4th European Social Week

From April 15 to 17, the Catholic Social Institute (Katholisch-Soziales Institut, KSI) is organising the Fourth European Social Week in Bad Honnef on the theme of «Work – Social cohesion – Leadership». At a time when the challenges facing society are no longer being tackled in all countries across the board and the question of immigrant workers is becoming more and more pressing, we have to put all our efforts into meeting the most important challenges in terms of the social make-up of Europe, created by the changes in the jobs market resulting from new business strategies designed to tackle the economic crisis. The Fourth European Social Week, therefore, aims to be a platform for meeting, discussion and reflection and for all those active in the Christian-social sector to work together, looking at and he lping each other with the needs of workers.

The specific focuses are the quality of work and the questions of economic ethics, as well as the formulation of a leadership with a social philosophy. Those representatives attending from workers organisation and trades unions are working towards devising appropriate measures and ways to cooperate efficiently within the entire European network.

Expected speakers are expected to include, amongst others, Elmar Brok, MEP, Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission, Bishop Joseph Homeyer, former president of COMECE, Ingrid Sehrbrock, deputy president of the DGB and Józef Niemiec, confederal secretary of ETUC.

As a delegate from Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church will take part Rev. Ihor Shaban, Head of the Ecumenical Commission and the coordinator of the Social Days of UGCC in Ukraine.

New times. Which future do we choose?

Work – Social Cohesion — Leadership

(KSI. Bad Honnef 15-17/4/2010)

Why do we need a European Social Week?

…because the social challenges can no longer be met in every country and because the commitment of the citizens themselves is so important.

A European Social Week is designed to ensure that the expanding world markets can make a contribution to more investment, more innovation, more job opportunities and the better satisfaction of human needs.

There is still, however, the question of whether or not this mega-development will, in practice, result in a harmonised world with more opportunities in terms of cultures and civilisations. Unfortunately, this is all too rarely the case, because, in actual fact, there is a dark side to globalisation. The tragedy of debarment and poverty has not been eradicated, just made worse. The same applies to equality of income, with the gulf between rich and poor becoming wider. The continuing wave of company mergers and takeovers and the associated restructurings pay too little heed to the wellbeing of the individual. Workers are being turned into competitors as companies decide to relocate to countries where wages are lower. However, ensuring the maximum return for shareholders and investors should not always be the decisive factor.

Globalisation also has negative consequences for the lives of poor farmers, workers and fishermen in the third world.

The history of the individual countries of Europe has taught us that, in the past hundred years, the free market economy has been corrected by democratic social and political groupings, which have arisen from the people themselves. An entire range of organisations, movements and trades unions with thousands of activists and strugglers have given their utmost in the struggle for social equality and solidarity. In many European countries, the Christian-inspired organisations have played a key role in this movement, since, at the heart of the Christian psyche lies a belief in the value of every individual person, together with the right and the obligation to make the most of oneself and to be of service to oneself and society. Christian workers and worker organisations were the front-runners in the struggle for employment rights, humane work, an economy in the service of the people, a voice in the workplace, more opportunities to take part in decisions and resolutions in the world of work by means of a fully-developed social dialogue, in order to show solidarity with those who are less quick, intelligent or healthy, with the young and old, men and women both here and across the continents, irrespective of the colour of one’s skin or of one’s religion, alongside solidarity with nature and the whole of Creation.

Applying these values to a multi-coloured civil society has greatly influenced and significantly corrected the free market economy in many countries of Europe.

And…this task is just as important today!

Christians believe that it is their natural responsibility, bestowed on them on Whitsunday, to assume the initiative for this.

The European Social Week would like to provide a platform for meeting, confrontation and reflection, for the mutual encouragement of all those involved in the Christian social field in Europe – the promotion and expansion of the collaboration between all Christian worker and employer organisations, research institutes, Christian social education and care centres, in order to create, in a globalised world, the adventure of a connected world en route to a true community, in which love, service, welfare, creativity, responsibility, leadership, fairness, mutuality and closeness make life worth living.

Robert Weber 

President of the 4th European Social Week