European Union

Reducing the use of imprisonment: what can we learn from Europe?

Paper that looks at features of the criminal justice systems in operation in the Netherlands and Germany and analyses changes in prison numbers in order to see whether any lessons might usefully be considered in England and Wales.

There is a particular focus on Germany and the Netherlands as these are countries which share certain similarities with the UK.

Ageing across Europe

Many European countries, including the UK, are now facing the dual challenge of responding to the demographic changes brought by population ageing, while also implementing tough austerity measures following the 2008 financial and economic crisis.

With increasing pressure on public budgets, this is an important moment to consider what it is that makes a country a good place to grow old, and where possible to learn lessons from our European neighbours on the policies and services that are most effective in giving older people a good quality of life.

The social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy: a report of the Social Protection Committee

Report that analyses actions focusing on sustainable and adequate reforms of social protection systems, active inclusion strategies, well-designed universal and targeted benefits for families and groups at risk, future pension adequacy and long-term financial sustainability of pensions systems, as well as increased effectiveness of health care and long-term care.

In the current economic context, the report encourages Member States and the European Commission to strengthen their capacity to assess social impacts of major policy and spending decisions.