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Churches and Diaconia call for more civil society influence in the European Semester |
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12 April 2013
From 10 to 11 April, Eurodiaconia and the Church & Society Commission of CEC, held a conference in Brussels on “sharing opportunities for churches and diaconia to shape the Europe 2020 strategy and its social objectives”. This meeting which was attended by 15 delegates from 13 European countries, aimed to equip churches and diaconal stakeholders for a stronger involvement in the European semester process, particularly through the Country Specific Recommendations. Through the Country Specific Recommendations the European Commission and the European Council assess and give guidance to the EU Member states on national policies, especially on economic and social policy.
In her overview on Europe 2020 and the recently published Social Investment Package, Heather Roy, Secretary General of Eurodiaconia stated that “those paying for the crisis are not necessarily those who caused the crisis.” Ms Roy also described how churches and diaconal organizations can use the tools and proposals of European policy to advocate for the most vulnerable.
Speakers from the European Parliament and the European Commission presented their perspective on the European Union's experience in implementation the Europe 2020 strategy in this time of crisis. Ms Verónica Lope Fontagné, MEP, Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, underlined that the European Parliament is demanding a stronger role and participation of the national parliaments, of the European Parliament and of civil society in shaping the Country Specific Recommendations and in deciding on the content of the European Semester. She supported the demand to protect the national social budgets against austerity measures during this time of crisis.
Egbert Holthuis, European Commission, presented the new procedure o fmonitoring and evaluating the Country Specific Recommendations. He also discussed the extent to which social policies on the national as well as European levels must define priorities due to the actual situation of fewer financial resources, as well as to what extent the principle of the universality of social services is at stake.
In the second half of the conference the participants assessed and discussed the 2013 Country Specific Recommendations. They analyzed what is missing in the CSRs regarding the social challenges of their country and formulated alternative CSRs from their point of view. CSC and Eurodiaconia will present these CSRs to the European Commission to demand and to propose to take them into account this year. One main and continuous observation was that the CSRs are all reflecting financial and budgetary demands but not poverty and social exclusion, which is one of the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy.
The conference ended with delegates agreeing to work together and to follow up the discussions of the conference in order to monitor the social impact of the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy in their national policies and to contribute to the discussions and decisions on the European level. |
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Eurodiaconia presents case for investing in social services in European Parliament |
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21 March 2013
Eurodiaconia, in cooperation with Jean Lambert, MEP from the European Green Party, organised an lunchtime debate in the European Parliament on the 19th March examining arguments for investing in social services, even in times of economic crisis. It was a very timely event as austerity measures are predominating the political landscape in the EU while more and more people find themselves in a poverty trap and in need of social services.
Jan van Opstal from the IDO Foundation in the Netherlands, a recipient of the 2010 Eurodiaconia Award, supported by Eurodiaconia member Kerk in Actie, presented their work providing support for various persons in need. Together with Martin Schenk from Diakonie Austria figures and arguments were presented that illustrate how investing in both preventive social services and those meeting needs that arise later pays off economically, whilst also improving the quality of life of people at risk of social exclusion.
Concetta Cultrera, who represented the European Commission, pointed out that social services play a key role for the European social model and that the demand for quality social services will increase further in the future. She is convinced that investment in social services is investment in growth that is inclusive and sustainable. MEP Danuta Jazłowiecka said that unfortunately the majority of recent responses to the crisis seems to lack a social dimension. She went on to say that this is due to the fact that fiscal consolidation is treated as a priority and Europe 2020 strategy objectives are not adequately addressed. Her point of view was it that social investment and combining social and economic goals should not be seen as spending, but as investing. Therefore, policy makers should ensure that social investment is part of European economic policies.
In her final remarks Heather Roy, Secretary General of Eurodiaconia, highlighted that it is not primarily about economics – it is about well-being and happiness and this should not be forgotten.
A full report for this meeting will be made available soon. Eurodiaconia's Members' presentations can be found here.
 
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Eurodiaconia invites members to register for the 2013 Annual General Meeting in Berlin, Germany. The AGM is to be held on 18-20 June and will be hosted by German member Diakonie Deutschland. Please read the letter to members concerning the AGM, which contains important items of business and scheduling for members to be aware of. You can find a digital copy here. You can also find a digital copy of the proposed AGM Programme here for planning purposes. The online registration form can be found here. If for some reason you cannot access the online form, please email
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Items of Note
- Please note that Eurodiaconia is now accepting nominations for candidates for Supervisory Board elections as there will be one seat available on the Supervisory Board this year. Board member Jens Aage Bjørkøe, who has also served as the financial advisor to the Board, is ending his term in June. You can read the letter from the Secretary General calling for candidates here. If a member has not yet received the nomination form and would like to nominate a candidate, please email
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and she will send it to you.
- Eurodiaconia is also accepting proposals from members to lead workshops for fellow attendees on any topic of diaconal interest. If your organisation is interested in leading a workshop based on work that you've done or an area you've researched, or even if you'd just like to facilitate group discussion about a question that has arisen within your organisation, please fill out a proposal form by 13 April 2013. If you have not yet received a workshop proposal form via email, please send a message to
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and she would be happy to supply you with the document.
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Catalogue of Events 2013 Now Available |
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23 January 2013
This week the Secretariat published the preliminary Catalogue of Eurodiaconia Events and Activities for 2013. In it you'll find an outline of what Eurodiaconia has planned for the coming year, as well as the person at Eurodiaconia to contact if you're interested in specific events. If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute to events in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us! You can download your copy of the Catalogue here, or
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if you have any questions about events this year. |
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Seminar on "Sharing opportunities for churches and diaconia to shape the Europe 2020 strategy and its social objectives" |
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17 January 2013
Eurodiaconia and the Church and Society Commission (CSC) are pleased to invite you to a space for discussion and learning at the seminar Sharing opportunities for churches and diaconia to shape the Europe 2020 strategy and its social objectives – A focus on Country Specific Recommendations, which will take place from 10 – 11 April 2013 in Brussels.
CSC and Eurodiaconia have been working with the Europe 2020 strategy and the European Semester to support members to take action. In the light of the 2013 Annual Growth Survey that launches a new European Semester we would like to take this opportunity to look at the Country Specific Recommendations for 2013 together with our members and at how members can get involved in the process.
The seminar will particularly look at:
- Social policy in the framework of “Europe 2020” and the European Semester
- Discuss involvement in activities on a national level for the Country Specific Recommendations
- Bring together representatives of churches and diaconal organisations to exchange experiences and to build up a common voice towards the European Institutions
Please click here for the invitation letter and here for the agenda.
Registrations are now open and accessible until 15 March 2013 here.
For more information about this seminar, please contact:
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Saturday, May 25, 2013
