Alessandro Piana: "Our citizens should not be forced to choose between work and family"

The President of Liguria Regional Council, ECR Member Alessandro Piana, took part in the 137th plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, in Brussels. Contributing to the debate on the European Pillar of Social Rights with EU Commissioner Nicolas Schmidt, Mr Piana stressed the importance of striking a balance between work and family life, including by seizing the opportunities offered by technology.
The European Pillar of Social Rights is the first set of social rights proclaimed by EU institutions since almost twenty years. It sets out rights and principles, as well as concrete initiatives to support them.
Mr Piana underlined that the ECR Group supports all initiatives aiming at boosting the employability of the youth, tackling homelessness and helping older citizens. He added that all measures should respect the principle of subsidiarity, the differences in social and economic systems of the Member States, and take into account the crucial role of family.
"The European Union", said Mr Piana, "should promote measures that help to improve people's work-life balance, and, at the same time, launch initiatives to recognise and consolidate the fundamental role of the family, which is a pillar of society", said our Member.
Mr Piana then informed the EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights about the initiatives taken in Italy and, in particular, in Liguria region, to reconcile the time people spend at work and the time they have with their children, such as the bonus asilo nido government childcare contribution and the paternity leave scheme.
"In order to achieve this important objective", he added, "close cooperation between all Member States is needed, through the exchange of best practices; however, this must always have due regard for the autonomy of each individual national set-up, as a single European welfare model would certainly not be able to interpret and meet the different needs on the ground".