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Restructuring and employment
Defining, discussing and promoting responsible approaches to change in Europe
NOVEMBER 18TH 2008, BRUSSELS
Conseil central de l’économie, Avenue de la Joyeuse entrée, 17-21, 1040 Bruxelles (Rond Point Schuman)
The European Think Tank Pour la Solidarité and RKW Kompetenzzentrum are pleased to invite to the conference
„Restructuring and employment: Defining, discussing and promoting responsible approaches to change
in Europe“.
Restructuring has become a key word in media’s agenda setting, while the process it describes is often associate
with crisis and perceived as a catastrophic event. This contributes to the term’s usage as a synonym for the breaking
apart of social cohesion. Massive impacts on employment are related to restructuring regarding the number of employees dismissed and the necessity to adapt to drastically changing qualification and skill requirements. Further
severe restructuring might be expected in future, as current financial crisis has already hit former flagship industries
like the automotive branch.
In order to make Europe not just more competitive, but to respect as well European social values, negative consequences of restructuring shall be mitigated. There seems to be thus a need for a foresight oriented approach towards
changes.
The conference aims at raising several questions:
»» How to give all actors involved in restructuring processes the chance to prepare and to bring in their
interests for better coping with challenges in a cooperative way?
»» What are anticipative approaches realisable under singular circumstances?
»» What could be „good practices“ regarding among others restructuring in SMEs?
The ANCOBEST (Anticipation and Collaboration to better understand Structural Transformation) project’s team was
challenged to draw up a European picture of virulent national and regional problems associated with restructuring.
By carrying out in-depth case studies in ten EU member states, partners brought in not only the culturally differing
perspective but as well their interdisciplinary background for analyzing this variegated phenomenon. A focus was put
on stakeholders’ perception and perspective of carrying jointly and being integrated into enterprises’ adaptation processes.
We are pleased to put our project’s experience in the context of a European experts’ discussion on how to define,
discuss and promote responsible approaches to change in Europe. We are looking forward to discuss with you at
our conference.
Denis Stokkink
Stefanie Bechert
Pour la Solidarité RKW Kompetenzzentrum
ANCOBEST is a project co-funded by the European Union
Agenda
9:30 – 10:00
Welcome and introduction to topic
Benoît Cerexhe, Minister of the Brussels Capital Regional Government
Denis Stokkink, President, Pour la Solidarité, Brussels, ANCOBEST partner Belgium
10:00 – 11:30
Part 1 - Presentations: European discourse and case research at EU and
country level
Jean-François Lebrun, Head of Unit, DG Employment and Social Affairs,
European Commission, Brussels
Dominique Bé, Deputy Head of Unit, European Social Fund (ESF) Coordination in the
Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission, Brussels
Ramon Pena Casas, Researcher, The Observatoire social européen (OSE),Brussels
Bela Galgoczi, Senior researcher, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), Brussels
Stefanie Bechert, European and International Affairs Director, RKW Kompetenzzentrum, Eschborn, ANCOBEST partner Germany
Wojciech Czakon, Professor at University of Economics in Katowice, Faculty of Management,
and Project Coordinator of Scientific Society for Organisation and Management (TNOiK), Katowice, ANCOBEST partner Poland
11:30 – 11:50
Coffee break
11:50 – 13:00
Part 2 - Panel discussion:
Finding instruments for retracing a responsible approach towards restructuring, promoting best practices and creating social values in Europe
Panelists: See speakers Part 1
Manuel Oliveira, General Secretary, Portuguese Association for the Mould Industry (CEFAMOL), Marinha Grande, ANCOBEST partner Portugal
Moderation:
Denis Stokkink, President, Pour la Solidarité, Brussels, ANCOBEST partner Belgium
13:00
Stand-up lunch and refreshments
ANCOBEST is a project co-funded by the European Union