Informal meeting of family ministers
- On: 18.09.2008
- In: Paris, Institut du Monde Arabe
This meeting, chaired by Xavier Bertrand, the French Ministrer of Labour, Labour Relations, Family and Solidarity and Nadine Morano, the French Secretary of State for family affairs, will be one of the major events of the French presidency in the social sphere.
This meeting will take place in Paris at the Institut du Monde Arabe on 18 September and will focus on two main topics for debate:
First topic for debate: "Child care: how to better reconcile family life and professional life".
The issue of reconciling family life and professional life has been central to Member States' concerns for a number of years now, in particular the question of childcare for small children. More than 80% of women aged between 25 and 55 work outside the home, while continuing to assume most household duties and childcare. Furthermore, many countries, including France, are faced with problems of an ageing population. Although the Member States have no common family policy as such, the studies on reconciling work and family life carried out during the German presidency showed the importance of exchanging ideas and best practices on issues concerning demography, childcare for small children (crèches, etc.) and companies' involvement in reconciling periods of maternity, childcare and and professional life .
Second topic for debate: "Protecting children on the internet".
The aim of this meeting is to boost awareness and exchanges of ideas between ministers on the issue of protecting children from the dangers of the internet, as well as other media such as the mobile phone and online games. The actions taken and the systems of protection, in particular for fighting against child pornography, will be the subject of a particular discussion to allow Nadine Morano to share the best practices noted on her trips to the United Kingdom and Norway. The Norwegian minister for family affairs will also participate in the discussions on account of Norway's experience in blocking child pornography sites. Mr Bertrand would also like to have an exchange of opinions on ways to raise awareness in families, who are often overwhelmed by technological progress and the tools for parental supervision that could be offered to them.
Interview of Nadine Morano (video)
- Updated: 05.12.2008
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