Brussels (21 January) – Our President, Vincenzo Bassi, met the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, H. E. Mgr. Lebeaupin. They spoke about the current activities of FAFCE and the Nuncio encouraged very much to go forward in the direction of building new alliances with new actors to witness the beauty of the family.Participation to European events & conferences
Rome (30 January) – Our President, Vincenzo Bassi, attended a congress on “The richness of many years of life”, organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. A good occasion to witness the importance of elderly people for our society and for the transmission of faith.
Brussels (22 January) – On the occasion of the Week of prayer for Christian unity, FAFCE took part in an ecumenical prayer breakfast at the European parliament, hosted by MEP Peter van Dalen (EPP, Netherlands) organized by the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
Brussels (21 January) – Around 50 persons (out of which 7 Members of the European Parliament) took part in the Breakfast Meeting organized in cooperation with the SALLUX Foundation and SME Connect, on “SMEs and Family Welfare: a challenge for the future of Europe”, which took place last week in the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Karlo Ressler (Croatia), Vice-President of EPP Youth.
This meeting approached family welfare from the specific perspective of SMEs and with a focus on corporate welfare services, which can be considered as a new form of compensation, convenient for enterprises, for employees and for the society at large. Nevertheless, these services are often unaffordable for SMEs and represent a real burden on a short-term economic perspective. In that context, public policies and the sharing of best practices at the EU level can offer solutions. Expenses in family policies should be recognized as an investment for the future of society, and not just as an expenditure. This Breakfast Meeting was part of a broader project on “Family and Economy”, in cooperation the SALLUX Foundation, that will publish a Working Document on this matter, together with FAFCE.