Sir, Regarding ‘Brussels steps up efforts on pension reform‘: I would like to share with you and your readers my frustration at the lack of common sense demonstrated by the suggested reform. For that, I would like to refer to a document entitled ‘Interim EPC-SPC Joint Report on Pensions’ that I read some time ago. [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘EU promotes ‘green jobs’ as way out of crisis‘: Let me first agree on the importance of the discussion presented in the article, and also on the role of climate and energy policies in catalysing the economic recovery and as a source of ‘green jobs’. In relation to this, I would also like [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘EU: Bank levy could raise up to 50 billion a year‘: The European Commission is telling us that governments should raise taxes from the financial sector, not only to pay back the banks’ bailouts and combat climate change, but also to fight poverty in the developing world. I am disappointed that your article [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘‘Social Europe’ still missing in EU 2020 draft, say activists‘: After reviewing the first assessment from the European Commission, ILGA-Europe wrote the following letter to Commission President Barroso, and Commissioners Reding, Malmström, Füle, Andor, and Vassiliou: “We understand from European Commission consultation documents on the EU 2020 strategy that there are currently no [...]

Open letter to Commissioner Andor on a youth dimension in the EU 2020 strategy I would like to draw your attention to youth unemployment problem across Europe. Close to six million young Europeans are not able to find a job and thus earn a living. This depicts a dangerous trend and all efforts should be [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘Skills shortage worsens EU unemployment‘: As a recent graduate from the London School of Economics and holder of a European Parliament scholarship from 2007-09, I have now been making hopeless overtures to the job market for longer than I care to count. During my four years of graduate studies, I have consistently taken [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘EU innovation ‘manifesto’ turns spotlight on funding and skills‘: The idea of expanding the ‘scale and ambition’ of the European Union’s structural funds towards strengthening investment in research and knowledge is in itself excellent and necessary. However, one must be careful to make sure that the structural funds are invested directly in science [...]

Sir, In response to Dr. Orlin Vushkov’s letter ‘Young people: Do not go back to Bulgaria‘: Young people, (Bulgarian or not), do come to Bulgaria and bring your wildest ideas and projects! Don’t forget to bring your stubbornness, your patience, your endless creativity and unwary flexibility, too! Dr. Vushkov: please do not doom your own [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘Hunt continues for women to fill top EU posts‘: Why not invite Arianna Huffington to be EU president. She is Greek, educated in England, politically savvy, extremely well-connected globally, a businesswoman, started up and runs a large, complex, organisation (The Huffington Post), is multilingual, etc. She would add a touch of class and [...]

Dear all, Without improving the position of women in the labour market, it is hard to create a socially coherent Europe. Gender equality is inextricably linked with employment and social inclusion, two objectives actively pursued through the Lisbon Strategy. To this effect, the PES Group at the Committee of the Regions is recommending that the [...]