On October 5th you are warmly invited to join us online via Zoom for the final conference of the EU-funded PULSER project organised in partnership with the European Policy Centre on:

Towards a strong European public service agenda:

How to (re)build a social Europe in a resilient way after Covid-19?

October 5th 2021 | online via Zoom | 10 AM – 12.30 PM | Interpretation provided in DE/EN/ES/IT

Public services care for, protect and support – the citizens, the society and the economy. They determine whether societies are sustainable or not. They are crucial to implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Especially in times of crises, public services are at the forefront. The crises of the past decades – 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, the 2010 European debt crisis, the 2015 refugee migration challenges, the 2015/2016 terrorist attacks, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and not least increasing natural disasters – have demonstrated that countries with efficient and strong public services are more resilient.

Crises may become the new normal, but they remain unpredictable in nature and scope. As public services cannot be equipped overnight in a tailored manner, foresighted investment appears to be increasingly necessary.

This conference aims at taking stock of the lessons learnt from the Covid pandemic and further recent crises, and at advocating a strong European public service agenda – to put investment in the equipment, facilities and staff of public services at the core.

The EPC study on ‘Well-performing public services for a fair and resilient European society’ provides the background for the discussions.

AGENDA

10.00 Welcome & introduction

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General, CESI

Karolina Zbytniewska, Chief Editor, EURACTIV Poland, moderator of the conference

10.10 Keynote address

Barbara Kauffmann, Director for Employment and Social Governance, European Commission

10.30 Insights by experts: Experiences of public service personnel during the pandemic

Tadas Leončikas, Senior Research Manager, Social Policies Unit, Eurofound

Otto Aiglsperger, President, CESI Expert Commission ‘Public Administrations’

Valeria Ronzitti, Secretary General, SGI Europe

Heather Roy, Board Member, Social Services Europe

11.10 Short break

11.20 Insights by experts: Strong public services post-covid

Mihai Palimariciuc, Policy Analyst, EPC

Peter Ulrich, Scientific Project Officer, Joint Research Centre, European Commission

12.00 Closing Remarks

Dragoș Pîslaru, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe

12.20 Final remarks by the Chair

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General, CESI

Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive, EPC

12.30 End