The overarching
recommendation of the present study is that consumer protection in the
area of financial services should be strengthened and consumers’
financial capabilities should be raised. Considering the significant potential
detriment that financial services can cause to individual consumers and to the Single
Market, consumer protection policy
needs to properly focus on these services. Improved
transparency and better informed transactions resulting from such policy will result in better solutions
for consumers and greater market efficiency.
Mittwoch, 12. Februar 2014
Mittwoch, 5. Februar 2014
EU Member States in Breach of the Council of Europe’s Social Charter
On Thursday 29 January 2014, the European Committee
for Social Rights (ECSR), the main supervisory body for the Council of Europe’s
Social Charter, presented within the framework of its annual reporting system,
its so-called Conclusions 2013. The ECSR found no less than 180 cases of
violations of the Charter concerning health, social security and social
protection. In particular Greece, Poland and Romania received a high number of
negative conclusions.
http://www.etuc.org/a/11977
Dienstag, 4. Februar 2014
3rd Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion
The proceedings of the 3rd Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are available on the Convention website.
Payment accounts: comparability of fees, account switching and access to accounts with basic features
The European Parliament adopted amendments to the
proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the
comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching
and access to payment accounts with basic features.
One of the main amendments: “General information on
basic accounts: Parliament requested that Member States:
- require educational establishments to develop services for the most vulnerable customers providing them with guidance and assistance in the responsible management of their finances;
- encourage financial education, including at schools;
- ensure that the competent authorities publish, including on their website, an audit of the performance of each payment service provider in terms of its compliance with the right of access requirement.
Source:
Montag, 3. Februar 2014
Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2013
Luxembourg:
Publications Office of the European Union, 2014 - ISBN
978-92-79-35281-2 (web) - ISSN 2315-2540 (web) - doi:10.2767/59315 (web)
This
year’s review offers an in-depth and wide-ranging review of key labour
market and social challenges facing the EU as it slowly emerges from
recession. Where will Europe’s new jobs come from in an increasingly
competitive global economy? Will active inclusion policies support help
address rising levels of poverty among those of working age? Will the
improvement in the position of women on the labour market during the
crisis be sustained or slip away with the recovery? Is the divisive
issue of undeclared work being effectively addressed? Will all Member
States progress equally, or do the weakest risk falling further behind?
Have national social security systems been effective and efficient in
maintaining incomes during the recession and in addressing their
longer-term goals? Do we need to adapt the ways we measure economic and
social progress in order to take proper account of inequalities?
Freitag, 31. Januar 2014
SOLIDAR: Empowering people through non-formal and informal learning
SOLIDAR launches the new briefing paper
“Empowering people through non-formal and informal learning”, defining the
practical approach to Building Learning Societies. The briefing paper
highlights how non-formal and informal learning in a community-based setting
actively combats the challenges our societies face today – and empowers people
to fully participate in society in a democratic, social, economic and cultural
way in order to find new pathways for the future.
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