The Porto Social Summit will be the high point of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and aims to set the European agenda for the next decade and ensure that we face the challenges of the present and future, leaving no one behind.

The Summit aims to reinforce the commitment from the Member States, European institutions, social partners, and civil society to implementing the Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The Action Plan, presented by the European Commission in March, proposes a number of initiatives and sets three main targets to be achieved throughout Europe by 2030:

• An employment rate of at least 78% in the European Union
• At least 60% of adults attending training courses every year
• Reducing the number of people at risk of social exclusion or poverty by at least 15 million people, including 5 million children

For more information: https://www.2021portugal.eu/en/porto-social-summit/

Dominica’s Work In Nature (WIN) long-stay visa program allows workers to relocate to the Caribbean island to work remotely for up to 18 months.

Discover the benefits of the program in a virtual session through https://www.facebook.com/events/372623664034015/.

Island Innovation CEO James Ellsmoor will speak with Discover Dominica representatives and remote workers on the island to discuss the details and lots of facts about the new Dominica WIN program.

If you can work from anywhere, where better than Dominica?

For more information: https://islandinnovation.co/discover-dominica-win-programme/

MATILDE project has the aim of producing scientific-based knowledge and, at the same time, enhancing socio-cultural change about the perception and role of foreign immigration in rural, mountainous and remote regions of Europe. And to re-define the role of these marginalized regions is crucial within the process of EU building, in particular in times of pandemic and necessary social resilience. In order to clarify some basic and normative assumptions of MATILDE project, and to contribute to a wider public debate at EU level, we decided to write and share an open declaration in the form of Manifesto.

The Manifesto is composed of 10 theses, that are based on scientific evidence, existing research and literature, conclusions of academic and public discourses. At the same time, it is intended to be provocative and visionary with respect to the future of the European Union.

Read more: https://matilde-migration.eu/blog/matilde-manifesto-the-renaissance-of-remote-places/

Consulta Europa is the ‘Regional Focal Point’ of the Macaronesia region (Açores, Madeira, and Canarias) for LIFE4BEST. This initiative aims to promote biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of ecosystem services, including an Ecosystem-based approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The initiative promotes different actions in overseas regions grouped into four zones:

-Amazonia: French Guiana (France)
-Caribbean: Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint-Martin (France)
-Indian Ocean: Reunion and Mayotte (France)
-Macaronesia: the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and the Canary Islands (Spain)

LIFE4BEST funded in the 2019 call the Seabird Macaronesia Sound (SMS) project in the archipelagos of Madeira (island of Madeira) and Azores (islands of Santa María, Graciosa, São Jorge, and Flores), marine access points, and critical areas of biodiversity for seabirds in Macaronesia.

This initiative aims to improve and update wildlife data to promote conservation measures and define appropriate action plans to understand biodiversity and ecosystems.

The European Union has formally approved the new EU4Health 2021-2027 program, the largest health program in history that will provide funding to European member states, health organizations, and NGOs.

The regulation was published in the last Official Gazette and has a budget of 5,100 million euros. The new program provides an EU response to the COVID-19 crisis and aims to strengthen the resilience of health systems and promote innovation in the sector.

Among the principles points, the initiative aims to:

-Improve and promote health in the European Union to reduce the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, reduce health inequalities, promote healthy lifestyles and ensure access to healthcare.

-Protect European citizens from cross-border health threats, strengthening the response capacity of health systems and coordination between the Member States.

-Improve the availability and affordability of medicines, medical devices, and other crisis-relevant products and support innovation.

-Strengthen health systems and health personnel through integrated and coordinated work among member states, the continuous implementation of best practices, data exchange, digital transformation, and addressing the implications of demographic challenges.

The first work program for 2021 will be adopted shortly and implemented by the new European Executive Agency for Health and Digital.

Looking to implement gender equality plans to unlock the research potential of RPOs and RFOs in Europe, the Steering Committee confirmed the first four members of the Advisory Board.

The Steering Committee of the ATHENA project marked the first of many encounters to follow with the first Advisory Board members, to contribute to higher employment and productivity fairer and gender-equal society.

The Advisory Board will provide guidance and advice on GEPs planning and implementation throughout the whole project lifecycle. Moreover, they will also support coherent indicators to be measured while monitoring the strategies. 

ATHENA is an H2020 project coordinated by Consulta Europa Projects and Innovation S.L. (Canary Islands, Spain) that contributes to unlocking the partner organizations’ research potential, improving the overall performance of the European Research Area. The main objective is to close the innovation divide by avoiding the waste of talent and inefficient use of skilled women from weaker regions of the E.U. 

The initiative counts with 6 Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) from Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Bulgaria, and 3 Research Funding Organizations (RFOs) from Italy, Canary Islands, in Spain, and the Azores, in Portugal. 

The project will support eight organizations developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans to enable a cultural and institutional change and achieve gender-equal participation of researchers, professors, and administrative staff. 

To reach its goal, ATHENA will count on the participation of a panel of 10 members of the Advisory Board (A.B.), from which 8 national authorities from the countries involved and 2 scientific publishers, with expertise on gender and women-related areas. 

In April’s we had the participation of the first 4 members of the AB: Mrs. Madeleine Kennedy-Macfoy, policy advisor & guidance on gender equality in Education International and editor of the scientific journal ‘European Journal of Women’s Studies’; Mrs. Selendini, President of APS CREIS (Centro Ricerca Europea per l’Innovazione Sostenibile) and member of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Italy; Mrs. Brixová, head of the Department of the Equality between men and women and equal opportunities at the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic; and finally Mrs. Walczyk-Matuszyk, head of Research Potential Section/National Contact Point, National Centre for Research and Development of Poland.