Eurodiaconia Annual General Meeting: Shaping the future of Social Europe
Last Updated: 28 June 2018
by Giacomo MANCA
On June 31th – 15, our partner Eurodiaconia held its Annual General Meeting in Wroclaw, Poland. This year, the three-day event had a particular focus on the future face of social Europe in a fast-changing continent. The rise of inequalities and unemployment, as well as the demographic change and the political instability across Europe, are only some of the issues representing a great deal of concern for Christian based organizations.
Information and reflections on the The European Pillar of Social Rights, proclaimed last autumn in Gothenburg, were at the core of the event, as stated by Eurodiaconia’s Chairperson Romana Bélová in her opening speeches: “The European Pillar of Social Rights represents for us diaconal actors across Europe a new and stronger opportunity to reassess our fundamental role in fostering social cohesion in the face of increasing polarization and social exclusion. As social service providers founded in the Christian faith, we believe we have a special message and a specific view of social Europe underpinned by our faith to share”. The Sustainable Development Goals and their applicability in Europe were also part of the discussions.
An official declaration was issued by Eurodiaconia at the closing session on the 15th of June, the final day of the Annual General Meeting. The declaration, available here, is entitled “Trusting in a Social Europe”, and is meant to respond to the political, social and economic uncertainties in Europe and address the question of trust in our societies.
Ruth Stannett from the EU Affairs Office and Gabrielle Glodek, from Armia Zabawienia (PL) represented the Salvation Army in the event, taking part in discussions and workshops on the organisation.
For better information on the event, we invite you to look at Eurodiaconia's website.
