Europe
COFACE’s mission is to contribute to better policy making at EU level to make a positive change in the lives of the millions of families living in Europe. To this end, our advocacy is organised in three areas of action:
Mainstreaming: Providing a voice for families in the EU political arena to mainstream the family perspective as far as possible. EU politics cannot disregard this fundamental part of the nature of being human.
Linking up: We strive to strengthen EU social and employment policies, ensuring links between local grassroots organisations, national family policies, and EU realities. We also facilitate links across EU countries, driving innovation through transnational exchanges.
Monitoring: We monitor the positive and negative impacts of EU policies and legislation beyond the social/family policy fields (see other policy fields on the website)
RELATED NEWS:
SAVE THE DATE 22-23 November, Brussels: Expert Seminar “Economics at the service of society”
“Economics is too important to be left to economists.” This statement encapsulates the rationale behind our seminar. Indeed, it would seem that economic considerations and arguments carry more weight than any other when it comes to move the dial in…
Update on the Work Life Balance dossier & Open letter to EPSCO Council
During the month of June, the main appointment for the Work-Life Balance Directive has been the EPSCO Council held on 21 June, where Member States adopted a General Approach. In view of the EPSCO Council, COFACE sent a letter to…
European Semester 2018 Spring Package: Commission issues recommendations for Member States to achieve sustainable, inclusive and long-term growth
The European Commission issued its 2018 country-specific recommendations (CSRs), setting out its economic policy guidance for Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. Europe's economy is growing at its fastest pace in a decade, with record employment, recovering…
Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day 2018
On the 22nd of June, the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESA) looking over the European financial system, held the 2018 edition of the joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day centred around the theme “navigating new challenges together”. The event focused on…
Publication Informal care in Europe – Exploring Formalisation, Availability and Quality
Informal care forms a cornerstone of all long-term care (LTC) systems in Europe and is often seen as a cost-effective way of preventing institutionalisation and enabling users to remain at home. Most recent LTC reform packages have included important components…
Joint Statement European Coalition to End Violence against Women
On the first anniversary of the signature of the Istanbul Convention by the European Union (13 of June), the European Coalition to end Violence against Women and Girls releases a statement calling on the EU and all member states to…
Eurofound working paper on ‘local area aspects of quality of life’
Quality of life is influenced by the physical and social characteristics of people’s direct surroundings. Previous research by Eurofound on housing acknowledged the importance of such ‘local area aspects’ beyond the dwelling, and the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS)…
BEUC conference: The financial crisis 10 years later: lessons (un)learned
On the 20th of June, BEUC and the TACD (Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue) held a conference looking back at the financial crisis of 2008, how it started and whether or not we have learned the lesson. The conference kicked off by…
REGISTRATIONS OPEN 4-5 October, Austria “Building sustainable and future-proof education systems: How can families contribute to a paradigm shift?”
Graz, Austria, 4-5 October 2018 A COFACE Families Europe conference, co-hosted with KFÖ, the City of Graz, the Province of Styria under the Austrian EU-Presidency. Concept The starting point for the conference is to explore education in a holistic way…
What is left of the ambitious proposal for an EU Work-Life Balance Directive?
Brussels, 22nd June 2018 - Yesterday, the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) Council agreed on a General Approach, on the Work-Life Balance Directive. This means that the legislative process can continue and, with a vote in…
Update of the campaign “Work&Family” from Step by Step, Croatia
The Parents Association “Step by Step” from Zagreb launched last year in November the campaign “Work&Family” to inform the public about needed changes on a European and national level to support families and achieve a balance between family and work.…
