Communiqué, issue 5, 2004
Articles
- Quality of life in an enlarged Europe: challenges and opportunities
- Parental leave in the European Union
- Fewer redundancies, more jobs created
- Comparing quality of life in Estonia with the rest of Europe
- Industrial relations in Europe – a snapshot
- EWCs lead to better industrial relations at company level
- Highest home-ownership levels in the new Member States
- New chairman of Foundation’s Administrative Board
Previous issues of Communiqué
The European Union of 25 Member States is now a widely heterogeneous body. Cultures, political traditions, and living conditions vary throughout the 25 countries and there are large differences in terms of quality of life. However, while material living conditions, employment situations, working conditions, health and subjective well-being reveal wide variations, social support networks and educational levels are broadly similar across the new EU according to the recent findings of the Foundation’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS).
The survey represents an ambitious attempt to explore quality of life issues in a wide range of countries, providing a synthesis of information on the main aspects, both objective and subjective. It was carried out in the EU25 and three candidate countries (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey) in May–August 2003.
Although differences in living conditions are considerable, values and priorities determining quality of life are not very different across the European Union – there is no underlying reason for a division of us and them, the west and the east,’ says Willy Buschak, the Foundation’s acting Director. ‘However, in order to foster cohesion in a larger and more diversified European Union and to close the gaps in unequal economic development and living standards, policymakers and civil society actors need to know, not only how people live, but also how they perceive their situation and how individual quality of life is assessed. We believe our report can provide this knowledge.’
The next steps
The initial findings of the survey are currently being presented to representatives from governments, social partners, civil society and experts, in country visits and international seminars. At the same time, more detailed analysis is underway to examine the data on specific themes and to improve understanding of the results. Four in-depth reports, based on the survey – Quality of life, subjective well-being and perception of society, Households and family, social networks and community life, Living standards and resources, income and employment, subsistence economy, deprivation and exclusion, and Housing and local environment – will be available in early 2005.
The report will be available shortly on www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/EF04105.htm