Employment and social affairs

Growing unemployment especially among the young has been one of the worst consequences of the current economic crisis. Youth unemployment has risen to an unprecedented high level, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe, as can be seen in the infographic. This Wednesday MEPs will discuss what can be done to boost employment and kick-start the economy.

Eighty million Europeans live in poverty, so what are EU countries and the EU doing about it? The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion was set up do look for answers. Belgian Socialist Frédéric Daerden attended the first annual convention in Krakow in October and told MEPs on the Employment Committee that the aim is to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty by 2020.

Unbalanced economic growth has increased inequality throughout the world and the financial crisis has only contributed to this trend, said International Labour Organisation Director-General Juan Somavia at a special meeting on the social dimension of globalisation with MEPs in Strasbourg on 14 September. The time has come to put "the real economy in the driver’s seat" and start focusing on creating decent jobs for workers, he said. He told us more.

Homelessness is a serious problem that has been aggravated by the economic crisis and on 14 September MEPs called for more action at the European level. "Homelessness is the worst form of social exclusion," said French Socialist Pervenche Berès, one of the co-authors of a resolution, which calls for action on fighting and preventing homelessness to be speeded up.

Around 16% of EU citizens suffer some kind of disability. Poor accessibility to services and limited mobility mean that they often lack chances and society as a whole is the loser. But some do make it. In spite of being deaf, Ádám Kósa worked as a lawyer and became the first deaf MEP. Now he is trying to open the way for others. The author of a report on the EU's disability strategy, he spoke to us ahead of its discussion in the Employment Committee 25 May.

Should the EU provide more protection to workers whose companies go bust? At present it obliges member states to pay employees outstanding wages in case of insolvency. However, the payment ceiling, the definition of an "employee" and the period for which outstanding claims are paid are decided nationally and there are big differences between member states.

As families and family life gets more diverse across Europe a Hearing on Monday (31 January) with MEPs and academics debated the situation of single mothers and the challenges they face. About 1 in 3 children in the European Union are born out of wedlock and 9 out of 10 of single parents are women. A wide group of MEPs and academics discussed the complexity of the situation. A recent survey of women called for more flexible working hours and easier access to childcare.

The picture of poverty across Europe is looking bleak at present. Around 85 million people in the European Union are estimated to live in poverty and this has risen and is rising due to the economic crisis. A "Citizens Agora" at the European Parliament in Brussels on 27-28 January brought together lawmakers, NGOs and people over 60 facing poverty to discuss the issues and what can be done about them. A slideshow of photos on the right tries to capture some of the atmosphere.

Getting more people involved in volunteering is the key aim of the 2011 European Year of Volunteering. Awareness raising and practical help for voluntary organisations will be key planks of this strategy. Around 100 million Europeans regularly volunteer for some activity although there are high discrepancies, in Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands it is 40% of people whilst in Bulgaria and Italy it is about 10%. We spoke to Irish MEP Marian Harkin (ALDE), who is promoting volunteering.

Birth, death, family, marriage and sometimes divorce are the core experiences of our lives, bringing joy and sorrow, love and disillusion. But they are also legal issues. Over centuries, States have developed laws and practices to regulate them but as more and more Europeans' move abroad the resulting legal patchwork can mean at best a complication of life, at worst a personal tragedy. MEPs, MPs and experts met this week to discuss “How to facilitate the life of European families and citizens”.