Photo ©️ Federal Chancellery of Austria

High-Level Conference of European Ministers
responsible for Family Affairs

On the initiative of Minister Suzanne Raab, Austrian Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media , a high level conference of European Ministers responsible for Family Affairs took place in Vienna on 13th June 2024, as part of the commemoration of the 30 anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

The conference “Importance of families in society” focused on the central role families and family policies hold in EU member states and acknowledged that families should receive the best possible financial and institutional support.

It was a great honour for COFACE Families Europe President, Annemie Drieskens, to participate in this conference and raise the voice of families, highlight the challenges families of today are facing across Europe and present the work COFACE delivers in close cooperation with his members.

In her keynote Annemie Drieskens highlighted also the ambition of the recently launched “European Observatory on Family Policy” to promote strong family policies which support the wide diversity of families and fulfill successfully their needs. It is clear from the first report of the Observatory that moving “Towards greater Family policy integration” is crucial and requires a joint effort of local, national, European governmental organisations.

The high level conference was also an important opportunity to take the Ministers on a journey and present “The State of the European Union for families”, COFACE’s assessment of the European Union’s work over the last 5 years. Important steps have been taken by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to improve family wellbeing and it is clear that those initiatives must be sustained and be implemented. Even by doing so the situation of families remains critical. All families are in the same storm but they are not in the same boat. More needs to be done to ensure that policy systems help families to face the risks and be resilient.

The Ministers were invited to be the ambassadors for families and to join forces to “Act Now” on the key challenges families are facing and what COFACE Families Europe believes the European and national policy makers should concentrate on.

After rich discussions, exchanges of experiences and good practices between member states the Ministers expressed their commitment for families in a joint declaration:

“The importance of families in society.
A European agenda for family wellbeing.Priorities and Solutions.
Declaration on creating the best possible conditions to enable and promote family life.”

The Ministers also expressed their willingness to join Minister Suzanne Raab in her ambition to have regular meetings and aim for the establishment of a European Council of Ministers responsible for Family Matters.

Read the full declaration here.

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Ethnic segregation is a widespread and systematic practice in many European countries. These practices are illegal yet continue to shape the lives of children and families across Europe. Our rights to education, housing, and health, ostensibly enjoyed by us all, remain divided along ethnic lines. For many Roma, their enjoyment of these rights is severely limited, often with the tacit support of the state.  

Antigypsyism remains a shamefully powerful and prevalent phenomenon. It is a disease whose symptoms permeate every level of society. Its myriad of manifestations include police brutality, terror attacks to the denial of access to clean water and electricity. 

Various action plans, strategies and campaigns have failed to address this reality. After decades of perhaps well-intentioned, but nonetheless hollow attempts from governmental institutions to meet their obligations, progress has simply not come fast enough. 

One of the clearest manifestations of antigypsyism lies in the blatant segregation of Roma children in education. Roma children are consistently denied one of their most basic rights, with huge consequences for them and their families.  

The segregation of children in schools based on ethnic origin is illegal. This has been declared in several rulings by the European Court of Human Rights. Yet, it remains widely practised. At national level, governments and local authorities have failed in their obligations to adhere to these rulings in any concrete sense.  

Educational segregation not only includes schools where most or all of the children are of the same ethnic background, but also segregated classes within schools. In some cases, Roma children are segregated within classrooms, reserved to the back of the class. Roma children are also frequently placed in classes for children with learning disabilities. For Roma children with disabilities, this can constitute double discrimination as these classes are actually set up to avoid prohibitions on segregation and fail to address the needs and realities of Roma children with disabilities.  

Roma children in segregated schooling receive an inferior education, precluding them from their right to study and to fulfil their potential. In one particular school, Roma children who were lucky enough to get vocational courses were used as free labour by a local manufacturing company. Roma girls in the same school were offered a nationwide programme that taught them to become “good housewives”. Deeply prejudiced stereotypes are frequently transformed into excuses for Roma children receiving an inferior education. 

Not only do studies show that segregated education leads to worse outcomes but the ECtHR’s jurisprudence asserts that it is contrary to human rights. 

Authorities use various justifications for these practices but segregation can never be justified. A common excuse from local authorities and schools is fear of ‘white flight’. This describes the fear that parents from the non-Roma white majority will remove their children from the schools, rather than be educated alongside Roma children. This cannot be an excuse. The prejudice and fear of one group cannot justify the oppression of another. It is unacceptable that antigypsyist attitudes are met with responses that further entrench the effects of antigypsyism.  

The issue of segregation in education is both a symptom and catalyst of antigypsyism which exacerbates other areas of discrimination and exclusion. Educational segregation synergises with residential segregation, and the societal exclusion of Roma often begins long before school. Repeated and targeted evictions by authorities are not only extremely harmful in themselves, but can also lead to difficulties with school enrolment. In many places, Roma are segregated to colonies. When it comes to school enrolment, Roma are often rejected due to their association with these areas.  

A similar pattern can be found in early years education and care. According to the REYN Early Childhood Research Study, almost 6 out of every 10 Roma child under 3 does not have access to Early Childhood Education and Care nearby. This loses a crucial opportunity for socialisation and early education, which not only impacts their learning but can pave the way for a life of exclusion. 

Both the EU and the Council of Europe have released their plans for Roma inclusion in recent years. The new EU Framework for Roma Integration 2020-2030, replacing the 2011-2020 strategy, claims that its predecessor made marked improvements in education. Despite this, cases of segregated schooling actually increased, as did the share of Roma youth without employment, education or training. 

The framework for 2020-2030, now in its 4th year, set a target of reducing the number of Roma children in segregated schools by half. Considering that the top European human rights court has declared the practice to be illegal, this seems unambitious.  

Of course, antigypsyism is so ingrained within European societies that it would be naïve to portray its elimination as easy. 

The accession of many EU member states with large Roma populations led to a wave of focus on issues faced by Roma. Unfortunately, this focus has been marred by poor implementation and a lack of Roma participation. As the EU prepares for a new wave of accession states, also with significant Roma populations, it is essential that past mistakes are not repeated.  

The fact is, whilst previous efforts such as the Decade of Roma Inclusion can be credited with their agenda–setting effect, most Roma were not even aware of such a decade.  

Eradicating segregation within Europe needs radical change. It requires looking deeply within European society, its historical construction, its prejudice, and its continual hostility towards its largest ethnic minority. Roma are at the forefront of their own liberation, and it is time for European institutions to recognise that efforts to combat exclusion cannot exclude the very people they seek to include.  

Eliminating segregation, whether educational or residential, requires focused and targeted measures. This necessitates funding, implementation and urgency. Above all, it requires uprooting and destroying antigypsyism wherever it lies. It demands deep structural changes that so far have been absent.   

About the author: Patrick Gergő Jefferson is a former Policy and Communications Assistant at COFACE Families Europe. As a visiting researcher at the University of Coimbra, he researched discrimination against Ukrainian-Roma asylum seekers after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He presented this research in a conference by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He mostly works within the fields of climate justice and migration, and completed a thesis entitled: Nature, Capital and Climate Justice: Interconnected Crises, Rights-Based Approaches and the imperative for radical change. 

**DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this article reflect the views of the author, not of COFACE Families Europe**

Photo: BIRN-Miroslava-German-Sirotnikova

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On 6-9th June 2024, Europeans voted to renew the European Parliament and new Members of European Parliament (MEP) will convene for the first time in Plenary mid-July in Strasbourg, France.  

While the European People’s Party (EPP), European Conservatives (ECR) and Identify and Democracy Group (ID) have seen an increase in seats, the Greens and Renew Europe have had significant losses. The Socialists have maintained around the same number of seats. The biggest increase has been for the non-aligned MEPs which are a heterogenous group, yet with most of them coming from the far right. It remains to be seen if they will remain non-aligned MEPs or if they will join a political group.  There has been a clear surge of the far right, and at the time of writing, the ECR has replaced Renew Europe as the third biggest political group in the European Parliament.  

While the pro-European parliamentary majority (EPP, S&D, Renew) has been weakened, it retains its majority (around 400) and therefore can continue to function as a strong coalition. Working with the far right cannot be an option. As a European civil society organisation advocating for pluralism, non-discrimination, and human rights, COFACE Families Europe will continue to engage with the European Parliament to defend and protect the interests of the wide diversity of families. We will do this building on our State of the European Union for families (5-year assessment of the 2019-2024 mandate) and our Key Demands for families of today.  The European Parliament will now proceed to form their political groups. The European Council is preparing to elect a new European Commission President. 

More here about the election results, also per country. See also further information on the Good Lobby elections hub. 

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With new MEPs recently elected in 2024 to the European Parliament and a new European Commission about to be formed, COFACE has produced a policy brief highlighting the importance of digital technologies for children and their families, and analysing whether existing and currently debated EU frameworks – aimed at ensuring safe and empowering digital experiences for children – integrate a families perspective. COFACE calls upon EU policy-makers to ensure that all families are given support and guidance to access and navigate the digital environment in a meaningful way.

When it comes to digital technology, the negative effects of technology need to be addressed through a mix of strong legal frameworks as well as strong and “low-threshold” evidence-based support and prevention measures for families. This means on the one hand to create inclusive and accessible online environments, including through appropriate self-regulation by the industries concerned. On the other hand, it means supporting educators (formal and non-formal), parents and carers in their digital literacy, but also promoting work-life balance, so that parents and carers have time to support their children.

The first section of the policy brief analyses some of the EU frameworks which include measures to ensure safe and empowering digital experiences for children, and whether they integrate a families perspective. The second section spotlights some practices of COFACE member organisations from 9 different European countries. The practices are diverse, ranging from boosting digital parenting skills to tackling and preventing specific risks, such as child sexual abuse online. Finally, the concluding section brings key messages and recommendations for EU policy makers.

The EU frameworks analysed in the policy brief are the following:

• EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child
• EU Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids
• EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse
• Digital Services Act
• Artificial Intelligence Act

Implementation of the European legal and policy frameworks mentioned in this brief is key, and these should be strengthened and continued under the new 2024-2029 European Union mandate following the June 2024 European elections.  Besides the State level and the ICT industry, action is also needed at community level, involving all key stakeholders close to the lives of the families and children.

COFACE will continue to monitor closely the various EU initiatives impacting families, using the COFACE Digitalisation Principles as the key compass for assessing them.

Additional information

• COFACE, State of the European Union for families, 2024.
• COFACE Families Europe, Child Compass 2030: Shaping a healthy society, environment and economy fit for children, 2020.
• COFACE Families Europe, Digitalisation Principles, 2018.

Read the full brief here.

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On 11 June 2024, the world celebrated its first International Day of Play. This initiative was driven by a coalition of global organisations who urged the United Nations General Assembly to establish it through a UN resolution. 

Adopted on 25 March, the resolution underscores the essential role of play in children’s lives, highlighting its importance for education and well-being. It also stressed its role for inclusivity, resilience, and tolerance, ensuring that every child can have access to sufficient leisure time and can play freely. 

Play is vital in nurturing children’s natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. It also enables the healthy development of cognitive and emotional skills. Recognising this, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has enshrined play as a fundamental right under Article 31. 

Promoting diversity and creativity in access to play through inclusive and high-quality toys is crucial. Since 2016, COFACE Families Europe has been challenging stereotypes in toy catalogues. We will remain committed to promoting diversity, sustainability, and life skills through initiatives like the Play for Change awards, which is an initiative from Toys Industries Europe. This year, COFACE will continue to emphasise the importance of empowering all children to choose their play activities, fostering creativity, imagination, and enjoyment. The winners will be announced on 5 November 2024.  

You can read the statement of the Chair of the board of Toy Industries Europe on the UN Day of play here.   

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We are pleased to welcome and introduce COFACE’s newest members joining us from North Macedonia, Georgia, and Malta to contribute to positive outcomes for families in a changing society. 

Youth of Diverse Families (North Macedonia) 

“Youth of Diverse Families,” is a voluntary, non-profit association dedicated to enhancing the capacities and inclusion of young people from socially marginalised groups in public life and youth policies. Youth of Diverse Families advocates for our rights of children and teenagers. You can find out more about their work here. 

Child, Family, Society (Georgia) 

“Child, Family, Society” is an organization dedicated to fostering the personal development of people with disabilities, children, and their family members. Our mission encompasses education, vocational training, employment, creativity, and other social aspects. Additionally, we advocate for their rights to promote independent living and full inclusion for individuals with disabilities, children, and their families. 

Prior to 1995, little was known in Georgia about the problems and needs of people with disabilities and, and, most importantly, the key role of their integration into society. 

In October 1997, the union was officially registered and the first non-governmental organisation “Child, Family, Society” was established in Georgia.

For 21 years, the organization has not changed its field of activity and target group. It continues to work on social integration of children and adolescents with disabilities. 

Find out more about the work of Child, Family, Society here. 

National Parents’ Society for Persons with Disability (Malta): 

The National Parents Society of Persons with Disability (NPSPD) was founded in 1976 and has been a registered Voluntary Organisation (VO) since 2009. It is a leader in bringing forward disability issues to the public domain and engages in discussion with all parties who have at heart the interests of persons with disability. 

Throughout the many years from its inception, NPSPD has always been at the forefront lobbying to safeguard the rights of: 

• Parents of persons with disability, especially parents whose children cannot represent themselves. 
• Persons with disabilities themselves, regardless of the impairment families of them. 
• Our interest is to work in collaboration with anyone who is truly committed to working in the best interest of the person with a disability and their families.  

Find out more about the work of the National Parents’ Society for Persons with Disability here. 

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Dutch COFACE member Pro Parents are stressing the importance of strong safety standards and adequate conditions for women working during pregnancy. 

50% of pregnant women in the Netherlands work in unsafe conditions. This shocking statistic was recently uncovered from research by Dr. Monique van Beukering. Dr van Beukering is a company doctor, scientific researcher and domain expert at Pro Parents Workplace Wellbeing.  

To combat unsafe conditions for pregnant women who work, and support employers to provide the necessary conditions, Pro Parents summarised the guidelines of the Dutch Association for Occupational and Occupational Medicine (NVAB), sharing their checklist for employers. This way, employers can quickly identify all possible points of interest for their organisations to protect them from risk and harm during pregnancy. 

Pregnant workers are at risk in almost every profession. From stress and a lot of lifting, to standing for long periods and working with chemicals. Avoiding these risks is good for employees, babies and employers as this:  

– reduces complications during pregnancy,  

– promotes the healthy development of the baby, and  

– prevents pregnant workers from dropping out.  

Employers who seek to take the lead in being a good employer for prospective parents are encouraged to consult the checklist and make appointments with Pro Parent’s Roseriet Beijers and Joyce Knappe.  

You can find out more about Pro Parents’ work here.

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For the last 7 years, Bulgarian COFACE member Tulip Foundation has run its Sure Start programme. The Sure Start programme operates in family community centres and aims to support the development of families with young children’s parenting skills, from birth until preschool. 

The programme is implemented with the support of local partners across different municipalities. One of the key topics is sexual abuse, and the focus is on raising parents’ and children’s awareness of child sexual abuse and its various forms. Special attention is also paid to the risks online.  

As part of the programme Tulip Foundation has funded and disseminated a few series of books entitled: “My personal body – respect and self-respect” – including “My personal body” and “Every child has the right to be touched with love” – and “Talk with the child, give them strength!”, which includes 6 books for children aged 3-7 years, 7-13 years and young people over 14 years and their trusted adults (parents, close family members and professionals). Both series are developed by specialists in the field: PULS Foundation and Right to Childhood Foundation.  

Local teams are supported with the necessary training in how to use the books. It is an essential part of the approach to prevent child sexual abuse by providing age-appropriate sexual health education for children at different ages with the involvement of their parents and/or trusted adults. Initial prevention on family and community level is best for children and young people. 

You can find out more about the programme and Tulip Foundation’s work here.  

Tulip Foundation were also present in COFACE and Step by Step’s recent study seminar on Child Sexual Abuse, hosted in Zagreb. You can read more about the event here. 

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On the 4th of June, COFACE-Families Europe held a financial inclusion meeting to discuss key priorities in financial inclusion at the European level, learn about political developments and the “Reset Finance” campaign from Finance Watch, and share good practices through the work of COFACE’s Spanish member Isadora Duncan. The event gathered members and attendees from across Europe to address the pressing issues faced by families in Europe related to economics and finance. 

COFACE Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager, Martin Schmalzried updated the members on pressing challenges at EU level, starting with ensuring access to basic banking services across Europe. Despite progress, many families still face barriers such as high fees, limited awareness among both staff and consumers, and stringent access criteria. He proposed several solutions, including fee caps, mandatory offers of basic accounts by banks, and creating limited functionality accounts when full documentation is not available. The future plans discussed included a focus on personal insolvency, the digital euro, the right to cash, the enforcement of the MiCA framework, and advocating for strong consumer representation in open finance. 

The “Reset Finance” Campaign 

Paul Fox outlined the “Reset Finance” campaign from Finance Watch which is aimed at redefining financial regulations to safeguard against failing institutions and future crises, particularly in the context of the upcoming EU elections. The campaign’s objectives are to increase visibility, create networking opportunities, and set agendas. Key priorities include ending extractive financial practices, ensuring full and equal participation in financial services, and advocating for a harmonised EU personal insolvency scheme to tackle household over-indebtedness. 

Isadora Duncan’s Contributions to Financial Inclusion 

Sonsoles Reviriego shared insights from the Isadora Duncan Foundation, which focuses on supporting single-parent families and women in vulnerable situations. The foundation’s programs offer social guidance, legal advice, and financial education, aiming to empower economically disadvantaged groups. Notably, their initiatives include addressing gender violence, providing economic support, and facilitating access to financial services through educational programs and personalized support. 

Next Steps 

The meeting concluded with a commitment to follow ongoing developments at the EU level in the field of financial inclusion, as well as continue closely cooperating with allied organizations like Finance Watch and Financial Inclusion Europe. Attendees were encouraged to engage with the proposed campaigns and contribute to the advocacy efforts aimed at shaping EU policies for better financial inclusion of all families. 

For more information contact COFACE Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager, Martin Schmalzried: mschmalzried@coface-eu.org

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The European Commission has released a new toolkit to help policymakers make the best use of EU funding to invest in social housing and accompanying services.  

This initiative addresses the urgent need for affordable and decent housing, which is crucial for social inclusion and enables greater participation in education and the labour market. 

Housing affordability has become an important challenge across the EU, as shown by the sharp increase in house purchase and rent prices over the past decade: 

• House purchase prices increased by 47.9% and rents by 22.8% between 2010 and 2023. 
• Nearly 10% of EU citizens spent over 40% of their income on housing in 2022. 

The toolkit features 20 case studies that illustrate how EU funds, such as The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), can be used to improve access to adequate housing.  

Addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, the toolkit outlines strategies for providing suitable housing solutions to homeless people, persons with disabilities, Roma communities, migrants, refugees, and LGBTIQ people. 

Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “The right to decent and affordable housing is at the heart of a strong social Europe and social cohesion. As housing is a complex issue that must be looked at from both a social and economic perspective, it can benefit from additional guidance or information. This is why we have created the Social Housing toolkit to help Member States put in place efficient housing policies backed by adequate financing.” 

Find out more here. 

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