Unequal Europe – A NEUJOBS brainstorming workshop

This NEUJOBS brainstorming workshop is organised by the European Social Observatory, our partner for the Social Union work.

In the past year, Friends of Europe’s brought together a High-Level Group on ‘Social Union’ under the chairmanship of former Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Social Affairs Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. Thirty or so senior experts from a range of professional backgrounds and political affiliations discussed the social challenges that confront the European Union as well as the EU’s social policy options once a new Commission and Parliament are in place.

Some of the key themes that were addressed by the High-Level Group are closely related to those covered by the NEUJOBS (FP7) research project, which has undertaken extensive research on the long-run determinants of European labour markets, in view of the four major transitions that will impact employment (the socio-ecological and societal transitions, new territorial dynamics, and skills upgrading).

At the moment where the NEUJOBS project has delivered its final output and the High-Level Group is finalizing its own report, researchers, policymakers and EU as well as domestic stakeholders will exchange views during a brainstorming workshop that will focus particularly on defining the EU social policy agenda for the coming five years.