Socio-economic Research - Dialogue Workshop

Socio-economic Research

Informal/Undeclared Work
'Research on its changing nature and policy strategies in an enlarged Europe'

Brussels, Wednesday 21 May 2003

Room 3B, Albert Borschette Conference Centre, Rue Froissart 36, 1040 Brussels

Seminar jointly organised by DG Research (RTD) and DG Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL). It aims at presenting research on informal/undeclared work funded under the 4th and 5th Framework Programmes for Research and debating the results in a policy context. It will ensure the link between research and the European Strategies on Employment and Social Cohesion.

9.00: Arrival/Coffee

9.40 Welcome address

• Andrew Sors, European Commission, Head of unit DG RTD, unit "Social sciences and the Humanities"

• Antonis Kastrissianakis, European Commission, Director of DG EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs), Directorate A "Employment and ESF Policy Co-ordination"

Chairperson of the morning session: Andrew Sors, European Commission, Head of unit DG RTD, unit "Social sciences and the Humanities"

Session: Broad Presentation of Undeclared Work in Europe

10.00: Development of informal work in Europe - causal factors, problems, approaches to solutions - Prof. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, University of Jena, D, Co-ordinator of the project 'Formal and Informal Work in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of their Changing Relationship and their Impact on Social Integration' (FIWE)

10.25: Undeclared labour in Europe: definitions, scope, and recipes for an integrated approach of combating undeclared labour - Dr. Piet Renooy, REGIOPLAN, Research for Policy, Amsterdam, NL

10.45: Question time & discussion

Thematic Session I: Household Services and Care of Dependent Persons

11.00: The role of domestic services in EU - Prof. Suzy Pasleau, University of Liège, B, The socio-economic role of domestic service as a factor of European identity' ('Servant' Project)

11.25: Discussant: Dr. Bridget Anderson, Oxford University, UK, author of "Doing the Dirty Work? The global politics of domestic labour"

11.35: Policy discussant: Ms. Miet Smet, Member of the European Parliament

11.45: Question time & discussion

12.15: Lunch

Chairperson of the afternoon session: Georg Fischer, European Commission, Head of unit DG EMPL, unit "Employment analysis"

Thematic Session II: Participation in Undeclared Work and Social Cohesion in an Enlarged Europe

13.45: Undeclared work and social cohesion: the case of the unemployed and of young people - Prof. Thomas Kieselbach, University of Bremen, D, and Dr. Vando Borghi, University of Bologna, I, from the project 'Youth Unemployment and Social Exclusion' (YUSEDER' project)

14.15: Discussant: Vincenzo Faraone, Italia Lavoro, I, EQUAL (ESF)

14.25: Question time & discussion

14.40: Undeclared work and social cohesion: the case of migrant workers - Prof. Emilio Reyneri, University of Milan-Bicocca, I, and Dr. Czarina Wilpert, Technische Universität Berlin, D, from the project 'Migrant Insertion in the Informal Economy, Deviant Behaviour and the impact on Receiving Societies' ('MIGRINF')

15.05: Discussant: Dr. Jan Rath, University of Amsterdam, NL, co-ordinator of the project 'Working on the Fringes: Immigrant Businesses, Economic Integration and Informal Practices'

15.15: Question time & discussion

15.30: Undeclared work in the acceding States and candidate countries - Mr. Ruslan Stefanov, Center for the Study of the Democracy, Sofia, Bulgaria, participant in research project 'The Informal Economy in the EU Accession Countries: size, scope, trends and challenges to the process of EU Enlargement' (INFOREC)

15.50: Discussant: Prof. Olga Gritsaï, University of Amsterdam, NL, co-ordinator of research on undeclared work in the acceding states and candidate countries, REGIOPLAN (INREGIA study for DG EMPL)

16.00: Question time & discussion

16.15: Summing up the discussions of the day - Prof. B. Pfau-Effinger

16.25: Round Table & Discussion

Participants:

• Ms. A-K Glase, Member of the European Parliament

• Gianni Principe, ETUC, European Trade Union Confederation(1)

• Ms. Thérèse de Liedekerke, Director for Social Affairs, UNICE, Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe

• Gerhard Huemer, Director for Economic and Fiscal Policy, UEAPME, European Union of Crafts and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

• Paolo Sestito, Economic Adviser to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Italy

17.25: End of the seminar

(1) to be confirmed