ALLEA co-organises debate on “Inequalities in Europe” at the European Parliament in Brussels

On Tuesday, 15 September 2015, ALLEA participated in a debate on the cross-cutting topic of inequalities in Europe jointly organised with the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The event took place in the EPRS Library Reading Room on the premises of the European Parliament.

The event began with an introductory address by the ALLEA President, after which a panel of experts from both academia and the European Parliament discussed various aspects of the topic of inequalities and highlighted key examples. After the panel discussion, a debate ensued with members of the European Parliament which allowed for further examination of how science can help the development of policies for tackling inequalities. This multifaceted topic encompasses such issues as income and wealth inequalities; employment, inequality and social policy; as well as health, regional, educational, democratic, environmental, and gender inequalities and other cross-cutting themes such as migration, identity or sustainability.

Poster_Inequalities_thumbnailInequalities are a profound research and policy challenge for the European Union. For example, the European Union’s 2020 Strategy includes a target to have at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020. The understanding of inequalities is also vital for many areas of research within Horizon 2020. To “reverse inequalities” is furthermore a named priority for the EU in the European Council’s “Strategic Agenda for the Union in Times of Change”.

In the wider context, the roundtable debate sought to explore how scientific perspectives, especially from the humanities and social sciences, can concretely contribute to developing effective approaches and solutions for major societal challenges such as inequalities. The debate on inequalities followed the successful first roundtable debate that focussed on demographic change, which was organised by ALLEA, the ESF and the EPRS in March 2015.

Please click here to download the full programme.

More information will soon be available on the EPRS blog.