Although aware that family policy remains a Member State responsibility, COFACE believes that the EU has a real influence on Europeans’ family lives, and that the European Institutions must therefore give proper weight to the family dimension of EU policies and initiatives. COFACE also stresses that the content of any family policy at any level must be primarily directed towards addressing families’ essential needs in terms of resources, services and time.
Whatever type of family they come from, most Europeans have been, are or will be part of “a family”, and opinion polls show that the family still comes at the top of the list of values. Also, the family is now more key than ever in shaping the identity and education of individuals, but also in forging attachment to society.
It therefore calls on the Commission to see that the family life of people living in the Union is taken into account in European decision-making so that all families can see themselves reflected in the shaping of Europe, and take an active part in it. That is a fundamental task of the European Union.
RELATED NEWS:
Brussels, 20th December 2019, MEDIA RELEASE We are disappointed that the European Parliament has not considered our joint proposal for a pluralistic intergroup on ‘Demographic Change and Solidarity between Generations’. Our proposal gathered support from around 50 Members of European…
On 30th November, Federación de Asociaciones de Madres Solteras (FAMS) held an international congress in Madrid, Spain, on one-parent families. UNAF Spain was also present to bring a European perspective to the discussions. According to a Population Europe brief on…
Swift transposition of the EU Work-Life balance Directive is key to foster a more gender-equal economy of wellbeing! Brussels, 6th December 2019 The meeting of the EPSCO Council on 9-10th December in Brussels is an important opportunity to pave the…
Full version here According to Esping-Andersen’s “The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism” (1990) , there are three key players in the production of welfare: the state, the market and family. The demographic transition and evolving family patterns, coupled with low…
COFACE Families Europe statement from the conference on shaping a healthy environment fit for children Helsinki, 4th October 2019, MEDIA RELEASE Families want a healthy environment for their children to thrive and develop their own wings. However, they face a…
The European Parliament committee for employment and social affairs met in Brussels on 24 September (see agenda) to discuss various matters including social policies in the euro area, and organised a workshop to discuss various challenges today and in the…
On the 18 and 19 of September the Finnish Presidency of the EU hosted in Helsinki the High-Level Conference on the Economy of Wellbeing, organised by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Similar to the values of the…
The European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) has released updated children and family-policies country profiles for each EU Member State. This is a powerful resource to do cross-country comparisons and provides an updated overview of current policies for children…
Population Europe has launched a report on childcare in Belgium. The authors conclude that childcare availability has important positive effects on fertility among Dual-Earner Couples in Belgium. The report underlines too that the number of combined first, second and third…
On 3-4th October in Helsinki under the Finnish Presidency of the EU, COFACE Families Europe and Vaestoliitto (the Family Federation of Finland) will host a gathering of family professionals on the topic of shaping a healthy environment fit for children,…
Brussels, 11th September 2019, MEDIA RELEASE COFACE Families Europe responds with proposal for a New EU Deal for Families of Today to support implementation of new Commission mandate. On 10th September, President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented her team and…
La Ligue des Familles has just launched a thorough and very interesting report on the Work-Life Balance Directive and its implications for Belgium. The report is divided into two main parts – the explanation of the Directive per se, which…
| Contact the secretariat: Rue de Londres 17,1050 Brussels, Belgium +32 2 500 56 90 - secretariat@coface-eu.org | Review our PRIVACY POLICY |
|---|
COFACE Families Europe is supported by the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) This website is produced with the support of the European Commission but does not necessarily express its views - Copyright © 2016 COFACE Families Europe aisbl - All Rights Reserved