Test your knowledge I - Eurodiaconia

What is the competence of the European Union in legislating in the Social Policy area?
- Social policies are the exclusive competence of the European Social affairs minister Marianne Thyssen Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
- Social policies are primary the competence of national Member States who are supported by the European Union, particularly in monitoring, policy coordination and exchange of good practices
- The Social Protection Committee (SPC) proposes directive that are adopted by the Social Affairs Ministers in the Employment and Social Affairs Council (EPSCO)
- The European Parliament alone legislates in areas linked to social policy
What was the estimated number of people in unemployment in the EU 28 in June 2015 according to Eurostat?
- 8.5 million people
- 55 million people
- 21 million people
- 23 million people
Why should the segmentation of the labour market and the rise of the working poor impact on the current thinking of employment policies?
- It shows that the real issue is not a lack of jobs but skill shortages and mismatches between skills and jobs
- It challenges the notion that access to employment is a sufficient condition for escaping poverty
- It demonstrates the need to open the EU external borders to skilled and unskilled third country migrants
- It highlights the important role of trade unions and civil dialogue
What are some of the key challenges for social Europe today, as highlights by this training module?
- Unemployment, ageing and rethinking of the welfare state
- Freedom of establishment for service providers and freedom of movement of capital
- Non-discrimination and cross-border health care
- Reform of public procurement
What is the highest form of European legislation, directly applicable to all Member States?
- A communication
- A directive
- A recommendation
- A regulation
What is the European Semester?
- It is an annual cycle, a European process for coordination of national budgetary and economic policies and the framework for Member States reaching the Europe 2020 objectives
- A study opportunity for European Commission officials who can benefit from an exchange programme and spend a semester studying anywhere in Europe
- A 6-month cycle of Eurozone countries coordinating their monetary policies prior to agreeing on the EU budget
- A process of coordination between the European Commission and the European Parliament to agree on common political objectives
According to this training module, what are some of the hopes for the future of Social Europe?
- Minimum social protection floors and social investment
- A European unemployment benefit system
- A common asylum and refugee policy and Frontex
- Active labour market policies
What is the Social Investment package?
- A European Commission proposal to boost investment in hedge funds in order to later invest the benefits in the reform of public pensions
- A 2013 European Commission initiative encouraging governments to prioritise social investment and modernise their welfare states
- A 2015 €315 billion Investment Plan focusing on removing obstacles to investment in Europe, providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects and making smarter use of new and existing financial resources
What has the EU achieved so far from a social perspective?
- The EU has facilitated strong cooperation from Member States in the areas of migration, homelessness and non-discrimination
- The EU has provided funding for projects linked to inclusion in the labour market but also emergency social needs such as food aid
- The EU has facilitated exchanges of good practices and the setting of common objectives for poverty reduction
- All of the above
What is Frontex?
- The European Union agency dealing with boarder management
- The European Parliament intergroup on migration
- The European Council working group on external trade
- The European Union agency dealing with asylum and refugee requests

Test your knowledge!

Quiz 1