offered more efficiently and cheaply, but guaranteeing the privacy of patient information is a key challenge. And for the time being citizens can expect to be frustrated in their efforts to have full access to a range of health services across Europe, due to a European Council of Ministers decision to reject plans for a directive making it easier for Europeans to access health services in different member states.
Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Publication, Report
12/10/2009
Towards Basel III? Regulating the banking sector after the crisis
There is now a consensus on the need for stronger and more comprehensive regulation. When addressing the regulation of the banking sector, Joseph Stiglitz, Co-President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue and Nobel Prize Winner in Economics put it very simply: “If they are too big to fail, they are too big to be.”
Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Publication, Report
28/05/2009
Never again: The shape of a new global financial architecture
On the heels of the recommendations of the de Larosière Group in February, the Declaration of the London G20 Summit in April, and most recently the European Commission’s Communication on European financial supervision, discussants representing more than 16 countries participated in this high-level roundtable.
Social Europe, Publication, Report
02/04/2009
Can eHealth ease the cost of ageing Europe?

As the post-war generation enters retirement age and Europe readies itself for the added demand on national healthcare systems in the face of a worsening economic crisis, what role can eHealth services and technologies play in improving our healthcare industry?
Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Report
05/03/2009
Never mind fiscal recovery, what about digital?

The digital economy is central to establishing conditions for economic growth, productivity gains, job creation, social cohesion, and in addressing the challenges of an aging population and climate change.
News article, Social Europe, Future of Europe
25/05/2008
Commission launches dialogue with Bosnia and Herzegovina on visa free travel
The aim of this dialogue is to give clear indications to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the measures that need to be taken before visa f...
News article, Global Europe, Social Europe
16/04/2008
EU and Mexico broaden cooperation
Vladimír Špidla, EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, will today travel to Mexico to start a new EU-Mexico dialogue on ...
News article, Social Europe
02/04/2008
EU calls for urgent action to improve working conditions for 1 million posted workers
The European Commission today called on national governments to take urgent action to improve the situation of posted workers – temporarily posted by ...
News article, Social Europe
31/03/2008
Euro area unemployment stable at 7.1%
The euro area (EA15) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.1% in February 2008, unchanged compared with January. It was 7.6% in February 20...
News article, Social Europe
24/02/2008
Reforms are paying off, but don't forget the most vulnerable
Social protection reforms and active inclusion policies have visibly contributed to higher growth and more jobs in Europe over the past year. Still, m...
News article, Social Europe, Future of Europe
13/02/2008
Policy Priorities for 2009 presented
The Commission has today presented its Annual Policy Strategy setting out its political priorities for 2009. It outlines the Commission's policy objec...
News article, Social Europe
12/02/2008
European Commission unveils plans for biometric border checks
Speaking in Brussels, the Commissioner said that travellers from outside the EU could face a biometric test as part of their visa application, while t...
News article, Social Europe
10/02/2008
Tackling Europe's demographic decline: an interview with Françoise Castex MEP
Population projections are alarming for Europe: Is it too late? These are only projections, not predictions. We now have statistical data which indic...
News article, Social Europe
05/02/2008
First Steps for European Institute of Innovation and Technology
The European Commissioner for Education and Culture, Ján Figeľ, announced to the European Parliament and the Council on 5 February the composition of ...
News article, Social Europe
17/01/2008
French unions reach consensus over ‘flexicurity’
  After four months of negotiations among social partners on the modernisation of the labour market, the major employers’ and employees’ unions ...
News article, Competitive Europe, Social Europe
06/01/2008
Euro area unemployment stable at 7.2%
The euro area (EA13) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.2% in November 2007, unchanged compared with October. It was 7.9% in November 20...
News article, Social Europe
18/12/2007
European Commission to remove obstacles to health care
The European Commission is set to propose that any EU citizen should be entitled to health care in other member states, provided that treatment is per...
News article, Social Europe
02/12/2007
Policy Mix can help Minorities to access Labour Markets
Well aware of increasing social challenges, the Commission set up the group, headed by former Chairman of the German Bundestag, Rita Süssmuth in Janua...
News article, Competitive Europe, Social Europe
25/11/2007
Integrated labour market policies deliver better employment performance
The robust recovery of EU labour markets in 2006 brought an increase in employment of 4 million – the strongest since 2000, according to the 2007 'Emp...
News article, Social Europe
21/11/2007
Drug use stabilising in the EU
"This year's report brings good news in that the use of cannabis and heroin may have stabilised in Europe and that the EU is better equipped to tackle...
News article, Social Europe
18/11/2007
More emphasis on language skills
The Forum brings together a group of top European managers who will identify how companies can make operational use of language management as part of ...
News article, Competitive Europe, Social Europe
13/11/2007
Workers' money migrating outside the EU 27
The money sent by migrants to their former country of residence, usually referred to as workers' remittances1, from the EU27 Member States amounted to...
News article, Social Europe
24/10/2007
Major differences in health become apparent between EU member states
Friends of Europe’s Café Crossfire debate on obesity last January drew significant attention to health difficulties arising within EU states.The resul...
News article, Competitive Europe, Social Europe
18/10/2007
European social partners clinch deal on Flexicurity
EU leaders and social partners discuss how the Reform Treaty and Lisbon Strategy can boost labour markets  Commission President José Manuel Ba...
News article, Social Europe
15/10/2007
Sweden, Portugal and Belgium most welcoming countries for migrants
The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), which measures policies to integrate migrants in the 25 EU member states and 3 non-EU countries, found t...