European Union
Although family-policies are a national competence and greatly vary across the 27 EU Member-States, the European Union can play an important role in promoting family-friendly policies. FAFCE supports in this direction the daily work of the different EU bodies:
- European Parliament: composed of representatives directly elected by the EU citizens, it participates to produce the EU legislation with the European Council and the European Commission.
- European Council: composed of the EU heads of state or governments, it defines the EU’s political directions and priorities.
- European Commission: composed of designated Commissioners led by a President, it is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
- Council of the European Union: composed of Ministers from each Member-States, it meets regularly to discuss specific points on the EU legislation and coordinate EU policies.
- Economic and Social European Committee: composed of representatives of civil society (workers’ and employers’ organisation, interest groups, etc.), this EU advisory body issues opinions on EU issues.
- Committee of the Regions: composed of locally and regionally elected representatives, this EU advisory body produces opinions on EU legislation that directly impact regions and cities.
European Parliament Calls to Recognise the Role of the Family in the European Child Guarantee
Brussels, 12 May 2021 On March 24th, 2021, the European Commission published its proposal for a European Child Guarantee, a key part of the European Union’s effort to eliminate child poverty and social exclusion. A previous FAFCE article detailed
Launch of the Atlas of Demography, the EU database on Demography and Ageing in Europe
29 April 2021, The European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Suica (for Democracy and Demography), and Commissionner Mariya Gabriel (for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) launched this morning the long awaited Atlas of Demography. Produced by the Joint
Recognition of Parenthood for Cross-Border Family Situations: FAFCE’s President urges President von der Leyen to protect the best interests of the child
27 April 2021, During her State of the Union address in September 2020, EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen declared “if you are parent in one country, you are parent in every country.” This statement is
FAFCE Contributes to the Implementation of the EU’s Green Paper on Ageing
23 April 2021 On 21 April 2021, FAFCE contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on the Green Paper on Ageing (click to download: FAFCE Contribution Green Paper on Ageing Questionnaire). The European Commission had invited stakeholders and the
FAFCE Contributes to European Commission Consultation on Stopping Online Child Sexual Abuse
FAFCE’s contribution seeks to offer to the Commission a comprehensive and cross-cutting legal framework for addressing all forms of online child sexual abuse and proposes five specific policies. Overall, the online protection of children must be a top priority of the European Union, in order to create a welcoming environment where children can learn, play, and have access to useful services while fully protected from the dreadful risks of online abuse.
UPDATE Freedom of education at stake in Spain: “#EuropaEscúchanos”
UPDATE: The Committee on Petitions (PETI) and the European Commission both considered the Ley Celaa during their last meetings. In their presentations, the five petitioners presented arguments to protect the freedom of education in Spain. Meanwhile, the European Commission
EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child & European Child Guarantee: the European Commission acknowledges the role of parents and families
30 March 2021 On the 24th of March 2021, the European Commission published the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and proposed a Council recommendation on a European Child Guarantee. The two documents aim to offer a
EU Budget 2022: The European Parliament emphasises the need for demographic and family policies
29 March 2021, Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on "Guidelines for the 2022 Budget - Section III" (Rapporteur: Karlo Ressler, EPP, Croatia), which calls for the inclusion of demographic and family policies in the
Decreasing birth rates in Europe: is it really the choice of parents?
Brussels, 10 March 2021 Europe faces a clear pattern of decreasing birth rates over the past decades. In 2018, the average number of childbirths in the EU was 1.55 per woman. It is, as stated by the European Commission
Vision and commitment of FAFCE against pornography: interview for the Italian association PURIdiCUORE
Brussels, 3 March 2021 On 18 February 2021, Bénédicte Colin, FAFCE Project Manager, shared the work of FAFCE against pornography with the Italian association PURIdiCUORE, also dedicated to tackle the challenges of pornography. The association promotes the integrity in
