| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.10, 18.3.04 |
| Publication Date | 18/03/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Martin Banks Date: 18/03/04 THE European Commission has given a cautious welcome to a report by Catholic bishops which calls on the EU to adopt more family-friendly policies. The report, by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the European Community (COMECE), proposes that European policymakers develop an EU 'family strategy' along the same lines as the Lisbon Agenda for economic reforms, which is due to be discussed at next week's Brussels summit. Coining a much-used Lisbon phrase, the aim is to make the enlarged EU "the most family-friendly region of the world by 2010". Brussels-based COMECE points to research showing that Europeans consider the family to be the area of their life they cherish most. Despite this, it says EU policymakers repeatedly fail to take the family into account when drafting legislation. Presenting a six-point action plan on Tuesday (16 March), COMECE Deputy Secretary-General Stefan Lunte said last summer's heatwave across Europe, in which thousands of elderly people died, many of them alone, highlights the current family crisis. Lunte said: "It showed that the family as a basic element of social integration has become weak and needs to be supported. "EU policies should, therefore, focus on promoting more stable families and family situations." The strategy report makes a number of recommendations, including improving the integration of elderly people into society, promoting more children-friendly regulations and forging closer links between generations. Jérôme Vignon, the European Commission's director for social policy, stressed that family policy is, and should remain, the primary responsibility of member states. He said: "Of course, this is a very delicate subject but it does not mean we cannot have an exchange of views at EU level. The EU may not have a legislative role in this area but it can still facilitate an exchange of views on good practice." Vignon agreed that "promoting the family will ultimately make EU citizens happier, produce greater social cohesion and have a positive effect on public health". "It may in the process contribute to reversing the decline in the EU birth rate," he added. To complement the existing Lisbon Strategy on economic growth and social reform, the Secretariat of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) proposed on 16 March 2004 that European policy-makers develop an EU family strategy that would support Europeans in the area of their life they cherish most. |
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