SynCrisis final conference on

‘The needs of public services and their personnel to respond to multiple crises’

December 13th 2024 | hybrid (Brussels, Mix Hotel, Boulevard du Souverain 25, 1170 Banquet room & via Zoom) | 9.30 – 15.30 | Interpretation from/to EN/DE/IT/ES

Register here

As Europe faces an era marked by unprecedented challenges, public services and their personnel have emerged as critical components in managing and mitigating the effects of multiple crises. Whether addressing the impacts of climate change, pandemics, migration, or financial instability, the EU and its Member States rely heavily on the strength and responsiveness of public services. However, these services are often stretched thin, facing significant structural challenges that limit their effectiveness. The SynCrisis project, spearheaded by CESI, aims to examine how public services and their workforce can be better equipped to respond to these crises and provide vital support to European citizens.

The final SynCrisis project conference will spotlight the public sector’s crucial role in responding to ongoing crises. It will present key findings and policy recommendations addressing the challenges faced by public services and their personnel in managing simultaneous crises like health emergencies, economic shocks, and climate events. The conference will gather policymakers, public service professionals, and researchers to explore effective strategies for adapting to these evolving demands. Highlights of the event include two sessions, on social investment in the reform of EU Economic Governance and some policy recommendations on how to better address the needs of public services and their Personnel in the inevitable state of permacrisis.

Panel 1: Social Investment in the Reform of EU Economic Governance: Making the Public Sector Resilient and Responsive to Future Shocks

This panel will examine how social investment and economic governance reforms can enhance public services’ ability to manage future shocks. The following questions will guide the discussion:

• How can public services be better supported and resourced to respond more effectively to multiple, evolving crises?
• What are the prospects for the upcoming discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework in early 2025, and how could they shape the future of public services?
• How can reforms and investment in Member States be supported to enhance both competitiveness and long-term sustainability?

Panel 2: The Needs of Public Services and Their Personnel to Respond to Multiple Crises

This panel will delve into the critical issues affecting public sector workers, particularly in frontline roles such as healthcare and emergency management such as: understaffing and work overload, the importance of continuous training and skills developments. The panel will answer the following questions:

• How can we address understaffing and work overload in critical public sectors like healthcare, emergency management, education and security? What role should continuous training and skills development play in preparing public sector workers for emerging crises?
• How can collaboration between public services, national governments, and EU institutions be improved to more coordinated crisis response across Member States?

Please register for the event here.

Provisional agenda:

09:30    Introductions

Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director and Head of the Social Europe and Well- being programme at the European Policy Centre (moderator)

Welcome address

Romain Wolff, President of CGFP (tbc) or Klaus Heeger, CESI

Marcello Pacifico, President of ANIEF (tbc)

09:45    Keynote Speech

Lieve Fransen, Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre (tbc)

10:00    Panel 1: Social Investment in the reform of the EU Economic Governance: making the public sector resilient and responsive to future shocks

Lucia Piana, Deputy Head of Unit Fiscal Policy and Surveillance · European Commission

Philipp Lausberg, Senior Policy Analyst in the European Political Economy Programme at the European Policy Centre

Marco Buti, Professor at the European university Institute (tbc)

Aurore Lalucq, French member of Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Chairwoman of Economic and Budgetary Affairs (tbc)

Milena Popović Samardžić, CESI Vice-president, medical doctor and President of the Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro

11:20    Coffee break

11:45    Panel 2: The needs of public services and their personnel to respond to multiple crises

Patrick Fey, CNV Connectief

NN, member of the dbb (tbc)

Dagmara Iwanciw, Secretary of WZZ FO National Board (tbc)

Elena Flores Gual, Deputy Director-General “Investment and international (in charge of Directorates D and L)” – Directorate-General “Economic and Financial Affairs”, European Commission (tbc)

Claire Dhéret, Policy Analyst at RENEW (tbc)

Francesco Corti, Advisor Belgian Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health (tbc)

Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna, President of CSIF Justice

13:00    Lunch break

14:00    Final remarks public investment in times of fiscal constraints. What way forward?

Eulalia Rubio, Associate Senior Research Fellow in the Economic Policy unity at CEPS (tbc)

Nicola Giammarioli, Secretary General and a member of the Management Board of the European Stability Mechanism (tbc)

Paolo Gentiloni, former Commissioner (2019-2024) / Klaus Heeger, CESI