Shaping Europe’s social and employment future

The European Union is navigating a period of profound transformation - from the cost‑of‑living crisis to the green and digital transitions, demographic shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty.

At the heart of the EU’s response to these challenges stands the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. With 60 Members, the Committee plays a central role in ensuring fair working conditions, strong social protection, and equal opportunities across the Union.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joined by Li Andersson, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, to discuss how we can address these issues and continue improving living and working conditions for Europe's citizens.

Working conditions

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Speakers in this episode

Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit

Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey is Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the College of Europe, Bruges, she started work in Brussels with Europolitics and the Wall Street Journal Europe. She worked with the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) in South Africa during the country’s transition to democracy, and in 1998 she took up the post of spokesperson with the Delegation of the European Union in Pretoria, heading up its press and information department during the negotiation of the EU–South Africa free trade agreement. Following the end of the Kosovo War, she worked as a communications consultant for the European Agency for Reconstruction in Serbia. She took up the post of Editor-in-Chief in Eurofound in 2003.

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Li Andersson

Li Andersson is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee.

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