Social services play a crucial role in supporting individuals and communities across Europe, but ensuring consistent quality standards remains a challenge.

eurofound.europa.eu (25.03.2025) The scale of undeclared care work (paid care work that is lawful but not declared to public authorities) in the EU is considerable. Recent estimates suggest that 6.8 million undeclared workers provide care or household services across the EU, with 2.1 million specifically in the care sector. Undeclared care workers are predominantly women and often are migrants.

(18.03.3025) This brief aims to improve our understanding of how population ageing affects the financial sustainability of health systems, focusing on its likely impact on affordable access to health care (‎financial protection)‎. It uses the Population Ageing Financial Sustainability Gap for Health Systems (‎PASH)‎ Simulator to forecast the impact of population ageing on health system revenue and spending between now and 2060 to estimate the likely size of the ageing-related health financing gap in selected countries in Europe (‎Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain)‎.

Euronews (13.02.2025) In many European countries, pension income is significantly lower than pre-retirement earnings from work. This makes it difficult for many older people to maintain their standard of living after retirement. Nearly one in six pensioners are at the risk-of-poverty in the EU, with the rate increasing from 12% in 2013 to 15.5% in 2023. So, how do pensions compare to pre-retirement work income across Europe?

who.int (04.02.2027) The year 2024 saw the Mental Health Flagship, under the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, make inroads in more sustainable and accessible mental health systems through four key areas: policy, services, data collection and stigma reduction. It marked the third year of the pan-European Mental Health Coalition and second year of the Addressing mental health challenges in the European Union (‎EU)‎, Iceland and Norway project, funded by the European Union.

bruegel.org (23.01.2025) Demographic change and ageing populations in European Union countries will impact many aspects of the economy and have a direct effect on long-term care (LTC) systems. Demand for LTC already exceeds supply in many EU countries, leading to the ‘care gap’. This gap is expected to widen, threatening quality of life for the elderly, exacerbating gender disparities and imposing significant economic costs. The root causes of the gap include demographic shifts, inadequate public investment, workforce shortages and a heavy reliance on informal caregiving.

Special Issue: Exploring unemployment insurance for the self-employed and platform workers - European Journal of Social Security - Volume 26, Number 2, Jun 01, 2024

consilium.europa.eu (14.10.2024) The Council has adopted new rules that aim to improve working conditions for the more than 28 million people working in digital labour platforms across the EU. The platform work directive will make the use of algorithms in human resources management more transparent, ensuring that automated systems are monitored by qualified staff and that workers have the right to contest automated decisions. It will also help correctly determine the employment status of persons working for platforms, enabling them to benefit from any labour rights they are entitled to.

worldbank.org (30.07.2024) Across European Union (EU) countries, the institutional design of Minimum Income (MI) programs varies widely in terms of the benefits and services provided to recipients, despite significant convergence toward a similar MI model and shared common approaches.

politico.eu (25.07.2024) The European Commission said Thursday it is taking legal action against Germany and Italy, accusing both countries of discriminating against EU migrants regarding social security. In 2018 and 2022, respectively, the German state of Bavaria and Italy passed laws reducing the amount of family benefits paid to mobile workers — a term referring to EU nationals working in a country where they are not citizens. As a result, the Commission referred Italy and Germany to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), calling the schemes “discrimination.”