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- Ελληνικά
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Ms Marilena Evangelou participated in the High Level Conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights on 15 and 16 April 2024 in La Hulpe, Belgium, organised in the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
The Conference was attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, Ministers of Employment and Social Policy of the Member States, social partners, representatives of civil society and academics.
The aim of the conference was to discuss the EU's future social agenda, which will identify the challenges in the fields of employment and social policy and set policy priorities for the next five years. The European Pillar of Social Rights is the key tool in the design of the EU's social agenda.
During the Conference, the La Hulpe Inter-institutional Declaration was signed, which aims to prepare the EU's social agenda for the upcoming five-year period 2024-2029. The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare participated in a panel discussion on early childhood education and care as a key investment for children, which will ensure high social and economic investment in the EU.
Marilena Evangelou presented, among others, the Cyprus Strategy for Child Education and Care, based on a comprehensive two-year study to be completed in 2024 with the assistance of UNICEF and the European Commission, as well as the new Child Care Service Delivery Plan, co-funded by the European Social Fund. The Scheme offers direct support to families through subsidies for childcare services for children up to 4 years old, covering 80% of tuition fees and significant increases for children under 3 years old and for full-time attendance with a significant increase in the per-child allowance for all vulnerable children.
Finally, she pointed out that Cyprus remains committed to the continuation of these national programmes, welcoming the role of the EU, which provides the tools as well as the resources for child-centred policies.
In the framework of the Conference, Ms Evangellou held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Malta and Hungary to discuss social policy issues, with emphasis on the care of pre-school children, the inclusion of people with disabilities in society and the integration of benefit recipients in the labour market.
(MΘ/ΝΖ/ΓΣ)
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