Our priorities for the new Parliamentary Term 2019 to 2024

The European Commission published its working programme for 2020 outlining their priorities and initiatives for this year. MMM’s specific focus on this working programme will be:

1.    An economy that works for people

The EU Delegation will work on the upcoming Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights. This is an important initiative which could help put in practice the principles of gender equality, work-life balance, childcare and support to children and families.

A new European Child Guarantee will be presented next year as part of a European integrated plan to combat child poverty and ensure children have access to five key social services: adequate nutrition, free education, free healthcare, decent housing and free early childhood education and care.

The Child Guarantee initiative is planned to be included in the next EU budget and will integrate strategies to fight child poverty and promote children’s well-being, focusing in particular on 4 vulnerable groups:  children with a handicap, children with a migrant background, children living in institutions and children living in vulnerable situations.

• MMM’s EU delegation will advocate for investing in mothers and families and will follow closely the initiative’s development.

2.    A new push for European democracy

The Commission will present a Gender Equality Strategy to address the key challenges that women face today, including gender-based violence, economic independence and access to the labour market.

• Considering the slow progress achieved to date in promoting gender equality, MMM advocates for the adoption of a new strategy with clear targets and indicators to accelerate progress.
• In order to achieve this, unpaid care work (caring for children, the frail, the disabled and those that carry out household tasks) has to be recognised, reduced and redistributed. We will focus our work on the equal economic independence for women and men and equal pay for work of equal value.
• We will monitor and participate in discussions on the adoption of this strategy highlighting the motherhood penalty and care gap, advocating for the recognition of the value of unpaid family care work.

In addition, proposals on pay transparency will be put forward and we will follow closely and advocate for mother’s rights.

• We will convey the specific discrimination that affects women who are mothers, which leads to differences in employment, pay and pensions.
• Highlighting single mothers and mothers caring for a child with a handicap for whom this discrimination has even more serious consequences, on their standards of living and that of their children.

We will also take stock of the report on the Impact of Demographic Change and the Green Paper on Ageing and work on these issues.

3.    Promoting our European way of life

Part of the European way of life is about fostering skills, education and inclusion. This provides the tools and knowledge for people to thrive and play their full part in the twin transitions.

The Commission in its commitment to make the European Education Area a reality by 2025, will present a new Skills Agenda for Europe to help identify and fill skills shortages, as well as support re-skilling.

• MMM’s EU delegation will advocate for the validation of informal and non-formal skills acquired when performing unpaid care work as a follow up to the EU public consultation MMM responded to. Motherhood and caring develops a new set of skills in women and other carers, especially the so-called soft skills. These have an application on the workplace and in order to access other paid caring jobs (elderly care, childcare etc).
• MMM will advocate for the promotion of lifelong learning.

4.    European Green deal

The EU aims to lead the transition to a fair, climate-neutral, digital Europe, which will affect us all: every country, every region, every person. But for it to be successful, it must be just and inclusive for all. The transition will also entail a change in the way we use, produce and consume things. The new Circular Economy Action Plan will help transform our production and consumption system with a view to reducing its environmental and carbon footprint.

• MMM is involved on this topic through the H2020 research project CIRC4Life which aims to co-create new circular economy business models with end-users.
• MMM’s EU delegation advocates for consideration to be given to the social dimension and inclusiveness of this transition and to involve mothers and families as change-makers.

For more information on the Commission’s priorities for 2020