CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR FAMILY AFFAIRS

At the invitation of the Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, the Ministers responsible for Family Affairs of the 43 Council of Europe member states met in Slovenia, on 21-22 June for the XXVIIth session of the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Family Affairs, on the theme "Reconciling working and family life".

The conference theme was divided in three sub-themes: Reconciling working and family life: Policy objectives and challenges; The role of the state and public authorities: measures and initiatives; and The fair sharing of responsibilities between mothers and fathers.

The objectives of the Conference was for Ministers and their representatives to discuss experience, views and good practices regarding action to reconcile working and family life, which is a matter of major concern both to ministers responsible for family affairs and ministers responsible for employment.

The need to reconcile working and family life is one vital aspect of a whole range of broader social issues, such as declining fertility rates in Europe and changes in family structures. It also has an important bearing on changes in the composition of the labour force, new ways of organising work and the restructuring of social protection systems. Moreover, reconciling working and family life helps to create new employment opportunities for both women and men, as well as for carers and for people with disabilities. It can also promote gender equality, encourage fathers to assume their responsibilities, improve the economic situation of families, and make life better for children, parents, families, and make life better for children, parents, families, local communities and society as a whole. Ultimately, it should up-grade work, health care and family life and generally improve the quality of life.

The Conference was attended by Hon. Helen D’Amato and Mr. Joe Gerada, CEO of Agenzija Appogg who was representing the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Policy.