The importance of the social model to help tackle the current jobs crisis was the main theme at the joint EU agencies and European Parliament seminar on the European social model and competitiveness in Brussels on 25 September. In his speech, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Laszlo Andor, congratulated the four EU agencies – Cedefop, ETF, EU-Osha and Eurofound – on their contribution to the European social model adding that the event was an ‘excellent illustration’ of their work.

The seminar prompted a debate by MEPs of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, senior European officials, social partners’ representatives and the agencies’ directors on how the social model needs to evolve in order to be sustainable.

The debate, which was streamed live, was closely followed on social media and extensively reported on European publications and websites.