Forum 2004

• An average of 23% of EU citizens complain they are too tired to carry out household tasks when they come home from work.
• About 15% of people in the new Member States report difficulties in fulfilling family responsibilities because of time spent at work.
• Women, more often than men, experience problems in balancing work and family responsibilities.
• People who work more than 48 hours a week generally report being less able to reconcile their working and non-working lives.

These data from the Foundation’s recent European Quality of Life survey, highlight one of the key challenges facing Europe’s policymakers today. How can we balance worklife commitments while moving towards the full employment target of the Lisbon agenda? While aiming to create more and better jobs, policymakers across the 25 countries of the new European Union are increasingly faced with the pressing issues of flexibility and work, pension reform, time management and labour market restructuring.

• Must we work more and longer to maintain our ailing pension systems?
• How do we offset the effects of an ageing workforce?
• Should we encourage women back into the workforce at all costs?
• Who will then look after our children? How will we care for our parents?

These issues, and many more, will be examined at this year’s Foundation Forum 2004 which brings together high-level European representatives from the social partners, government and civil society, as well as experts in the field to provide fresh and timely insights into the future direction of this crucial debate.