General Assembly 2017 – a day of debate and decisions!

On 27 April Social Platform members gathered in Brussels for our annual General Assembly, where they elected a new Management Committee (pictured above).

The Management Committee is responsible for the administration and the management of Social Platform. It consists on one President, two Vice-Presidents, one Treasurer and three Ordinary Members.

Members elected the following people to represent them:

  • President: Jana Hainsworth (Eurochild)
  • Vice-Presidents: Maciej Kucharczyk (AGE Platform Europe); Catherine Naughton (European Disability Forum)
  • Treasurer: Jorge Nuño Mayer (Caritas Europa)
  • Ordinary Members: Michele LeVoy (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants); Piotr Sadowski (Volonteurope); Patricia Scherer (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities)

As well as providing an opportunity to hold important votes, the General Assembly was also a day for catching-up, debating, and planning the future direction of our network through a series of member-led workshops. The workshop topics chosen by members included the European Pillar of Social Rights, fighting poverty, and improving members’ ownership of our network.

In the afternoon we were joined by Ann Mettler – Chair of the European Political Strategy Centre – for an exchange on issues of mutual interest covering the social and economic inclusion of migrants and refugees; investment in people-centred services; EU economic governance and poverty reduction; and sustainable development. The exchange allowed our members to share best practices from their national member organisations to illustrate where the EU could and should be lending its support. Ms Mettler strongly voiced her respect for the unique role that civil society plays in the policy-making process and urged us to find new ways to get our messages across.

Much food for thought came out of our General Assembly – both from the workshops and exchange with Ms Mettler. With a new Management Committee helping to steer the strategic direction of Social Platform, we are excited about the future and realising our dream for a strong and inclusive social Europe!