The EU ministers responsible for social affairs will be invited by the French Presidency of the Council of the EU to Issy-les-Moulineaux on Monday 28 February to take stock of the fight against homelessness in the Union and, in particular, of the exchange platform created for this purpose in the wake of the action plan on the European pillar of social rights launched in 2021.
The Conference will follow the standard format of informal meetings. In the morning a meeting of the members of the homelessness platform will be held. Ministers are expected to adopt the 2022-2024 work plan developed by the European Commission. The budget to run the platform may be addressed.
One concern is that the platform does not have an operational budget provided by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL). There are a number of ad hoc activities funded by DG EMPL (mainly under existing framework contracts), but no budget is foreseen, a source told us.
After a working lunch between the European ministers devoted to homelessness, the afternoon will open with speeches by the French Minister Delegate for Housing, Emmanuelle Wargon, and the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit. Two round tables will be held in the afternoon.
To consult the work plan of the platform: https://aeur.eu/f/ii (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)