Programme

9:00 – 9:30

Registration & welcome coffee

9:30 – 11:20

Welcome and Opening session: Intergenerational fairness and solidarity: the situation today and future challenges

This high-level opening session will gather key representatives of the main actors called to address inter-generational fairness and solidarity and set the scene for the conference. It will also allow presenting the key features of the 2017 edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review, highlighting the main trends and the challenges ahead.

Welcome remarks [10']

• Pavel Trantina, President of the EESC Section on Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)
• Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Labour Mobility

Presentation of the main outcomes of ESDE 2017:

•  Barbara Kauffmann, Director of the of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) – [15']

Panel discussion (10:10 – 11:00)

• Michel Servoz, Director-General of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL)
• Rait Kuuse, Deputy Secretary General on Social policy, Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs
• Carlos Trindade, President of the EESC Labour Market Observatory (LMO)
• Thiébaut Weber - Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation  (ETUC)
• Maxime Cerutti, Director for Social Affairs of BusinessEurope (BusinessEurope)

11:30 – 11:45

Coffee break

11:45 – 13.00

Session 1: Working lives: the foundation of prosperity for all generations

This session will examine ways to enabling the working-age population to be productively employed with a particular focus on intergenerational fairness among the different working age groups. It will discuss how the EU can ensure that the working-age population has good quality and well-paid jobs and its productivity is fully used and developed. It will also address the labour market-related problems that younger generations are facing today, including access to and outcomes on the labour market, implications of fragmented working careers and atypical or precarious employment as well as how this might disproportionately affect women or vulnerable groups such as migrants.

Brief introduction based on ESDE findings by a representative of DG EMPL/A [10']

Panel discussion (11:55 – 12:30)

• Ilze Zvidrina, Chair of the Employment Committee (EMCO)
• Stefano Scarpetta, Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Christa Schweng, Vice-President of the EESC Section on Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)
• Agnès Parent-Thirion, Senior Programme Manager of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working conditions (Eurofound)

Q&A Session with the room (12:30 – 13:00)

13:00 – 14:30

Buffet lunch  -  Brasserie Van Maerlandt 2  (same building, 1^st floor)

14:30 – 16:00

Session 2: Securing good living standards in retirement also in the future

In the light of the expected development of the situation of pensioners in the future and the impact of recent pension reforms, this session will discuss policy options for ensuring that future cohorts can also benefit from adequate and sustainable pensions and achieve good living standards in older age.

Brief introduction based on ESDE findings by a representative of DG EMPL/A [10']

Panel discussion (14:30 – 15:30)

• Ulrika Hall, Chair of the Social Protection Committee (SPC)
• Agar Brugiavini - Area coordinator of work and retirement of the Munich Center for the Economics of Ageing and of SHARE-ERIC – (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe)
• Mikko Kautto, Director for Research, Statistics and Planning, Centre for Pensions, Finland

Q&A Session with the room (15.30 – 16.00)

16:00 – 17:30

Session 3: How can social partners and civil society in general support intergenerational fairness and solidarity

Acknowledging that the State is not the only actor in furthering intergenerational fairness and solidarity, this session will discuss the key conditions for effective social dialogue from an age-specific perspective and the role of social partners and other civil society organisations in promoting fairer labour markets for all, including younger and older workers and their employers.

Brief introduction based on ESDE findings by DG EMPL/A [10']

Panel discussion (16:00 - 17:00)

• Chiara Lorenzini, Policy advisor of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW)
• Emma Argutyan-Kahlmeyer, Director General, European Chemical Employers Group (ECEG)
• Clémentine Moyart, Policy Officer at the European Youth Forum (EYF) 
• Christian Welz, Senior Research Manager, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

Q&A Session with the room (17.00 – 17.30)

17:30

Closing remarks

• Barbara Kauffmann, Director of the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL)
• Carlos Trindade, President of the EESC Labour Market Observatory (LMO)