Read up on what has been happening this week on our weekly editorial.
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13 June 2013
From Monday close to 80 members, friends and guests will descend on the offices of Diakonie Deutschland in Berlin who will be hosting the 18th Annual General Meeting of Eurodiaconia. We have a full programme next week. Some of our time we will be focusing on internal issues of much importance to our effective governance and operations. We will also have a speed dating event where members can get snapshots of each others work and make quick links that may develop into longer co-operation. We will have 18 workshops on issues connected to the work of diaconia all over Europe from new strategies to reduce violence towards older people to what are the financing options for social services in the current climate. We will also develop our policy work, spending half a day exploring the concepts of solidarity, justice and responsibility and how these values could be used to build alternative policy approaches or improve existing ones. There will of course be moments of fun and fellowship with a traditional Berlin dinner and tours of the Reichstag and other parts of Berlin.
Even if you are not with us in Berlin you can still follow us through our website and our facebook page which will be updated regularly. If you are a tweeter you will find us @eurodiaconia and can join in the discussions using #EurodAGM
But as the excitement of coming together in Berlin builds we also remember our members in Central Europe still battling the floods and their devastating impact on people, communities and environment.
have a good weekend
Heather
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6 June 2013
When we sit here in Brussels we can sometimes get caught up in the policy work and see responding to emails or writing letters as 'urgent' and 'emergency' actions. This week we have all been reminded of what is really urgent action as we have seen the devastation caused by flooding in Central and Eastern Europe. The loss of life, of homes, of possessions is tragic. Diiaconal organisations across the region have been responding, giving material help as well as psychological care and support to people who have lost and who are at a loss. This is diaconia in action in situations that cannot be predicted, cannot be foreseen in policy documents or in meetings. All that can be done is to be prepared in some way and respond as quickly and appropriately as possible.
You can read here an update from Jan Dus from the ECCB Diakonie in the Czech Republic. Please read it and consider if you can give support in any way. There is also an update on the website of Slezska Diaconia in the Czech Republic and information on how they are collecting both material and financial assistance. You can also read what has been happening in Austria here. Karoly Czibere from the Reformed Church in Hungry told me: "The volunteers of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (their facebook page can be found here) have been making sandbags since Wednesday morning and are providung refreshments for the emergency workers. Our President has has published a call for congregations to ask prayers, volunteers and donations. We prepare our schools and social institutions located in Danube area to provide rooms, meal, blankets in case of evacuation and the special team of Carpath-Ukraine Reformed Church comes to pump water and our emergency team (doctors, nurses) is ready to help in evacuation situation. The Danube will reach highest level at Budapest on Tuesday so five hard days to come..."
We hope to have an update from the other countries affected when possible. Please hold all the work that is happening to assit people in your thoughts and prayers.
Have a good weekend
Heather
Update Monday 10 June
Romana Belova from Slezska Diaconie sent us this information
"Silesian Diaconia has been organising a public financial collection for the needs of people affected by floods.
We are in conncetion with Diaconia of Czech Brethren Church and we are organising together voluntary help in North and Central Bohemia.
This week there are two groups of volunteers who are going to help families and also social service providers in affected areas."
Update Friday 14 June
Klára Keveházi from Hungarian Interchurch Aid has sent us an update about the diaconal work in Hungary in response to the flood. You can read it here.
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Innovation, Investment, Inaction |
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30 May 2013
This has been one of these weeks where everything is happening... I had the opportunity to speak at a conference organised by the Committee of the Regions on how Cites and Regions could be greater strategic partners in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Cities and Regions have very clear roles to play but wanted to discuss how to connect their work with the European agenda and how the work been done at European level can support their work - a very similar discussion to what we have in Eurodiaconia! However, it was also an opportunity for me to challenge public authorities to move away from 'cheapest' and instead adopt 'quality' - as it is well funded, accessible and high quality services that will contribute to ensuring the dignity of all. We were also able to discuss the role of cities and regions as social investors, channeling their funds into those polices and actions that would ensure sustainable, empowering cohesion.
Sustainability was also a key word at the meeting on Social Innovation that took place in the European Parliament this week and at which I also had the opportunity to speak. I was asked to give a reflection on how social innovation works in large scale not for profit social service providers and was able to share some of the feedback from members gathered at our workshop on this topic held last year. We know that high quality, sustainable innovations that bring about social change come from well funded, healthy, visionary organisations rather than organisations fighting for survival. We were also reminded by other speakers of the importance of engaging the users of services in the innovation process and listening to what they need - not always what we think they need... Laura also attended a meeting with the Commission on the understanding of personal household services, Catherine has been looking at rights issues around access to services and Clotilde has been looking at how the concept of social investment can be turned into a realistic implementation action.
In all the meetings we attended there was a clear call to have a strong connection between the national, local, regional and European so the launch this week of the Country Specific Recommendations, giving policy guidance for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in line with the Europe 2020 strategy would be a real opportunity for the EU to show how it can positively support national policies to ensure social cohesion and general well being. Unfortunately, only nine member states have been given explicit guidance on how to reduce poverty and inequalities and we are still evaluating if that advice is good. At the same time, we know that some member states are not prepared to accept any advice that comes from the European Union - yet still are not effectively addressing poverty and exclusion through their own national policies. Additionally, we want to look with members as to whether or not economic guidance given will also have a negative or positive effect on the social well being of people. Do read your countries CSR's here and we will be asking you for your feedback shortly. Innovation and investment are the key words for social policy at the moment but we need more action if the potential of both is to become a reality.
We will be able to discuss this in more detail and our AGM in June - if you have not yet registered please do so ASAP! Also this week the International Society for Research in Diaconia and Christian Social Practice (ReDi), of which we are a founder partner, will send out their first major newsletter about how we can work together to strengthen research in diaconia. If you would like to jointhe mailing list please email membership@diaconiaresearch.org
have a good weekend
Heather
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Working together for a stronger Social Europe |
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It is great to be back, to catch up on the work of Eurodiaconia’s members and their exchanges of ideas on EU policies. It also feels special to see that we can build successful alliances with other organisations that enable us to speak with a stronger united voice toward the decisions and policy makers of the EU.
This week, Heather and Catherine have visited Lithuania to prepare for the Lithuanian Presidency which begins in July. Matilda has been working on the annual report 2012 and the preparation of the Eurodiaconia Annual General Meeting, and Laura has been collaborating with Social Services Europe and the Social platform on social services.
I have been following the work of the Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, which adopted the Emer Costello’s report on the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived (FEAD). This report proposes to maintain the budget for the new fund over the 2014-2020 period at the level of 3.5 billion euros. It will now be put up to a vote in the European Parliament plenary and must then be approved by the Council. Eurodiaconia, together with Caritas Europa, Red Cross EU office and FEANTSA, is following this process closely, working in partnership for the survival of the programme.
Another hot topic at the moment is the European semester. Eurodiaconia continues to work with partners such as European Anti Poverty Network and the Church and Society Commission to communicate members’ experiences of the process, advocate for a stronger stakeholders’ involvement at national level, and for an enhanced respect of the social objectives in the overall process. In this context, we need your input and comments on the National Reform Programmes (NRPs) and the European Commission proposals for Country Specific Recommendations (available from next week on 29th May), accessible on the European semester 2013 website.
Wishing each one of you a very good weekend!
Clotilde
Policy and Membership Development Officer |
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This week the Pew Research Group released research that presents European citizens opinions on Europe. The research, entitled The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Unionfocuses on the opinion citizens across Europe have on the European Union given the recent economic, financial and social upheavals. Much has been made in the media of the findings that only 46% of the research sample felt favourably towards the European Union.This is a drop of 22% since 2007 and can therefore be correlated to how the crisis has been handled by and across the European Union.Perhaps even more shocking only 37% felt that European integration strengthened the economy. Interesting stuff and a real challenge for European leaders to ensure the democratic legitimacy of and support to the European Union.
But there were some other statistics that were not at the front of the media analysis…60% see the gap between rich and poor as a very big problem, 77% think that the European economic system favours the wealthy and a staggering 85% think the rich – poor gap has increased in the last five years.None of this gives us any hope that we are moving forward positively from the turmoil of the last few years – rather, we are in danger of further fragmentation, further marginalisation and greater gaps in our society. But all is not bleak. Last weekend I visited a church in the UK who were looking for volunteers to help start a debt prevention and counselling programme – just like our members in the Netherlands are doing. I met a friend who is looking to be involved in a local organisation looking at practical ways to reduce fuel poverty in their local community – just as is happening in other parts of Europe.
I spoke to a new mum who was thinking about offering to visit older people in her community with her young baby to try and make conncetions between the generations in her area. Small individual steps, but all steps in the right direction to reduce gaps. We need structural change and our prophetic diaconia needs to be strong- but we also need these small steps by individuals, by local communities, by our churches- acts of service, because many small steps at the same time make a lot of noise, shake the earth beneth us and hopefully fill in the gaps.
Have a good weekend!
Heather
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
