From March 2nd to 3rd, 2023, an international seminar on "Welfare and work to be reconstructed: a contribution to the new social question" took place in Rome/Italy, organised by MCL / EFAL (Movimento Cristiano Lavoratori / Ente Nazionale per la Formazione e l'Addestramento dei Lavoratori) organised in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union. The seminar was attended by 80 representatives of workers' organisations from Malta, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Moldova, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Belgium. The central theme of the seminar was the work and reconstruction of the social fabric and how it is possible to intervene through social dialogue in EU countries. In the first part of the seminar, the system of an active labor market policy was discussed and how suitable training and professional reorientation measures can enable the unemployed to be gradually reintegrated into the labour market. The actual implementation of active measures is also necessary in order to solve the still unresolved problems of the minimum wage, which still shows considerable weaknesses, especially with regard to the activation phase. Further topic: What role can the EU play after the pandemic? After World War II, it guaranteed an unprecedented level of prosperity, as well as human and social rights. Since the 1990s, the European social model has faced economic austerity theory and the processes of globalisation. However, Europe has responded to the pandemic with comprehensive, joint and innovative measures such as "Next Generation EU". In this context, social dialogue plays a stabilising role. The seminar participants agreed that solutions must be found to meet the challenges caused by demographic change, digitisation, migration phenomena and globalisation. If not adequately addressed, they could lead to wider inequalities and gaps in social protection. With the active participation of the social partners and enhanced social dialogue, the European Union and its Member States should define priority policies aimed at neutralising the risks associated with these phenomena and turning them into opportunities for growth, integration, and the development of more mature social systems. These priorities include:
- Promotion of employment, especially for young people,
- decent working conditions,
- comprehensive social protection and social inclusion,
- the transition to a green and digital economy with adequate financial resources and training opportunities,
- constant improvement and updating of skills, especially in the digital field,
- equal treatment and equal opportunities,
- facilitate the mobility of workers, students and trainees,
- integrate migrant workers and asylum seekers,
- fight exclusion and poverty,
- support the employment of women,
- Ensuring the sustainability of pension and long-term benefit systems,
- Ensure universal access to essential social services and extend social rights and protection to non-standard workers.