Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-10-Speech-2-526"
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"en.20090310.37.2-526"2
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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, there are disturbing signs indicating the appearance of a relatively new trend in a number of Member States. Parents are leaving their home country to work in another Member State – so-called ‘mobile workers’ – and are leaving their children at home in the care of relatives. These arrangements are supposed to be temporary but it seems that they often become more long-lasting. The question of whether arrangements for children left at home operate on a formal or informal basis depends on the length of time for which the parents intend to work abroad. However, after some time, a number of these children often end up in institutional care because the relatives are no longer able to cope with the situation due to financial, personal or other practical reasons.
In Member States with high levels of emigration, this phenomenon is by no means unusual. It is starting to be documented and it has also attracted media attention. The Commission has organised a number of studies which will help to gather evidence and to find solutions, although such solutions can only be implemented at a domestic level. At present, there is still not enough hard data for us to understand the nature, structure and main forms of this phenomenon, even though the evidence is already disturbing enough, as I have already said. Within the framework of the open method of coordination in the social area, the fight against poverty and social exclusion is a priority. Member States must reinforce preventative measures and focus on the most vulnerable families. In concrete terms, this means supporting projects for strengthening families and supporting parental assistance for families in difficult circumstances in order to overcome the risk of children becoming separated from their parents at an early age.
A further aspect which must be addressed is the fact that this phenomenon is often perceived as a negative consequence of worker mobility. The Commission, in cooperation with the EURES network, is focusing on how best to help those affected with the specific problem of children left at home by parents who are mobile workers and providing job-seekers and their families with information on living and employment conditions in EU countries. Such an approach can contribute to relieving the negative consequences of this phenomenon which we are quite rightly debating today."@en1
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