NGOs offer support to Dutch Presidency – but with conditions
From 1 January to 30 June 2016, the Netherlands will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU. That is why on 17 November we organised a networking conference in The Hague to discuss the social dimension of the upcoming Dutch Presidency.
More than 70 representatives from civil society, including many chairs and directors of national NGOs, gathered to discuss social priorities together with Ms Jetta Klijnsma, Dutch Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Employment.
The excellent contributions from the speakers together with questions and comments from the audience ensured a lively and interactive debate on fundamental subjects such as adequate income and labour mobility.
Besides the quality of the talks, the conference proved to be a good opportunity to strengthen links with our network and lay the basis for a meaningful dialogue and a successful cooperation with the upcoming Dutch Presidency.
What we take back from The Hague as Social Platform is indeed the clear opening to civil society made by the Secretary of State who asked for our support in proposing and promoting actions and policies to fight poverty and ensure decent work.
In these extremely difficult times, it is imperative to focus on neighbourhoods to fight social exclusion and invest in people. As social NGOs, we are the ones with real expertise on the ground and we will renew our commitment and double our efforts to ensure that nobody is left behind.
That is why we enthusiastically accepted the Dutch invitation for closer cooperation but made clear that we will not be offering unconditional support.
We want a society where everyone has enough to strive and meet his or her expectations for a decent and fulfilling life; and we have clear ideas on how to reach it that we want to see reflected in the EU political agenda.
Find out more in our position paper on:
