News

Tomorrow is our General Assembly and we will gather all the heads of our 48 networks that are dedicated to combating poverty, social inclusion, equality and non-discrimination, access to services and employment. We want to achieve two things with this event: to work and celebrate. We will take the time to discuss and decide on important matters for our network together with high-level speakers who will debate with our members. We will also thank those who have given their time to exercise the highest responsibilities in the Platform: the seven members of our Management Committee.

First, we will have the occasion to debate with Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, skills and labour mobility. We will discuss the priority given to combatting poverty by the current Commission as well as the respect and role of social policies with regards to the current economic choices. We will also debate with Emily O’Reilly, the European Ombudsman, to discuss how the European institutions respect and promote civil dialogue and important legislation such as the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities or the situation of migrants in Europe.

Our network is also very dynamic and we will have the elections of a new Management Committee that is the executive body of Social Platform. It will be the time to celebrate the work achieved by the precedent members of this Committee. Our current President, Heather Roy, will step down from her position after serving the maximum of six years. For all of you who met her, you will come to the same conclusions as we all do: praise her leadership, her dedication to the mission and values of the network, and her involvement to promote Social Platform at the highest levels. I would like also to thank the other members: Rodolfo Cattani, Maciej Kucharczyk, Michel Mercadié, Brigitte Triems, Jana Hainsworth and Barbara Helfferich for all their time and great contributions to the implementation of our new strategic orientation.

Tomorrow night, we will have a new President and a new Management Committee, so stay tuned.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director