WORK-LIFE BALANCE EXPERT MEETING
Agenda
8th May 2019
Address: Centro de Estudios y Recursos Culturales. Calle de Montealegre, 7
BARCELONA (SPAIN)
Working languages: English and Spanish (only for the morning session)
Practical INFO PACK Barcelona 6-8.5.2019
9:00 – 12:30 Round Table on Family policies in Spain in a European perspective (open meeting)
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome
- Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE
- Assumpta Baig, President of Asociación Salud y Familia
- Roser Gali, General Director of Families of Catalonia Government
09:15 – 9.45 Overview of Family Policy in Spain: challenges and solutions
Presentation by Elvira Méndez, Director of ASF. This presentation will cover aspects of the three pillars of our COFACE Work-Life Balance vision: Resources, Services, Time (eg: childcare, long-term care, family leaves, tax systems, flexible work arrangements etc.).
09:40 -11:00 Discussion with COFACE members, exchange of challenges and solutions
Taking Spain as the starting point of discussions, we will take stock of the situation of family policies in the different countries represented at the expert meeting. COFACE members are invited to share updates on developments in their countries.
11:00 -11:30 Coffee break
11:30-12:30 EU Developments and Context
Presentation by Pascual Martinez, COFACE policy and advocacy officer:
– EU Work-Life Balance Directive (new EU legislation)
– New EU deal for childcare (COFACE position)
– The family dimension of Long-term care (COFACE position)
Q&A with participants
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 16:00 Future priorities and COFACE actions (closed – for COFACE members only)
13:30 – 15:30 Key emerging challenges. Present & Future
1.Transposition strategies of the EU Work-Life balance directive
- Brainstorm and exchanges on transposition strategies between COFACE members
- Main question: How to use the transposition to push for upward reforms in policies to support families?
- Monitoring/pushing from national reforms through EU recommendations
- Consolidating EU indicators on WLB
- Pushing for EU targets to be reached by 2030
Opening comments: Mériadec Rivière (UNAF France) + Sven Iversen (AGF)
2.Family-friendly workplaces and take-up family leaves by men
- Family-friendly workplaces: building links with social partners.
- Take-up of family leaves by men: how to address this issue
- Exchange of good practices between COFACE members
Opening comments: Annemie Drieskens (Gezinsbond, COFACE President) + Joyce Knappe (Pro Parents)
3.Services: Early Childhood Education and Care & Long-Term Care
- Collection of feedback from COFACE members on the state of play of services to families
- Building future COFACE conferences, workshops, meetings on the topic of services
- Future COFACE campaign on childcare or long-term care
Opening comments: Elisabeth Lammers (UNAPEI) + Carmen Flores (FAMS)
15:30 Conclusions and key priorities for the future by Liz Gosme, COFACE Director
16:00 End of meeting
