EFFE gathers European institutional actors around the French Presidency of the Council of the EU to discuss European social policy.

On 26 January 2022, on the occasion of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, EFFE invited various actors to discuss the upcoming opportunities for social policy within the European agenda, over a dinner.

In response to EFFE’s initiative, representatives of the European institutions (European Commission, Permanent Representation of France to the European Union, EESC), the French National Assembly and civil society had the opportunity to discuss the European Care Strategy and the future Council Recommendation on long-term care.

The President of the European Federation of Family Employment and Home Care, Marie-Béatrice Levaux, stressed the importance of the direct employment model in Europe within the PHS sector. Its lack of legal and political recognition at the European level is an obstacle to the fight against undeclared work. She also questioned the European Commission on the forthcoming strategy for long-term care, which must be oriented towards a consideration of the concepts of autonomy and human rights, and make personal and household services (PHS) the cornerstone of the response to European needs.

At the end of these exchanges, in parallel to the informal form of this meeting, which was appreciated by the participants for keeping a face-to-face dialogue, the importance of such an event to better consider the social issues raised by the PFUE and its particular links with the package of measures on care was also underlined. All the speakers acknowledged EFFE’s action in addressing these issues and the need to integrate the sector into the European policy debate on long-term care. Indeed, by benefiting from better social and fiscal recognition as well as support in terms of professionalization, the PHS guarantees respect for the choice of an affordable, accessible and qualitative care pathway that can respond to the demographic challenges and growing needs associated with it. It is furthermore this vision that will be defended during the conference that the European partners of the PHS sector will organize in June on the inclusion of the sector in the future European Care Strategy.