The Socialists and Democrats are hosting an event in Saarbrücken, Germany, on cross-border work later this week.
Anke Rehlinger, Saarland’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour, Energy and Transport, and Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, will deliver keynote speeches. S&D Group leader Iratxe García; SPD-MP Secretary General Christian Petry; head of the SPD delegation in the European Parliament Jens Geier; European Parliament vice-president Katarina Barley; and S&D vice-president Gaby Bischoff will be among the speakers who will be joined by local politicians, civil society and citizens to discuss challenges and solutions in cross-border regions.
The Saarbrücken event is the German leg of the S&Ds event series on the Conference on the Future for Europe.
Around five thematic tables we will discuss with participants:
Strengthening social Europe – perspectives from border regions
Boosting the economy – opportunities and challenges in border regions
Learning the lessons from the pandemic – experiences from mobile workers
Living and learning across borders – opportunities for young people
Fostering border regions as political and cultural spaces – Living labs
Iratxe García, S&D Group leader, said:“We fight for a stronger social Europe where workers are free to work and live where they choose. A Europe that gives people the chance to enjoy the same rights everywhere. The promise of Europe will only be fulfilled with a truly integrated labour market based on a fair coordination of social security.”
Gaby Bischoff, vice-president responsible for mobile work, said:“More than one and a half million Europeans live in one country and work in another. These cross-border workers live the archetypical European experience.
“Yet, at the beginning of the pandemic, they were suddenly confronted with closed borders – and left with many open questions. Who would cover their pensions? Are they covered by social protection when they telework? Such a chaotic situation must not repeat itself and we want to hear from cross-border workers about their experiences, and what must be done to make their lives easier. To ensure that the ordeal of the past two years was not in vain, we must act together now.
“There could not be a better place to give a new push for improving cross-border work than Saarland, which lies truly in the heart of Europe.”
