European social policy forum

Summary:

The first European Social Policy Forum, organised by the European Commission, took place in the Palais des Congrès, Brussels, from 28 to 30 March 1996. In size and scope, the Forum was a monumental event, attended by over 1 000 people representing NGOs, the social partners and the European institutions. Its aim was to broaden the range of the interaction between the Commission, together with other EU bodies, and those involved at grassroots level in the fields of economic and social action and social cohesion, as well social partners involved in the social dialogue. The three days of the conference were marked by many intense and stimulating debates, centering around four main topics: equal opportunities, employment, social protection and the future of working life in an information society.

This summary document records the high points of the Social Policy Forum. It contains all the speeches of the opening plenary session, the full text of the working papers which formed the basis of the parallel discussions, and the final conclusions of the rapporteurs. It is co-published by the European Commission and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, and produced in a single English-French version, each text appearing in the language in which it was first written.

A second Social Policy Forum will be convened in the first quarter of 1998.