The strict public health restrictions implemented by governments in 2020 to control the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed working life and continued to shape it over the two years that followed. This report by the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS) provides a detailed picture of the working lives and conditions of Europeans in that exceptional time.
The EU Work-life Balance Directive is the first legislative initiative that follows the launch of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017 and was formally adopted two years later in 2019. COFACE Families Europe expects high ambitions from the different EU institutions and national governments in the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as a stepping stone to develop a framework for a more social and fairer European Union.
This new report presents the findings of COFACE Families Europe’s transposition assessment carried out together with national experts from 10 Member States representing a geographical and welfare mix: Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Spain.
All EU countries had until the 2nd of August 2022 to bring into force the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions necessary to comply fully with the Work-life balance Directive. The Directive contains legal elements that acknowledge the diversity of families in the 21st century, for instance with the mention of “equivalent second parent” under the paternity leave article.
We usually take time for granted, but the way we use our time is shaped by our individual and social circumstances and can lead to inequalities, inefficiencies, and diminished well-being of our society. Public and private initiatives that are put forward in order to address such issues are known as time policies.
Media statement. Brussels, 8th September 2022. COFACE Families Europe welcomes yesterday’s adoption by the European Commission of the European Care Strategy. With this decision, set in the framework of the Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social...
Throughout different periods of our lives, each of us experiences different needs, desires, commitments, and opportunities. No magic formula can be applied to our work and personal lives that would suit everyone. However, there is a tool you can use to calculate the formula precisely for your work and personal life, and it was developed by the Lithuanian Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, in cooperation with partners: they created a work-life balance formula.
The Associació Salut i Família has been promoting for more than twenty years the creation of free service exchange networks between people who live and / or work in the same neighborhood, town or city. These networks for the exchange of services, skills, knowledge and relationships between people take the hour of time as a unit of value and exchange.
Brussels, 7th March 2021 First impressions by Elizabeth Gosme, Director of COFACE Families Europe Twenty principles, three headline 2030 targets, a revised EU Social Scoreboard, a clear timeline of initiatives, and a shared political commitment and responsibility from...
Families around Europe live the same difficulties. They should unite in a same demand: parental leave for working parents during the confinement.
We at COFACE are part of this imposed experiment with the Brussels-based team, through decentralised working, agreeing on key tasks to be achieved over the next month, and using technology to connect bilaterally or with the full team.
We live in a society which pays enormous attention to economic growth and the wellbeing of our economy.
New social rights, consolidation of existing social rights, and some missed opportunities COFACE assessment of the EU work-life balance directive The agreement on the EU Work-Life Balance Directive on 24th January 2019, its adoption by the European Parliament...
Girls outperform boys in school but they are under-represented where big decisions are taken. Women earn 16% less than men on average in the EU and when they get older, their pension is 39% lower than men’s. We all keep repeating this every year but the situation does...
