January 2021 marks EUROSHIP’s first anniversary! By the end of the month, we have spent a whole year of working together to strengthen social citizenship in Europe and develop new knowledge and expertise about poverty reduction and social exclusion.
When embarking on our journey at the beginning of 2020, no one could have predicted the devastating impact that COVID-19 would have on the way we live and work. Yet, despite these challenges, EUROSHIP has continued to deliver on its ambitious work programme. Through activities such as EUROSHIP Working Paper No. 1, reviewing the indicators and data on poverty and social exclusion, online seminars in the UK, Sweden and China, talks with DG Employment in Brussels, the first meetings of the National Stakeholder Committees and the European Stakeholder Committee meetings or the first EUROSHIP Policy Brief and our publication on social policy responses to COVID-19 in the Nordic countries, we have continued to promote and safeguard the rights of citizens most at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
No doubt, there are many challenges. For example, we are now working to ensure that EUROSHIP will be as relevant as possible for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. And most importantly, we are reviewing how we can best incorporate the massive COVID-19 crisis in our research project, which was designed before we knew what was coming. We want our research activities to be relevant and influence positively the recovery process.
Now is the time for our most affirmative action. The pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses in all of our government’s abilities to tackle a crisis of this scale and to protect the needs and well-being of household and individuals of different socio-economic backgrounds within and across countries and regions.
In 2021, we look forward to further consolidate our collaboration, in order to debate and advocate for a Europe that places social citizenship at the forefront of its agenda.
Rune Halvorsen
Scientific Coordinator, EUROSHIP
Piotr Sadowski
President, Social Platform