EEPOW Peer Review on guaranteeing posted workers’ rights, Vienna, Austria

On the 28 February 2019, the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (European Centre) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (BMASGK) coorganized a peer review in the frame of the Posting of Workers in Eastern Europe (EEPOW) project. The focus of the peer review was on how authorities and organisations manage posting and exchange knowledge and information, as well as establish and/or strengthen cooperation between the different institutions across the countries. The event was greeted by Eva-Maria Fehringer, BMASGK, and by Federico Pancaldi, European Commission. Sonila Danaj (European Centre), Robert Murr (BMASGK) and Walter Gagawczuk (Arbeiterkammer) presented the Austrian experience, as the host country, in implementing the Enforcement Directive by focusing on access to information and transnational exchange and cooperation. While Cathleen Rabe-Rosendahl, Center for Social Research, Halle, Germany, and Sanja Cukut Krilić, ZRC SAZU, Slovenia, presented the experience of the peer countries, i.e. Germany and Slovenia respectively. Read more about the project.

Ministers of Health and Labour to jointly tackle long-term care in Macedonia

The Ministers of the FYROM, Venko Filipce, Minister of Health, Mila Carovska, Minister of Labour and Social Policy as well as Harald Fugger, the Austrian Attaché of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection addressed the need to develop integrated services for health and long-term care at the workshop in Skopje on 5 February 2019. Kai Leichsenring, Anette Scopetta and Rahel Kahlert from the European Centre showcased possible approaches and tools for technical assistance in long-term care interventions and labour market policy. Minister Filipce thanked the Austrian Ministry and the European Centre for the successful cooperation so far.

This Bridging Function is expected to continue in the future with the belief that the European Centre’s expert assistance will jointly help implement new projects and initiatives for integrated services in several sectors.

Start of project on posting of third country nationals

The Con3Post project is set up to explore the growing phenomenon of recruitment and posting of third country nationals (TCN), most notably from the Western Balkans, non-EU Eastern Europe and North African regions, to work as posted workers in the EU construction sector. Experts and key stakeholders from seven carefully selected EU Member States that represent a mix of TCN sending (Slovenia, Poland, Italy) and receiving countries (Austria, Finland, Belgium, Estonia) are brought together to establish transnational cooperation, share information and conduct empirical research to outline current challenges, future scenarios and possible strategic responses to the far-reaching yet largely unexplored consequences/implications of this persistent trend. Read more here

Local capacity building in Kosovo across divides

Key municipal and NGO stakeholders participated in 5 workshops across all regions in Kosovo to develop local action plans for improved social service delivery. This effort is part of the EU-funded project Support for better social services for the most vulnerable groups in Kosovo, which is led by Save the Children Kosovo in partnership with the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research. On December 19, 2018, the workshop in the North included stakeholders from both Serbian-majority North Mitrovica and Albanian-majority South Mitrovica.

The Orbán welfare reform and its impact on the Hungarian living standards

The Hungarian social policy of the early 2010s focused on unemployment. The Orbán’s workfare reform aimed at expanding the Public Work Schemes, which mostly failed at integrating their participants into the primary labour market. This was the consequence of a policy centred only on the job places creation rather than addressing quality of work and social inclusion. The Public Work Schemes rendered mandatory for people receiving welfare benefits sectorial jobs with a low marketable profile despite the level of education, creating a low and segregated profile for public workers. So that, long-term unemployment issues such as family conflicts, health problems and social exclusion arose. Thus, the Orbán’s policy increased income equality by boosting the employment rate. Yet, it did not increase employability and, by not including public workers into the primary labour market, the workfare reform also increased the poverty gap and the stigmatisation of social exclusion. (Virginia Trulli, postgraduate)

Please find here the full capture.

 

Russian versus European welfare attitudes

The new report of the PAWCER project presents welfare attitudes in Russia and the European countries. It covers public support for changes in social protection systems as well as in current social policies. The vulnerable groups include: the poor and concern about income redistribution, the unemployed and unemployment benefits, the elderly and public pensions, working parents and childcare, as well as migrants and accessibility to social rights. See project here

EEPOW Workshop in FYROM

The fourth country workshop happened in Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on November 6, 2018. The workshop organized by the local partner, the organization PUBLIC with the support of the European Centre, brought together representatives from the Macedonian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the various ministerial directorates, the Labour Inspectorate, the social partners, employment agencies and researchers to discuss the transposition of the Posting of Workers Directive in FYROM and the institutional capacities for implementing the Directive once the country becomes a member state.

More on ‘Posting of workers in Eastern Europe’

Social investments in focus – MACRO conference 2018 in Chisinau

Moldovan policy experts and scientists met during the 6th MACRO conference 2018 in Chisinau on 19 October 2018 to discuss Moldova’s attractiveness for international investments. While public authorities, local businesses, and civil society discussed the role of private and public investment for the countrie’s economic development, the European Centre highlighted the need for social investments. Ms. Anette Scoppetta, Deputy Director of the European Centre, draw attention to the fact that investments aren’t supposed to be only about economic development, but about people. Social investments are core for any economy to grow.

EEPOW Workshop in Serbia

The third country workshop happened in Belgrade, Serbia on September 26, 2018. The workshop organized by the local partner, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia (MOLEVSA) with the support of the European Centre, brought together representatives from the Ministry themselves, Directorate for Employment, Labour Inspectorate, social partners, civil society and researchers to discuss the transposition of the Posting of Workers Directive in Serbia and the institutional capacities for implementing the Directive once Serbia becomes a member state.

Read more about the project