The SOC Section deals with a broad range of policy areas including employment and working conditions, social policy and integration, gender equality, disability issues, public health, justice and home affairs (including immigration), and education and training. The section’s activities cover...

If the various data are combined, the only conclusion to be drawn is that the effects of the crisis and the social consequences of the economic downturn are largely related to the economic and social policies of a country's government. A review of the basic socioeconomic indicators for the...

While Latvia had one of the world’s fastest growth rates before the recession, it has lost about a quarter of its GDP since the recession hit. Although the economy is now growing at a good pace, the projections of the ministry for economic affairs suggest that, at best, it will not be able to...

With very low unemployment, a large and stable current account surplus, low government debt and a budget in surplus, the Dutch economy was assessed initially to be relatively well prepared to weather the financial and economic crisis. In 2008, however, the negative effects of the financial...

The financial crisis may pose a risk as well as offer an opportunity for the European defence sector: on the one hand, it sounds plausible that shrinking budgets increase the pressure on member states to cooperate and thus overcome the EU’s problems related to capability development and...

Overall, household debt levels have risen sharply over the past decades in EU Member States. While certain levels of household debts can be beneficial, they can become problematic especially with a sudden, unexpected decrease of incomes or increase of expenditures. The current financial crisis...

Household over-indebtedness is among the causes of the current financial crisis. In turn, the crisis exacerbated both public and private debt problems. In this paper, household over-indebtedness is broadly defined as the situation where a household cannot comply with payment requirements –...

This case study focuses on the measures used by ArcelorMittal to cut costs and avoid involuntary redundancies during the crisis in its largest Romanian subsidiary. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the various measures applied to keep staff in employment and to ensure the company’s...

This report focuses on how Dexia Bank Belgium has responded to the considerable challenges resulting from the financial and economic crisis, and how the transformation of its workforce has been managed under these circumstances. It specifically emphasises the role of the social partner...