3rd FEPS Next Left Focus Group Meeting

3^rd FEPS Next Left Focus Group Meeting

The FEPS Next Left Focus Group Meeting, which is organised by FEPS with the kind support of Renner Institut, will be taking place in FEPS premises on 15^th – 16^th October. The aim of this session, which is already the 3^rd one this year, is to review the results of the research that has been completed respectively by the NL FG members on the bases of previously discussed abstracts and draft versions of this year’s Group’s papers. The meeting will be presided by the Chair of the FEPS Next Left Research Programme, Dr. Alfred Gusenbauer.

Following the objective to look at the challenge of “Politicising Social Europe”, the members undertook efforts to examine, among others:contemporary sense of a social contract as an alternative societal narrative; the challenges and opportunities of a true European Social Dialogue; the interdependency paradigm of equality, efficiency and sustainability; ways of dealing with erosion of solidarity in Europe and the US; attitudes towards Social Europe across the continent; and last but not least a mission bringing optimism to social democracy and ensuring it is a movement that is part of a broadly understood future. Next to these, there are also historical threads of the ongoing debate – which both reflect on the evolution of ideological and political traditions of the movement.

The meeting in October will be an opportunity to advance and finalise the ongoing work, summarise the achievements of the year so far – and looking into some new research questions and alternative, accelerating working methods for 2013. The addition of new members will moreover surely enrich the ongoing debate.

For more information, please contact: A.Skrzypek, FEPS Senior Research Fellow – ania.skrzypekfeps-europe.eu