SEMINAR OF MARSEILLE 2016 – TOWARDS A NEW FOUNDATION OF THE ECONOMY

The 11th seminar of the Alliances was a search for a new foundation of the economy, but during the sessions it was also a search for a new foundation for Europe. The presentations can be uploaded by clicking on the name Europe undergoes a threefold crisis: a crisis of identity, of solidarity and of legitimacy. Underlying these three there is the adjustment of our economic and social system. An adjustment…

Read more

Capability as a yardstick for flexicurity

Capability as a yardstick for flexicurity. A new book from René Lehweß-Litzmann, Soziologisches Forschungsinstitut Göttingen (SOFI) Our seminar on flexicurity was introduced by René Lehweß-Litzmann. He gave us a critical reading of the European policy agenda on flexicurity. He has worked further on his introduction an published recently his dissertation. From a point of view of Capability Approach he examines the concept. The conclusion is that concepts as flexicurity misses a…

Read more Leave a comment

Inequalities increase the difficulty of addressing the challenges faced by Europe’s economies

While GDP and wealth have continued to increase overall, inequality has risen in Europe – as in other developed countries – since the mid-1980s. There are now wide inequalities in the distribution of income in the EU. Today, with the effects of the financial crisis still lingering, Europe faces a monumental challenge in its effort to tackle social inequalities. Persistent and growing gaps in income distribution provide a potent reminder…

Read more Leave a comment

Social Europe in times of austerity

The Alliances to fight poverty are proud to present their new report book of the seminar of Lissabon held in May 2013. On the “publication page” you can download this new report book for free.

Read more

Policy brief: The social and civil dialogue in times of crisis

Policy briefing EU has to invest in the social and civil dialogue to ensure more social cohesion and social progress. The Alliances to fight poverty came together in Spain the 24th of April 2014 to discuss the impact of the crisis on the social and civil dialogue. One of the perverse effects of the crisis and especially of the austerity measures is the deterioration of democracy in Europe. The seminar…

Read more Leave a comment

Commission lacks ambition in replying to first European Citizens’ Initiative

Commission lacks ambition in replying to first European Citizens’ Initiative” (19 March 2014) The European Commission (EC) published a Communication today that gives its official response to the first successful European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) which called on the EC “to implement the human right to water and sanitation in European law.”  In the Communication, the European Commission does recall the importance of the human right to water and sanitation and…

Read more Leave a comment

Social Europe – Many ways, one objective – Report of the Social Protection Committee (2013)

The new report of the Social Protection Committee is out. On the basis of this report, the Council of the European Union (EPSCO) adopted the conclusions at its meeting on 10th March 2014, stressing the fact that the key factor for achieving the Europe 2020 objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth is working toward policy coherence between the economic and social objectives of the Union. Further to their impact…

Read more

Manifesto of the Spring Alliance

The Spring alliance, an alliance of Social platform, CONCORD, ETUC and BEE has published their manifesto. You find here the document Spring Alliance Manifesto They have three priorities: improve democracy, establish more cohesive and equal societies and ensure quality employment for all. These three topics encompasses 16 proposals. Many of them we find also in our memorandum. PRIORITY A – IMPROVE DEMOCRACY Improve democratic control and oversight, in particular of economic…

Read more

Promote investment in the real economy

One of our proposals is to promote investment in the real economy instead of of investments in financial assets that have no productive counterpart. One of the obstacles for an economic recovery is that at this moment their is more investment in financial assets than in the real economy. Because of the low intrest rate, created by the Central Banks to help the governments to finance their debts, investors are…

Read more Leave a comment