EU Presidency conference: Our social Europe – Strong together

On 16 September, Eurofound contributed to the EU Presidency of Germany’s conference: 'Our social Europe – Strong together'. Organised by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), the high-level event focussed on better living and working conditions and Europe’s efforts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

The conference brought together EU and national-level decision-makers, representatives of social partners, civil society and the academic community across the EU. It was an opportunity to examine key questions facing Member States and the EU as a whole, including: How can we put solidarity within the EU into practice and how can we boost social justice? What needs to be done to prevent in-work poverty? How can we enable vulnerable people to participate in society? How can we foster inclusive growth in Europe that benefits everybody?

As part of the conference, Eurofound’s Deputy Director Maria Jepsen shared insight, based on Eurofound’s recent findings, into the challenges for Europe’s youth in the wake of the pandemic. Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Social Policies at Eurofound, provided a contribution to the conference on 'Upward convergence in the EU: Definition, measurement and trends'. Watch their presentations in the videos below.

Presentations

• Video: The youth of Europe and the labour market in times of pandemic - Maria Jepsen, Deputy Director, Eurofound

• Video: Upward convergence in the EU - Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Social Policies, Eurofound

More information

• EU2020.de: Event - Our Social Europe

• EU2020.de: Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union

• Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: EU Presidency

• Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: Upward convergence in the EU: Definition, measurement and trends