Social Platform, the largest European civil society alliance fighting for social justice and participatory democracy, will be organising a networking conference, for local NGOs and European networks to meet and exchange ideas, as well as for given authorities to address social issues, on 2 and 3 June at Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg-Grund.

Ahead of the Luxembourg EU Presidency from July, participants will be able to discuss various social issues in the context of Luxembourg’s priorities for its mandate. The Minister of for Labour, Employment and Social Economy, Nicolas Schmit will be present at the conference, also.

Split into two days, four major themes will be discussed:

- Social economy: the role of the EU in setting adequate legal and financial frameworks, including public procurement, to support the development of social economy.

- Social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union: to ensure a balance between economic and social priorities and serve the well-being of all people.

- Equal treatment: facilitate the negotiations on the horizontal Equal Treatment Directive COM (2008)426. Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourova are both committed to adopt it by the end of 2015.

- Social investment: the investment in ambitious social policies, including social protection and social services, and the new European Investment Plan.

A provisional timetable for both days of the event can be seen below:

2 June – Networking Meeting with EU and Luxembourg Civil Society

13.00-13.30 Arrival and Registration

13.30-13.40 Opening remarks by Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform

13.40-14.00 Presentation of Social Platform by Helen Joseph, Communication and Media Officer

14.00-15.00 Parallel workshops – first round

During the workshops Luxembourg and EU NGOs will discuss their main concerns and recommendations relevant to the Luxembourg EU Presidency’s priorities. The recommendations will be presented to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Economy the day after during a public conference.

- Social economy

- Social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union

15.00-15.15 Coffee break

15.15-16.15 Parallel workshops – second round

- Social investment

- Equal treatment

16.15-17.00 Reporting back from the workshops by the rapporteurs

Q&A by representatives from the EU and Luxembourg NGOs

17.00-17.10 Closing remarks by Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform

3 June – Conference on the Social Dimension of the Luxembourg EU Presidency

09.00-09.30 Arrival and Registration

09.30-10.00 Keynote speech by Nicolas Schmit, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Economy

10.00-10.45 Presentation of civil society organisations’ social priorities

Luxembourg and European NGOs will present recommendations relevant to the EU Presidency priorities on the aforementioned conference themes.

Introduction by Jana Hainsworth, President of Social Platform

10.45-11.15 Reply by Minister Nicolas Schmit and reaction by Jana Hainsworth, President of Social Platform

11.15-11.30 Coffee Break

11.30-12.25 First panel debate: “An adequate financial framework to support the development of social economy: what are the needs and what are the best instruments?”

Moderator: Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform

Robert Urbé, President of the Union luxembourgeoise de l’économie sociale et solidaire

Uli Grabenwarter, Head of strategic development – Equity, European Investment Fund (invited)

Hedda Pahlson-Moller, Board member of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) and the Luxembourg Business Angel Network (LBAN) (invited)

12.25-13.20 Second panel debate: “How can the Luxembourg EU Presidency deliver the EU antidiscrimination law?”

Moderator: Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform

Nathalie Morgenthaler, Executive Director of the Centre for Equal Treatment (invited)

Lydie Err, Ombudsman of Luxembourg (invited)

René Schlechter, President of the Ombuds Committee for the Rights of the Child of Luxembourg (invited)

13.20-13.30 Concluding remarks by Jana Hainsworth, President of Social Platform

13.30-14.30 Lunch

For more details on the event, please see http://www.socialplatform.org/events/networking-meeting-ahead-of-the-eu-presidency-in-luxembourg/.

To register for the event, please see https://aryngbeck.wufoo.com/forms/registration-23-june-networking-conference/. All forms must be submitted by this Friday 22 May.