Belgian Social Movement 

27 May 2016

This Belgium government coalition of Walloon liberals, Flemish independents and others is in a way implementing the country specific recommendation of the European Commission on Belgium: increasing competitiveness, reducing costs and social “advantages”, like the indexation of salaries linked to the annual inflation rate. More and more workers who are choosing to go on strike do not only hold the Belgian government responsible, for refusing categorically to engage in social dialogue, negotiations and consensus. Europe is equally responsible, notably for increasing competitiveness in the railway sector, as it is linked to the completion of the internal market through open competition on the railways. The separation of railway companies and the creation of companies managing the infrastructure has led in some countries to an even more severe lack of investment in infrastructure as these companies also have to make a profit. It undermines the idea of public good (mobility) and public service (transport). And there the European Commission has a responsibility! As Jaques Delors said more than 20 years ago “You cannot love an internal market”. How right he was.

There is need for real action and not placebos. Social impact assessment has again lost sight of the real goal, the announced social pillar is still not clearly designed as a real pillar promoting upward convergence. If those who have a job are afraid of losing it, if those who have already lost their job lose even more trust in our societies and their ability to provide solutions, we should not be surprised if populists and nationalists continue to win an increasing share of the vote. The result of the Austrian elections last Sunday was just a relief. Business as usual would lead to disaster. And Austria is not a poor country nor is it coping with high unemployment rates. Extremist votes motivated by the fear factor have this ambiguity: they are based both on feelings and on real threats. Policy and especially European policy should deliver. We do not live in a bubble or in an ivory tower. The Social Spring in Belgium will hold up a mirror to European politicians showing them what the social realities are and calling for change.

On 14 June one of the 2016 Silver Rose Awards will be handed to a Dutch campaign organisation called FairWork. What better Leitmotiv than defending and developing decent work and fair working conditions. That must be the answer to the demands of Belgian and other workers!

Together for Social Europe!

SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards – Join us on 14 June

In a world of rapid political and social change, mounting conflict and inequality, the need for progressive politics to ensure social justice and global solidarity is greater than ever. The 2016 edition of the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards presents awards to our four winners for their courageous political choices, working on highly sensitive and very current political issues

As for the past 14 years the ceremony will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels. The ceremony brings together a wide audience of like-minded individuals with backgrounds in civil society, trade unions and politics, for a very much needed and timely celebration of global solidarity and progressive engagement. The SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards is made possible thanks to the support of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and the Party of European Socialists (PES) and the media support of EurActiv.

Is it just another prize – one of many? By no means! Read here how SOLIDAR’s Secretary General Conny Reuter describes it.

If you would like to join us for this evening to honour our four awardees, you can find more information and the online registration here.

Together for Social Europe

The pillar of social rights – a step towards a social Europe?

27 May 2016

On 26 May SOLIDAR organised a conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights together with the Austrian and German Trade Union Federations, the Austrian Chamber of Labour, the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation and Diaconia Germany.

In March 2016 the European Commission launched a public consultation on the establishment of a European Pillar of Social Rights, after Commission President Juncker announced improvements to the EU’s social policies. The results of the consultation will feed into a proposal for readjusting the European Monetary and Economic Union due to be published in early 2017.

The consultation process will last until the end of the year and the European Commission remained very vague on what a European Pillar of Social Rights could look like in the end. In a total of three panel discussions experts from Civil Society, the Commission, MEPs and representatives from the private sector discussed the many open questions regarding the Social Pillar.
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Building Learning Societies

Promoting inclusion and fundamental rights through education

26 May 2016

Today, the European Commission is organising a high level colloquium on Promoting Inclusion and Fundamental Rights through Education- a way to prevent violent inclusion. This meeting is organised a year after the publication of the Paris Declaration to look at how to promote and share good practice:

• learning for inclusion: empowering educators and promoting fundamental rights
• engaging with youth at the local level
• promoting critical thinking, media literacy and counter-narratives
  This is a timely discussion when our communities are becoming more and more polarised, with a steady increase in inequality and social exclusion, together with a lack of solidarity and understanding within society. SOLIDAR Foundation has been strongly promoting the process of building learning societies to foster social justice and empower people to participate in society. Education and lifelong learning are important tools to shape attitudes and promote understanding and the acceptance of democratic values and fundamental rights.

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Organising International Solidarity

ENP up close – Red Lines for the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy

26 May 2016

The joint communication on the revised European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was issued on 18 November 2015 and council conclusions were adopted on 14 December 2015, setting the framework for the revision of regional and bilateral cooperation between the European Union and Southern Neighbourhood countries. Currently, the EU is consulting with Member States and partner countries to agree and sign Partnership Priorities (PPs) for the 2016-2020 period.

SOLIDAR and the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), have provided input into the consultation on the revision of the policy, and have been actively engaged in monitoring the impact of the ENP in promoting and defending civil society space, and in promoting the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights (ECSRs) in the southern neighbourhood countries.

On the occasion of the 3rd edition of the EU Civil Society Forum Neighbourhood South organised on 26 and 27 May in Brussels by the European Commission, we would like to highlight our ‘red lines’ identified as crucial for the implementation of the ENP in the European Southern Neighbourhood Countries in order to promote ESCRs.
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Join the call to end modern slavery: sign up to the 50 for freedom campaign

26 May 2016

21 million: this is (at a conservative estimate) the number of people still trapped in forced labour today. Modern slavery happens everywhere: according to ILO estimates, over 1.5 million people work in slave-like conditions in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia.
It is to eradicate this scourge that in 2014 governments adopted a global treaty, the ILO Forced Labour Protocol, to step up prevention, protection and compensation measures. Since then, only five countries (Mali, Mauritania, Norway, Niger and the United Kingdom) have ratified it and will have to translate it into national commitments.

For this reason, the ILO – together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organisation of Employers – has launched the 50 for Freedom Campaign whose goal is to persuade at least 50 countries to ratify the ILO Protocol on Forced Labour by 2018. The campaign was presented this week at the European Parliament in the presence of MEPs, EU institutions’ and Civil Society representatives.
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