Alliance 2014 - the unofficial Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life

2014 is an exceptional year as the European Commission decided not to designate a European Year despite the campaign and lobbying of civil society organisations and the decision of the European Parliament. However, COFACE and other NGO's, including EPA have decided that the issue of reconciling family life and work is such a burning issue that we are carrying out an unofficial European Year. Still we hope to have a major input on decision makers and we also hope that EU institutions are joining us to carry out this year's programmes.

COFACE started actively lobbying for a European Year in 2011, and this advocacy campaign was streamlined early 2012 to what it is today, a growing Alliance of organisations, policy makers and individuals, who engage in the common objective, to have 2014 designated as the European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life.

Today, all families living in Europe have to cope with the increasing conflict between their family and work life. The year would offer an opportunity to focus on how the labour market is organised, what practices and policies exist and which work in enabling a good work life balance, productivity, job security and a decent quality of life. We would be looking at the trends and the demographic challenge for Europe, looking for viable solutions with a broad, multidisciplinary stakeholder base.

COFACE led the campaign on many fronts. They gathered a significant group of civil society organisations and institutions in forming the 2014 European Year Alliance. They have started the reflection about the actual activities of the year, which will also be carried over and gain importance in the following months.

Here are some of the issues the Alliance would like to focus on:

Triggering discussion and debate about existing legislation and other tools in both in the sphere of social policies and labour market policies.

Map and disseminate good practices on family and work life reconciliation in the different EU Member States.

Assess and promote comprehensive family friendly policies and their subsequent implementation.

To address also the issues of family carers, mental health, intergenerational solidarity, time for volunteer activities.

The European Year 2014 Alliance is an open, informal co-operation of interested stakeholders that work in the realm of reconciliation issues and committed to work as well as advocate together for 2014 to be the European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life.

The members of the Alliance plan to define clear conditions of future co-operations between the partners of the platform concerning preparation, lobby, implementation and evaluation activities of the EY2014.

Objectives:• Build consensus and identify priority issues, possible outcomes of the European Year.
• Coordinate and manage joint projects.
• Share and disseminate information.

The Alliance is being coordinated by the secretariat of COFACE. Please, get in touch with us if you need more information on the European Year 2014 proposal.

Members of the European Year 2014 Alliance so far:

The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE)

AGE Platform Europe

Eurocarers

European Federation for Services to Individuals

European Institute of Women’s Health

Representation of French Social Security Institutions to the EU

Eurochild

European Network on Independent Living

Workability Europe

Variazioni

Regione Veneto

Make Mothers Matter

European Volunteer Centre

European Women’s Lobby

European Local Inclusion and Social Action Network

European Social Insurance Platform

Sumy State University, Ukraine

European Parents Association

Basque Government, Department of Employment and Social Policy, Dep of Family and Community Development Policy

International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus

More information and source of this article: eyf2014.wordpress.com