Comité Económico y Social Europeo
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In the context of its work on the revision of the EU Blue Card Directive, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has organised a public hearing on Thursday, 8 September 2016. The aim was to identify the elements of an EU strategy for attracting skilled workers and to discuss how the EU Blue Card should be revised.
When it comes to Roma issues, the gender dimension has long been neglected. However, women have an essential role in Roma society and ensuring their participation is a key element in improving their situation. Romani women across Europe often face discrimination on multiple fronts: racism for being Roma, as well as gender discrimination.
It is not possible to speak about the inclusion of Roma if half of their community has little or no opportunity to express their needs and make their voice heard. Roma inclusion policy needs Roma women activists and advocates. The gender dimension can also play an important role in the success of National Roma Integration Strategies (NRISs).
The European Migration Forum – the dialogue platform on migration, asylum and migrant integration - met for the second time in April 2016 to discuss the long-term approach to migration and integration.
The EESC Permanent study group on Immigration and Integration (IMI) organises a follow-up event to look back at that meeting and discuss further steps in the integration policy.
The event is accessible to all organisations, with priority to those who participated in the Forum. It will be also webstreamed.
These Days are a symbol of the cooperation between the EESC and the members of the Liaison Group representing European civil society organisations and networks.
This year, it will focus on migration and on how Europe can be made more open and adapt to what needs to be seen as a structural change.
In a time in which news relate daily crisis and problems to which we are obviously not prepared, it is clear that Europe must move from management by crisis to management by foresight and anticipation. Europe must cast on this phenomena and problems a wider and deeper vision, based on an open debate and a reflexion rooted in our common values and capable of frankly coping with the problems that our societies face.
The UN CRPD and its Optional Protocol were adopted by the EU in 2010. They are the first international human rights convention ever to be signed and ratified by the EU.The EU has to periodically submit to the UN CPRD Committee a report detailing the measures taken to implement the convention. The first report was submitted in 2014, and in 2015 the UN Committee responded with a series of recommendations (“concluding observations” - COs) on how the EU can, within its remit, promote and safeguard the rights of people with disabilities in Europe.
The EESC is currently drafting an own-initiative opinion focussing on the implications of the CO's for future EU disability policy. The objective of the hearing is to offer a forum for debate and gather contributions from relevant stakeholders.
The conclusions of the hearing will feed directly into the work of the drafting group which will hold its second meeting in the afternoon of the same day.
The organisation and provision of long-term care (LTC) is a challenge many Member States are facing. The sector is low paid, highly feminised and employs often undocumented migrant workers. It suffers from workforce imbalances and skills shortages. Situations of undeclared work and poor working conditions affect mainly "live-in" care workers. Proactive measures to encourage the creation of quality, well-paid jobs in the sector with decent working conditions are needed to ensure an adequate labour supply for the LTC sector. The public hearing - which will contribute to the opinion on the subject - will elaborate on the human and social rights of "live-in" care workers in the context of labour supply and mobility issues. It will explore these issues in the interplay of labour and migration policies.
The Labour Market Observatory (LMO) addressed the topic of labour migration in its 42nd meeting which took place on 18 April 2016. Discussions focused on the outcomes of the European Migration Forum of 6-7 April 2016 and on Commission's and EESC's work on legal migration, including the revision of the Blue Card Directive. The discussions were very useful in the context of the preparation of the SOC/539 opinion on a Coherent labour migration.
The European Commission made a proposal for a directive on a European Accessibility Act, which will set common accessibility requirements for certain key products and services, and will help people with disabilities at EU level to participate fully in society.
The EESC is currently preparing an opinion on the Commission's proposal . On 13 April 2016, the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) will hold a public hearing in conjunction with the work on this opinion.
The conclusions of the hearing will feed directly into the work of the drafting group which will hold its second meeting in the afternoon of the same day.
The European Migration Forum – the civil society dialogue platform on migration, asylum and migrant integration – met for the second time on 6 and 7 April 2016 at the EESC's headquarters.
Following on from the subject discussed at the first meeting (the management of mixed flows of migrants across the Mediterranean), the Forum now focused on the long-term approach to migration and integration.
Attendance at the Forum meetings was by invitation only. The plenary parts of the meeting were streamed.
Ahead of the international Roma Day on 8 April, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a hearing on "Anti-gypsyism, possible responses", which will feed into the work of the EESC permanent study group on Roma inclusion monitoring the implementation the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.
Anti-gypsyism is an important barrier to the effective implementation of the framework and national integration strategies, and the hearing wants to shed light on possible responses to this cross-cutting problem. The European refugee crisis acerbates problems with general racism, xenophobia which also affects Roma. A hearing on anti-gypsyism and other forms of racism and xenophobia will allow exchanging best practices on how to combat these phenomena.
