“Family Policies: an Investment in the Future”
Conference organized in Toledo , September 24th – 25th, 2009 by the UNAF and WFO European Region
UNAF (Union of the Family Associations) and WFO (World Family Organization) European Region organized a conference in Toledo, Spain to delve deeper into the question how family policy actions can best be implemented to support families against the background of the demographic challenge Europe is facing.
The conference held on the 24th and 25th of September, 2009 was a good opportunity with its fascinating keynote speakers, lively workshops and roundtable discussions to speak about the dialogue between family organizations and the European Institutions.
From ELFAC, László Márki, Leonids Mucenieks, Raúl Sánchez were invited to participate at the conference as speakers. They were asked to speak about some good practices in their countries – family-friendly municipalities in Hungary, family card in Spain - and the impact of crisis on family policy in Latvia.
The 15th member-country of ELFAC: Greece
ASPE, Supreme Confederation of Multi-Child Parents of Greece has joined the European Large Families Confederation
The Greek confederation of large families became a member of ELFAC last May, when the General Assembly of the Confederation accepted its petition for affiliation.
ASPE, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded under the Greek Law in 1931, to undertake
(a) the representation of the Large (four or more children) Families in Greece,
(b) the study and the promotion of their needs and demands, and
(c) the looking after of their material and non-material interests as well as
(d) the support of the concept and the institution of family in society.
ASPE has 120 member associations of large families (four or more children in Greece) and represents 180.000 families which means about 1.200.000 persons.
- To support and promote the institution of family, as an institution of a high humanistic value that society relies upon where characters are forged, tomorrow’s honest citizens are prepared and virtues like affection and love are cultivated.
- To promote the enhancement and advancement of family policies all across the laws and regulations to effectively support and promote parenthood, motherhood, better children care etc.
- To represent the ‘voice of the family’, and of the large family in particular, to the various national and international fora.
- To avert social exclusion threats for large families.
- To look after the material and non-material interests of the Large Families.
Contact:
www.aspe.gr
info@aspe.org.gr
Large Families criticizes the short sensibility of the EU rejecting the reduced VAT for nappies and goods for babies
European Large
Families Confederation does not understand why to put the maximum VAT on a
basic item which is used daily by millions of children in Europe
13 March 2009
European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) has received disappointingly the exclusion of the nappies and other infantile items from the list of items with possibly reduced VAT (7%), by the ECOFIN, the meeting of the Economics and Finance Ministers of the European Union.
The 10th of March ECOFIN added products and services of attendance at residence, repairs and housing alterations, and cloth, footwear with others to the list, while nappies, prams and other infantile items will carry on with the maximum rate, as the consensus necessary was not achieved by each country.
For ELFAC, this decision is a sample of the short sensibility of the
members of Ecofin, who did not only ignore the suggestion of the European
Commission, in favour of the reduction, but also forgot the social demand and the positive impact that a VAT reduction
of the items of infantile hygiene would have on millions of European
households.
ELFAC has been demanding this matter for years, asking that nappies
should not be considered as luxury items because of the effect of VAT. The
battle has been extended to all Europe, where
the Confederation carried out an energetic protest-campaign of this matter,
which culminated last July with the decision of the European Commission to make
a change in the regulating policy of VAT.
“The Commission understood that it is his responsibility to watch over
the social and economic protection of the families, of the families with
children, all over Europe; however the state
members has neglected this responsibility. It is quite striking that in the
time of crisis, families with children are not supported; something that would
help daily life of millions of families in Europe is not approved”, says the
president of ELFAC, Fernando Castro.
An important expense of millions of families
During the first two years of a child, 6-8 pieces of nappies are used daily, which supposes a significant
expense for the family. However the prices range by age of the baby and brand
of the nappies, the average is around 900
Euros annually. In case of large families, with three or more children,
this economic outlay, 75 Euros a month
per child, may extend for years. Families with multiple-childbirth, have to
pay out this amount of money multiplied by two or three at once.
MORE INFORMATION: Fernando Castro – President of European Large Families Confederation president@elfac.org