Report - Friends of Europe

EUROPE’S JOBS POLICY
SHAKE-UP
Summer 2015
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EUROPE’S JOBS POLICY
SHAKE-UP
Report of the Conference
co-organised by Friends of Europe
and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
with the support of Facebook
with media partner Europe’s World
and Debating Europe
Summer 2015
Brussels
Some of the familiar faces and household names who have used Friends of Europe’s high-profile yet neutral platform
to put across their ideas to decision makers and to public opinion
For more information on Friends of Europe’s work and to download our publications, please visit
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This report reflects the conference rapporteur’s understanding of
the views expressed by participants. Moreover, these views are not
necessarily those of the organisations that participants represent, nor
of Friends of Europe, its Board of Trustees, members or partners.
Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted, provided that full credit
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Rapporteur: David Koczij
Publisher: Geert Cami
Director: Nathalie Furrer
Project Executive: Jean-Yves Stenuick
Photographer: Philippe Molitor
Design: Marina Garcia Serra
© Friends of Europe - Summer 2015
Image credit: CC/Flickr neetalparekh
This report is printed on responsibly produced paper
Table of contents
Introduction
7
What is the EU doing?
What should it do?
9
Not only lower unemployment
but fair employment
14
Updating European education
systems in the Internet economy
18
Investing in skills and jobs
21
The political challenge
of youth unemployment
23
Annex I - Programme
26
Annex II - List of participants
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Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
Introduction
There has been some improvement in recent years but the EU job market is still
recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. Shifting demographic, technological,
and social trends are increasing the pressure on policymakers, educational
institutions, businesses and young people across Europe. There is also a
mismatch between evolving job markets and training and education.
“First and foremost, we need to create more jobs. But that in itself is not enough,
we must invest in people so that they have the right skills to take advantage
of emerging jobs and remain adaptable,” Marianne Thyssen, European
Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility told
Friends of Europe’s conference “Europe’s jobs policy shake-up” in Brussels on
2 June.
“The labour force in Europe is actually shrinking,” noted moderator Giles Merritt,
Secretary General of Friends of Europe. “In a couple of generations, we will find
it very hard to fuel our economies with enough labour.” The EU and its member
states need to address the long-term demographic problems facing them, as
the ratio of workers to pensioners moves from four to one to two to one over the
next decade.
With over 23 million unemployed in the EU, and 4.8 million unemployed young
people, the European Commission has put job creation at the top of its agenda,
Thyssen stressed. Creating quality employment means fostering growth and
competitiveness, continuing structural reforms, encouraging investment, and
improving skills acquisition, including digital skills.
“Digital skills are fundamental,” she said. “In the near future, almost all jobs will
require some level of digital literacy, yet 30% of Europeans lack sufficient levels
and 150 million have never used the Internet.”
Meanwhile, youth unemployment levels remain dangerously high, underlined
Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social
and Solidarity Economy. Young people have suffered the most in the crisis and
the youth unemployment problem highlights the EU’s greater growth challenges.
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While European initiatives aimed at reforming and supporting job creation are
being implemented, the focus on economic growth and quantitative indicators
may be causing more harm than good, noted Patrick Itschert, Deputy General
Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
“Yes, it is true that we need to adapt, but there is no evidence as of yet that
labour market reforms are working,” he said. «While more jobs are being created,
the quality of many of them is questionable. We see more people working but
also a corresponding growth of precarity and inequality in our society.”
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
What is the EU doing? What
should it do?
On the European level, the Commission is focusing on jobs, growth, and fairness,
the Commissioner said. Through structural reforms focussing on labour policy,
tackling youth unemployment, and stimulating private investment in skills and
education, the EU is witnessing reduced unemployment levels and a slow return
of growth.
In order to support this trend, the new European Commission is working to
combat youth unemployment by smoothing the transition from school to work,
anticipating the skills needed in the careers of the future, and encouraging
employers to invest in the skills of their existing workforce.
One of the major elements for reforming the labour market in Europe is addressing
the skills supply. The Commission has a good track record on monitoring,
analysing and anticipating needs, notably through the European Skills Panorama,
which collates trends and information related to skills, as well as the European
Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), which supports
the development of European vocational education and training (VET) policies
and contributes to their implementation.
“Improving the quality of vocational education and training and apprenticeships
is an important priority for Europe. We need to make vocational education and
training a first choice not a second option,” she said.
Launched in 2013, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) aims to
boost the supply, quality, and image of apprenticeships and vocational careers.
It brings together public authorities, businesses, social partners, VET providers,
youth representatives, and other key actors in order to promote apprenticeship
schemes and initiatives across Europe.
From left to right: Cornelia Richter, GIZ; Marianne Thyssen, European Commission;
Giles Merritt, Friends of Europe; Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Cabinet for Fair Work,
Skills and Training; Erika Mann, Facebook
Young people in Europe welcome this initiative, noted Joan Conca Domènech,
Vice-President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). Referring to the YFJ’s
European Quality Charter on Internships and Apprenticeships, he outlined six
expectations from young people for the EU’s work in this area: apprenticeships
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should be linked to the education system; there should be a mentorship
element for apprentices; apprenticeships must be linked to a contract and thus
supported by a legal framework; social protection must be included; they must
be remunerated, though not necessarily at full pay; and most importantly each
apprenticeship needs to be linked to a specific job.
“Apprenticeships in Europe need greater stability and protection,” he concluded.
“It is unacceptable that companies continue to consider interns and apprentices
as renewable cheap labour to fill low-level positions.”
In June 2015, the Commission and the Latvian Presidency are hosting a
conference to move forward with the EAfA, with a focus on greater involvement
from the business sector. The goal of this initiative is to establish a coherent
vision on how to provide more opportunities for young people and how to update
education and training providers, Thyssen said.
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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“There is evidence that those countries who have invested in vocational and
technical training systems perform better in terms of growth and employment
than those who have not,” noted Cornelia Richter, Managing Director at the
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Germany
and the Netherlands – both countries with high levels of investment in these
areas – are among the most performant economies in Europe in terms of youth
employment and other metrics.
“There is evidence that those countries who have invested in
vocational and technical training systems perform better in terms of
growth and employment than those who have not.”
“Apprenticeships in Europe need greater stability and protection. It
is unacceptable that companies continue to consider interns and
apprentices as renewable cheap labour to fill low-level positions.”
Cornelia Richter, Managing Director at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
VET programs depend on five factors for success, she continued. These factors
are: the cooperation between government and business; the dual system of
classroom education and real-life job experience; the acceptance and support
from national authorities; the qualified VET personnel in both schools and
companies; and institutionalised research and consultancy to provide rapid
feedback and short learning curves in each system.
Joan Conca Domènech, Vice-President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ)
While some countries have been quite successful with VET programmes, they are
not necessarily universally adaptable. These systems are limited by the requirement
for long-term investment in accompanying structures, as well as the institutional
capacity to manage them. Furthermore, she noted, region-specific attitudes
towards vocational careers can have a profound effect on employment figures.
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“In order to face the structural unemployment problems in Europe, we must
begin by approaching much broader concepts,” she concluded. “Investment
in jobs and growth, social protection systems, retirement policies, supporting
women in the workplace, and so on. Nowadays the answer for coping with
unemployment is an integrated approach – supply, demand, and finding the right
institutional balance.”
This integrated approach is reflected in the new Commission’s latest economic
governance cycle, which focuses on the triangle of jobs, growth, and fairness in
three major ways, Thyssen underlined.
Firstly, she said, the Commission is working on budgetary consolidation to
enhance financial stability. Secondly, there is a focus on structural reforms in
education, active labour market policies, labour costs and taxation, and youth
unemployment, particularly the Youth Guarantee, which promises Europeans
under 25 years of age education, training, and employment opportunities within
4 months of becoming unemployed.
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
13
One of the greatest difficulties facing EU policymakers in supporting job creation
is their limited powers as regards education policy, which is overwhelmingly the
purview of national, regional and local authorities. To begin, the Commission is
seeking ways to collect better information at a more granular level, focussing on
regional specificities.
Since education is not an EU policy, there is more room on the ground
for governments and organisations to work together, noted Marie-Kristine
Vanbockestal, Managing Director at the Walloon Office for Vocational Training
and Employment (FOREM). For example, public employment services throughout
Europe now work together in the European Network of Public Employment
Services, with bi-annual meetings aimed at sharing best practices and dealing
with employment challenges on local levels.
“Growth is coming back and
unemployment is going down.
The progress is slow but we
have to continue to work in
the direction we have set out.”
Marianne Thyssen, European
Commissioner for Employment, Social
Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
Finally, the EU and its partners will focus more on investment, creating a plan to
make Europe more attractive for investors from the EU and beyond. “Growth is
coming back and unemployment is going down,” she concluded. “The progress
is slow but we have to continue to work in the direction we have set out.”
From left to right: Carolin Bansbach, GIZ; Axel Fastenau, GIZ; Mounira Benchekroun,
Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region
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Not only lower unemployment
but fair employment
Though European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has stated that
the new Commission intends to bring social issues to the fore of EU policies,
there appears to be a lack of social measures in the EU Work Programme for
2015, noted Agnes Jongerius, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee
on Employment and Social Affairs.
“The Commission states that they will focus on jobs and growth through
ambitious new investment plans,” she said, “but if we really want to tackle jobs
and growth, we first must address the growing inequality in Europe.”
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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To address this risk, she said, the Scottish government has decided that
“boosting competitiveness also means tackling inequalities in the labour market
and throughout society,” following studies from the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) which highlight the links between social
inequality and economic growth.
“Trying to stimulate recovery based on low-quality, poorly-paid jobs is
unsustainable,” she said. “It is not enough to simply increase the number of jobs
without considering their quality. If the quality is not high enough, the economic
advances will not be worth it in the long-term.”
“Trying to stimulate recovery based on low-quality,
poorly-paid jobs is unsustainable.”
With middle-income jobs on the decline and rising precarity in the EU, more
efforts are needed to place social equality on the same level as economic
growth. “Inequality simply does not make economic sense,” stressed Schmit. “It
does however exclude poor people from our society and create social problems
for the future.”
“If we really want to tackle
jobs and growth, we first must
address the growing inequality
in Europe.”
Agnes Jongerius, Vice-Chair of the
European Parliament Committee on
Employment and Social Affairs
With the Commission and member state governments focussing on improving
skills and training, the risk of ignoring fairness in the labour market is real,
underlined Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work,
Skills and Training.
Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training
The instances of marginal employment have increased since the crisis, for
example casual or ‘zero-hours’ contracts in the UK or the so-called ‘minijobs’
in Germany. These controversial policies can be useful in certain circumstances,
as with students or retired people, but are spreading into other sectors and
demographics.
Though the UK has recently outlawed the exclusivity of casual contracts, their use
has become too widespread, noted Cunningham, leading to huge uncertainty in
the labour force and unsustainability in the labour market.
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Though marginal employment has improved joblessness statistics in Germany
and elsewhere, it has been to a great degree unsuccessful in securing the
transition to stable and sustainable employment, noted Richter. The positive
effect of reducing joblessness, however, cannot be ignored as in the case of
German ‘minijobs’, which contribute to the country’s low levels of unemployment.
This perspective is not necessarily shared elsewhere in Europe, Cunningham
stressed. In Scotland, the rejection of marginal employment as a tool for
combatting unemployment has shown positive results, with lower levels of youth
unemployment and the highest level of women employed in the EU.
“What Europe needs is labour market reforms,” concluded Itschert from the
ETUC. “Though unemployment is in decline, poverty, precarity, and inequality
are on the rise. This is simply not feasible. We must work together – companies,
social partners, trade unions, and policymakers in the member states – to find
solutions adapted to each country or region’s needs.”
“Though unemployment is in decline, poverty, precarity, and
inequality are on the rise. This is simply not feasible.”
Patrick Itschert, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
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Updating European education
systems in the Internet
economy
The EU and members states need to examine education and training systems in order
to adapt to Europe’s changing economy. “As it stands, our education systems are
sometimes more inspired by the 19th than the 21st century,” noted Schmit. “We have
to transform the way people learn in Europe. The relationship between school and the
economy must be reorganised.”
In September 2013, the FOREM undertook a study about the jobs of the future,
Vanbockestal indicated1. This study determined that by 2020, three hundred new
careers will exist, many based in the digital economy. However, with education systems
trailing behind the changing economy, much remains to be done to prepare European
society for this shift.
While determining the specific educational tracks needed to improve the workforce’s
readiness to adapt to these future jobs is difficult, “it is clear that European education
systems need to focus on flexibility and basic skills to prepare young people for the job
market,” she said.
“It is clear that European
education systems need to
focus on flexibility and basic
skills to prepare young people
for the job market.”
Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal, Managing
Director at the Walloon Office for Vocational
Training and Employment (FOREM)
In particular, noted Michel Bande, Senior Executive Vice President at Solvay, young
people have a shortage of basic skills such as knowledge of their mother tongue,
and increasingly, the basics of information and communications technology (ICT).
Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge of second languages and so-called ‘soft’
skills – the capacity to understand instructions, working as part of a team and innovative
thinking for instance.
1
The full study (in French) can be found on the FOREM website: www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/684/940/20140506_Brochure_MAV_BD.pdf
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
“The educational world has a responsibility to prepare the next generation of European
workers,” he stressed. “The needs of the job market today will change over the next five
years, but a good education with basic language and ICT skills is a sort of guarantee
that students will be able to adapt to new careers.”
“The role of ICT and the Internet economy in supporting a smooth transition to
changing circumstances is little understood in policy and education circles,” underlined
Erika Mann, Managing Director for Public Policy at Facebook.
Although many young people are comfortable in the Internet environment, regular
use of technology in work environments is quite low in many member states. With
exceptions in software engineering and computer sciences courses, technology is not
sufficiently embedded in curricula, she said.
When examining older demographics, trends suggest that those over 50 years of age
lack familiarity with the digital environment. The response to this is creating training
programmes on the EU and member state levels to instil a working knowledge of online
tools, such as social media, that can boost productivity and access to customers.
“If we take the Internet
economy more seriously
and remove regulatory
bottlenecks, we will see a
better impact on growth and
the broader economy.”
Erika Mann, Managing Director
for Public Policy at Facebook
Finally, she concluded, policymakers must be more responsive to the changing
economy. The links between policy and the digital economy are still not clear enough
for companies that understand the economic trends yet are confronted by a regulatory
framework that is responding too slowly to encourage growth and job creation.
“In Europe, we have neglected the impact of the digital revolution on many sectors,”
she stressed. “If we take the Internet economy more seriously and remove regulatory
bottlenecks, we will see a better impact on growth and the broader economy.”
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In addition to designing more responsive regulation, education systems need to be
overhauled to address the paradox of millions of jobless Europeans on the one hand
and millions of unfilled positions on the other.
“For every graduate in engineering in Europe, there are 100 graduates in
communication,” indicated Bande. “Educational institutions have a responsibility to
inform students of this imbalance and promote the necessary careers to meet labour
market demands.”
National and European decision makers also need to strive to remove budgetary
constraints and stimulate both public and private investment in education. “Above all,”
concluded Schmit, “education should not be considered as simply another sector for
investment. Education is not a part of the economy, it is the future of our economy.”
“Education should not be considered as simply another sector
for investment. Education is not a part of the economy, it is the
future of our economy.”
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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Investing in skills and jobs
In Europe, investment went down by 18% during the crisis, while the most
economically performant countries were those with higher wages, greater
investment in research and development, and a greater share of innovative
companies, noted Itschert.
“What we need is to increase demand and investment in new activities,” he
added. “Why should a company invest if there is no demand? These are the key
elements to enhancing Europe’s economic performance.”
“Businesses do not create jobs, activities do,” stressed Bande. “Without
economic activities, we will not see the growth in jobs that we need. The EU,
in cooperation with member state authorities and business leaders, needs to
concentrate on investing in such activities.”
“Businesses do not create jobs, activities do. Without economic
activities, we will not see the growth in jobs that we need.”
Michel Bande, Senior Executive Vice President at Solvay
Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg Minister of Labour, Employment
and the Social and Solidarity Economy
Evidence compiled by the European Commission points to the complementary
roles of public and private sector organisations, indicated Commissioner Thyssen.
Working together to share knowledge and in public-private partnerships (PPPs)
are key elements to improving competitiveness.
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The private sector also has an important role to play in defining and investing in
skills training. “Governments cannot direct training and skills acquisition without
the support of the business community,” Cunningham said. “If employers do
not step up, there is no magic system that will produce the skilled workers that
Europe needs.”
“Employees are not a cost to be balanced,” Conca Domènech said. “Rather,
they are the greatest investment a company can make. If there is no investment
in providing the skills that workers require, we will never see the levels of
productivity that we need to grow.”
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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The political challenge of
youth unemployment
The problem of youth unemployment continues to plague Europe, with 4.8
million unemployed young people across the EU. Since the Youth Guarantee
was launched in October 2013, there has been some improvement – in April
2015 youth unemployment figures stood at 20.9%, down from 23.2%.
“The large numbers of unemployed young people in Europe have become a
volatile political element in Europe,” noted Merritt, “with many young people
joining less mainstream political parties and organisations in order to have their
voices be heard”.
“The large numbers of unemployed young people in Europe have
become a volatile political element in Europe. With many young people
joining less mainstream political parties and organisations in order to
have their voices be heard.”
Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe
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1. Roseanna
Cunningham, Scottish
Cabinet Secretary for
Fair Work, Skills and
Training; Elliot Pfebve,
MDC Zimbabwe
“Such high levels of youth unemployment is a dangerous thing,” Thyssen
stressed. “What we must do in the EU is to take them seriously, speak frankly,
and show results. We must develop policies to avoid political mayhem and give
hope to young people.”
2. Dhia
Fairus Shofia
Fani, Mission of
Indonesia to the EU
“The problem is not that unemployment is forcing us to political radicalism,”
indicated Conca Domènech of the YFJ. “The problem is that we are not being
included in the discussion. Young people do not feel represented and, since our
needs are not being addressed, we are searching for alternative methods of
politics and policymaking.”
1.
The Youth Guarantee is an example of an initiative ostensibly for young people
that was drafted and implemented with very little input from those it was meant to
help. During its implementation in Luxembourg, the government held discussions
with youth organisations, and has since followed through on its progress, but
these examples of a more participative process are few and far between and
need to be improved throughout Europe, Schmit said.
2.
“We need to tell young Europeans that they are not to blame for these levels of
unemployment,” concluded Jongerius. “We have to send the message that we
are changing policies and that this is a crisis that we are getting under control.”
Merritt, Friends
of Europe; Katherine
Watson, European
Cultural Foundation;
Maria OrejasChantelot, European
Foundation Centre
3. Giles
3.
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Annex I – Programme
SESSION I
Thinking ahead to tomorrow’s jobs market
The European Union job market has not recovered from the 2008 financial
crisis. More than 23 million Europeans are still without jobs, many of them young
people. Yet although unemployment is at record levels – especially in southern
Europe – employers are struggling to find skilled workers in areas such as IT,
where there is a projected deficit of 700,000 skilled workers.
Which are the job-generating sectors of tomorrow? Are there any specific skills
which are really sought-after and should job seekers develop these to increase
their chances of finding jobs? Are technical colleges and universities capable of
adapting to the changing jobs market, and is the technical vocational education
and training (TVET) system doing enough helping young people develop practical
skills?
Marianne Thyssen Joan Conca Domènech Roseanna Cunningham Erika Mann European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
Vice-President of the European Youth Forum
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills
and Training
Managing Director for Public Policy at Facebook
Cornelia Richter
Managing Director at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Moderated by Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
SESSION II
Improving jobs training for young people
More than 4.8 million young people are unemployed in the European Union,
meaning that one in five young Europeans on the labour market cannot find a job;
in Greece and Spain the situation is especially serious. In economic terms, youth
unemployment costs EU countries around €153bn a year. Although the Youth
Guarantee scheme aims at ensuring that young people have an opportunity to
work within four months of becoming unemployed, there are questions after its
first year of whether it has lived up to expectations.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Youth Guarantee, and how better
could the school-to-work transition be handled? Are countries investing enough
in education, and what lessons should be drawn from countries in northern
Europe where youth unemployment remains relatively low?
Michel Bande Patrick Itschert Agnes Jongerius MEP Senior Executive Vice President at Solvay
Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Nicolas Schmit Luxembourg Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy
Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal Managing Director at the Walloon Office for Vocational Training and Employment (FOREM)
Moderated by Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe
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ANNEX II – List of participants
Arturo Abrego Treviño, Mission of Mexico to the EU
Alexander Anton, Secretary General, European
Dairy Association (EDA)
Ilaria Babolin, Administrator, Social Policy
and Employment, Committee of the Regions,
Commission for Social Policy, Education,
Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC),
Robin Baltes, Attaché, Labour and Social Affairs,
Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU
Florence Balthasar, European Adviser for
Education, Swisscore
Michel Bande, Senior Executive Vice President,
Solvay
Carolin Bansbach, Communication Manager,
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Victoria Bataclan, Ambassador, Mission of the
Philippines to the EU
June Bedaton, Administrator, European Economic
and Social Committee (EESC)
Abolfazl Beheshti, President & Professor in
International Relations and Energy Economy,
European Network for Environment and
Sustainable Development (ENEDS), France
Mounira Benchekroun, Employment Adviser,
Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region
Mathilde Breuillé, Policy Officer, European Public
Affairs, Renault Representative Office to the EU
Alexis Brouhns, Senior Executive Vice President,
Solvay
Funda Celikel-Esser, Policy Analyst, Economy,
Growth, Safety and Security, European
Commission, Joint Research Centre
Antoine Clément, Consulting Manager, Finance &
Regulation
Joan Conca Domenech, Vice-President, European
Youth Forum
Pablo Cornide, Policy Officer, Youth Employment,
European Commission, Directorate General for
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Claire Courteille, Director, International Labour
Organization (ILO)
Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Cabinet
Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training
Michel Dardenne, Administration and Finance
Director, MPE
Miguel De La Corte Rodríguez, Secretary General
of the Employment and Social Security Office,
Embassy of Spain to Belgium
Sylvie Debernade, Assistant, Caritas, Luxembourg
Philippe Demougin, Team Leader, EU2020 France,
European Commission, Directorate General for
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Mark Dober, Managing Director, Dober Partners
Thomas Dominique, First Adviser to the Minister
on Social Security Policy, Ministry of Social Security,
Luxembourg
Ignacio Doreste Hernández, Youth Officer,
European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
Geert Cami, Co-Founder & Director, Friends of
Europe
Stanislav Drapal, Head of Unit, Quality Assurance
and Risk Assessment, European Commission,
Joint Research Centre
Josefina Capdevila-Penalva, Consultant, ICF
International
Gina Ebner, Secretary General, European
Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
Daria Catalui, Coordinator, Network and
Information Security in Education, European Union
Agency for Network and Information Security
(ENISA), Greece
Alexandre Egger, Team Coordinator, ThinkYoung
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Janne Elvelid, Assistant Policy Officer,
European Commission, Directorate General
for Communications Networks, Content and
Technology
Dhia Fairus Shofia Fani, Mission of Indonesia to
the EU
Axel Fasteneau, Head of Section, Asia/Pacific and
Youth Employment Europe, Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Anthony Ferreira, Chargé de Mission, Louis Vuitton
Moet Hennessy Group (LVMH)
Ana Ferreira Reis, Counsellor, Permanent
Representation of Portugal to the EU
Julie Anne Fionda, Member of Cabinet of EU
Commissioner Marianne Thyssen
Juergen Fonger, Senior Expert, German Federal
Public Services, Representation to the EU
Reiner Forster, Senior Policy Adviser, Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ)
Anja Freytag, Deputy Director, Representation of
the Land Rheinland-Pfalz to the EU
Nathalie Furrer, Director, Friends of Europe
Michael Gaebel, Director, Higher Education Policy
Unit, European University Association (EUA)
Josh Gartland, European Commission
Neal Gartland, Second Secretary, Social and
Economic Reform, Permanent Representation of
the United Kingdom to the EU
Christina Gewehr, Junior Expert, Corporate
Communications, Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Jan Grauls, Senior Adviser, Ernst & Young
Hannah Grieve, European Youth Forum (YFJ)
Matthijs Groeneveld, Attaché, Social Affairs,
Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to
the EU
Dominik Heijnk, Policy Assistant, Deutsche Post
DHL
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Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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Andrea Herdegen, Counsellor, Permanent
Representation of Germany to the EU
Lily Lee, Assistant Representative, Hong Kong
Economic and Trade Office
Antonija Parat, Secretary General, European
Students’ Forum (AEGEE)
Heike Hoess, Adviser, Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Lee Man Lee, Assistant Representative, Hong
Kong Economic and Trade Office
Agata Patecka, Education and Lifelong Learning
Coordination, Solidar
Prerna Humpal, Head of Communications,
Eurochild
Anna Leibetseder, Staff Member, Liaison Office of
Upper Austria to the EU
Yolanda Ioannidou, Attaché, Employment and
Social Affairs, Permanent Representation of Cyprus
to the EU
Merel Leppens, Policy Assistant, European
Commission, Directorate General for Education and
Culture
Furlani Patrice, Counsellor, Ministry of Labour,
Employment and the Social and Solidarity
Economy, Luxembourg
Patrick Itschert, Deputy General Secretary,
European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
Iungyu Lin, Attaché, Labour, Taipei Representative
Office to the EU & Belgium
Pal Jacob Jacobsen, Director, One Market
Xu Lizhen, Senior Project Manager, Greenfish
Trine Jakobsen, Policy Officer, European
Commission, Directorate General for Employment,
Social Affairs and Inclusion
Andrei Luchici, Attaché, Employment and Social
Affairs, Permanent Representation of Romania to
the EU
Ginette Jones, Adviser, Ministry of Labour,
Employment and the Social and Solidarity
Economy, Luxembourg
Ask Lyno-Hansen, Adviser, Confederation of
Danish Employers (DA)
Agnes Jongerius, Vice-Chair, European Parliament,
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Jeroen Jutte, Head of Unit, European Employment
Strategy and Governance, European Commission,
Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs
and Inclusion
Julia Kaefer, Representation of the State of BadenWürttemberg to the EU
Andrea Kaiser, Junior Programme Manager,
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Verena Kern, Information Specialist, European
Parliament
Erika Mann, Managing Director for Public Policy,
Facebook
Carlos Mascarell, Policy Officer, Council of
European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
Giles Merritt, Secretary General, Friends of Europe
Markus Mill, European Affairs Coordinator,
Cologne Institute for Economic Research, Brussels
Liaison Office
Simon Molitor, Project Executive, Friends of Europe
Annalisa Monaco, Director, EU and NATO
Relations, Boeing International Corporation
John Morley, Senior Policy Adviser, Applica
Delila Kidanu, External Relations Officer,
ThinkYoung
Wolfgang Müller, Head of the European
Representation, German Federal Public Services,
Representation to the EU
Monika Kiss, Policy Analyst, Social Policies and
Employment, European Parliament Research
Service (EPRS)
Kerstin Nagels, Head of Section, TVET and Labour
Markets, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Aris Kokkinos, Journalist, eurobole.com
Finn Ola Jølstad, Counsellor, Mission of Norway
to the EU
Natalia Kurop, Director, Communications,
European Technology & Travel Services Association
(ETTSA)
Maria Orejas-Chantelot, Thematic Networks
Director, European Foundation Centre (EFC)
Izabela Pelczynska, Programme Manager,
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Fiorella Perotto, Deputy Head of Unit, European
Commission, Directorate General for Education and
Culture
Åsa Petri, Counsellor, Permanent Representation
of Sweden to the EU
Chrystalla Petridou, Counsellor, Permanent
Representation of Cyprus to the EU
Josep Peya, Delegation of the Government of
Catalonia to the EU
Elliot Pfebve, EU Representative, MDC Zimbabwe,
United Kingdom
Piret Potisepp, European Commission
Monika Pozderac, Second Secretary, Permanent
Representation of Croatia to the EU
Cornelia Richter, Managing Director, Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ), Germany
Alejandro Romero, Mission of Mexico to the EU
Ivana Ruzman, Second Secretary, Permanent
Representation of Croatia to the EU
Susanna Salovaara, Adviser, European Parliament
Claire Salzman, Communications Assistant,
European Youth Forum (YFJ)
Ulrike Sapiro, Director, Community and
Environment, The Coca-Cola Company
Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg Minister of
Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity
Economy
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Friends of Europe | Smarter Europe
Ria Schoofs, Attaché, Employment, Labour and
Social Dialogue, Permanent Representation of
Belgium to the EU
Maria Tsirantonaki, Project Coordinator & Youth
Officer, International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC)
Joscha Schwarzwälder, Project Manager, Shaping
Sustainable Economies, Bertelsmann Stiftung,
Germany
Christoph Sebald, European Youth Forum (YFJ)
Guy Van Haeverbeke, Honorary Secretary General
& Member of the Board, Trans European Policy
Studies Association (TEPSA)
Sarah Shepherd, Project Manager, ThinkYoung
Elizabeth Sloan, Policy Adviser, The Scottish
Government, European Office
Viktorija Smatko-Abaza, Principal Adviser to the
Deputy Director General, European Commission,
Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs
and Inclusion
Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal, Managing Director,
Walloon Office for Vocational Training and
Employment (FOREM)
Robert F. Vandenplas, Director, European Society
for Engineers and Industrialists
Natascha Waltke, Senior Manager, EU
Government Relations, BASF SE
Jean-Marie Sohier, Member, Sealord
Katherine Watson, Director, European Cultural
Foundation (ECF), The Netherlands
Laura Somerhausen, Associate EU Regulatory
Affairs, Heineken International
Alex Young, Senior Policy Adviser, The Scottish
Government, United Kingdom
Jean-Yves Stenuick, Project Executive, Friends of
Europe
Kęstutis Zaura, Attaché, Social Security and
Labour, Permanent Representation of Lithuania to
the EU
Robert Strauss, Head of Unit, Labour Market
Reforms, European Commission, Directorate
General for Employment, Social Affairs and
Inclusion
Michael Sunnus, Counsellor, Permanent
Representation of Germany to the EU
Claudia Suppan, Deputy Director, Representation
of Steiermark to the EU
Yvette Sweringa, Project Manager, CSR Europe
Dariusz Szulc, Policy Officer, European Public Real
Estate Association (EPRA)
Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner
for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour
Mobility
Fabien Tondel, Policy Officer, European Centre for
Development Policy Management (ECDPM), The
Netherlands
Simon Tosserams, EU Affairs Executive, The
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and
Wales (ICAEW)
Kai Zenner, Research Associate, KonradAdenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
Edyta Ziomek, Policy Officer, Stakeholders,
European Commission, Directorate General
for Communications Networks, Content and
Technology
Europe’s jobs policy shake-up | Summer 2015
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