Belgian presidency 2024: Eurofound's contribution
From January to June 2024, Eurofound supports the work of Belgium's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.
Presidency priorities
- The Belgian presidency focuses on six overall priorities:
- Defending rule of law, democracy, and unity
- Strengthening the competitiveness
- Pursuing a green and just transition
- Reinforcing the social and health agenda
- Protecting people and borders
- Promoting a global Europe
- Priority areas for the Belgian presidency in employment and social affairs include:
- The platform work directive
- Social dialogue, in particular by monitoring discussions on teleworking
- Mental health at work
- The social dimension of the European Semester
- The European Child Guarantee
- The European Pillar of Social Rights
- Social protection
- Access to decent and affordable housing for all
- Monitoring and implementation of the Council’s recommendations on adequate minimum income
Eurofound's contributions to presidency activities
Eurofound contributes to a range of different meetings and events, providing expertise in the areas of employment, social and work-related policies and preparing supporting documentation as requested by the presidency. See some examples of our contributions below.
02–03 May 2024: European Child Guarantee: From engagement to reality
Under the auspices of the Belgian presidency, this event provides coordinators with a platform to share their knowledge in the implementation of the European Child Guarantee and to give key players the opportunity to analyse the work already completed and what remains to be done to achieve the objectives set. Eurofound's Daniel Molinuevo, Research manager, Social policies unit, presents the Agency's latest research on the European Child Guarantee.
15–16 April 2024: High-level conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights
Under the banner of the EU Presidency of Belgium, the aim of this conference is to reflect, with key European stakeholders, on the future social agenda of the European Union. The European Pillar of Social Rights will be the central framework for this reflection. Eurofound’s Daniel Molinuevo, Research manager, Social policies unit, joins the debate and contributes to the session on 'Early childhood education and care'.
7 February 2024: Visit of EU Heads of Mission in Ireland to Eurofound - Europe at a crossroads: key challenges for the next phase
Eurofound, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to Ireland and under the auspices of the Belgian presidency, organises a visit of the EU Heads of Mission in Ireland to Eurofound. This is an opportunity for Eurofound experts to present research findings and share the Agency's priorities for 2024.
29–30 January 2024: Mental health and work - EU Presidency of Belgium
Eurofound senior research manager Agnès Parent-Thirion contributes to the conference by focusing on prevention and presenting the agency’s latest work on the impact of job quality on mental health, drawing on the latest findings from Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021.
10–12 January 2024: Informal meeting of employment and social affairs ministers (EPSCO): Employment & social policy
Eurofound's Executive Director, Ivailo Kalfin, provides ministers with a presentation on social protection linked to provisional findings from its forthcoming report on the subject. At the request of the Belgian presidency, Eurofound also prepared a background paper for this event, focusing on one important aspect of social protection: unemployment benefits.
Presentation: Social protection and SURE
Background paper: Social protection for the unemployed - Background paper
Forthcoming publication: Social protection 2.0 - Unemployment and minimum income schemes
More information
Visit the Belgian presidency 2024 website