One Family Delegate at Leuven Conference on Social Investment Package

One Family’s Director of Policy & Programmes, Stuart Duffin, is attending the Conference on the Social Investment Package today and tomorrow at the Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe, Belgium. A framework for policy reforms to enhance social protection, invest in people’s skills and capabilities, and support people as required throughout their lives is outlined in the package which was adopted by the European Commission on 2 February this year as part of the response to the fiscal and economic crisis.

Stuart, along with a handful of other non-governmental delegates from Ireland, represents One Family as one of the ‘actors’ in social investment, potentially affording the organisation a level of influence into how the Social Investment Package will be implemented in Ireland.

The Package will be presented to a target audience of Member States officials, elected representatives, civil society, social partners, the private sector and others during the Conference, leading to proposals for future joint actions in support of its implementation. Three key thematic elements of the package – investment, innovation and involvement – will serve as focus;

  • Investment: The Social Investment Package and its relevance to EU social policies in the future
  • Innovation: Why we need to foster Social Innovation and how we can put it into practice in the social economy and involving NGOs
  • Involvement: What vision of a social Europe do young Europeans want to see?

Speakers include José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council; László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion; and Joan Burton, Irish Minister for Social Protection.

To read and/or download a briefing about the Social Investment Package written by Stuart Duffin, please click here: One Family_Social Investment Package Briefing_April 2013.

Further information about the Social Investment Package is available here.