1. Work-life balance for people with dependent relatives: The EU context
MISSOC Meeting
7 June 2016, Amsterdam
Evelyn ASTOR DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Unit C1: Social Investment Strategy

2. Context in the Member States
A vast majority of long-term care in the EU is provided informally Pressure on family members to provide informal care is increasing due to demographic ageing and the increasing shortage of formal caregivers Lack of work-life balance solutions (leaves, flexible working arrangements, formal care services) can lead to considerable emotional and financial stress for carers, and lead to lower employment, financial, and health outcomes. Reconciliation challenges have been shown to have wider impacts on society and the economy: lower employment and lower productivity, along with increasing health and social assistance costs

3. EU policy context (1/2)
New Start initiative for work-life balance: Aim is to deliver a comprehensive initiative that will consider reconciliation needs for people with dependent relatives and not just parents
European Pillar of Social Rights: The draft pillar sets out principles for:
adequate leave arrangements (for parents and people with other dependents)
accessible quality formal long-term care services
care credits to allow for pensioners to build up adequate pension entitlements

4. EU policy context (2/2)
European Semester: Monitoring of work-life balance issues has been done in the Country Reports and Country- Specific Recommendations have been issued (although the emphasis is often greater for parents)
Open method of coordination: A Social Protection Committee (SPC) report on Long-term Care was published in An in-depth thematic review on work-life balance is planned in the Social Protection Committee for Fall 2016.

5. Why was this report needed?
Need for a stocktaking of the current policies in place and an analysis of their effectiveness– less comparative information on WLB is available concerning people with dependent relatives as compared to parents
Comparative analysis done so far on the effectiveness of LTC policies at EU level has been done mainly from the perspective of the beneficiary, not the person's family members

6. How will this report feed into EU activities?
This report help to underpin our thinking as we prepare the New Start initiative and will feed into:
An analytical document accompanying a second-phase social partner consultation
An eventual impact assessment
It will support the Commission's ongoing monitoring of work-life balance issues.
It will inform knowledge sharing and exchanges of good practice between Member States and stakeholders on this issue.
It will contribute to the ongoing reflections for the development of a European Pillar of Social Rights.