European Employment Forum 2012

The European Employment Forum

An annual conference and exhibition focusing on the major social and economic issues surrounding employment and creating an effective discussion and meeting forum.

Central venue

In 2011 the Forum moved to the newly-redesigned and refurbished SQUARE, in the centre of Brussels. This is the former Brussels Palais des Congrès, where the event started many years ago.

SQUARE is ideally situated for easy access:

- Brussels International Airport just 17 minutes away by direct train shuttle to Brussels Central, the railway station directly opposite SQUARE - click for details about Brussels Airlines, our designated Official Travel Partner

- National and international high-speed rail connections from Brussels Central (www.nmbs.be; www.thalys.com; www.eurostar.com)

- 660 car parking spaces beneath SQUARE giving easy access to the building

- Many metro links, bus and tram stops nearby

The conference

The two-day conference features a broad international panel of speakers presenting current thinking and policy, with the European Commission Directorate Generals well represented (in order of their appearance on the 2011 Conference programme):

Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism & Youth, DG Education, Culture & Sport
Koos Richelle, Director General, DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion
Daniel Callelja-Crespo, Deputy Director, DG Enterprise and Industry
Peter Dröll, Head of Unit for Innovation Policy, DG Research & Innovation
Radek Malý, Head of Unit, Social Analysis, DG Employment
David White, Honorary Director General, European Commission
Santiago Loranca-Garcia, Head of Unit, Employment Strategies, DG Employment
Elena Flores, Director, Policy Strategy Directorate, DG Economics and Financial Affairs
László Andor, Member of the European Commission and responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

In addition, the event attracts a wide range of individuals, businesses, social partners and government policy makers from across the EU and beyond (in order of their appearance on the 2011 programme):

Andrea Mott, Quadrant Media & Communications
Minister Radoslaw Mleczko, Under Secretary of State, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Poland
John Vassallo, Vice President of EU Affairs, Microsoft Europe
Malgorzata Rusewicz, Polish Employer Representative, Lewiatan
Alexey Vovchenko, Deputy Director, Federal Service on Labour & Employment, Russian Federation
Professor Bob Gibbs, RWG UK and University of Nottingham, UK
Roberta Gatti, Social Protection Sector Manager & Lead Economist, Middle East and North Africa, The World Bank
Denis Pennel, Managing Director, Eurociett
Bart Samyn, Deputy General Secretary, European Metalworkers Foundation
Professor John Morley, Nottingham University Business School
Steve Bainbridge, Senior Expert, CEDEFOP
Christopher Brooks, Policy Adviser - Employment and Skills, AGE UK
Hakim Kamouche, Head of European Social Fund, Ministry of Labour, Île de France
Robert Anderson, Head of Unit, Living Conditions & Quality of Life, Eurofound
Robert Manchin, Chairman and Managing Director, Gallup Europe
Joel Roxburgh, Head of Sustainability, Vodafone
Ben Butters, Director of European Affairs, Eurochambres
Greg Ashmead, Managing Director, INGEUS Global Operation
Caroline Jenner, CEO, JA-YE
Anna Wicha, Country Manager, ADECCO Poland
Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Professional Services, REC
André Richier, ICT Unit, DG Entreprise and Industry
Sylvie Laffarge, Director of Community Affairs EMEA, Microsoft, and Chair, European Alliance on Skills for Employabilty
Conny Reuter, Secretary General of Solidar
Jacques Spelkens, Head of Department, Social Innovation, Gaz de France Suez
Elnur Sultanov, Chief of Social Security Policy Department and Director of the Social Protection Development Project, Azerbaijan
Duncan Campbell, Director of Labour Market, ILO
Annie Gauvin, Director of Studies and International Statistics, Pôle Emploi
Steven D’Haeseleer, Director, Social Affairs, BusinessEurope
Jozef Niemiec, Deputy General Secretary, ETUC
Sophie Thörne, President Social Affairs, CEEP
Andrew Dutton, Group CEO, A4e
Ben Jupp, Director, Social Finance and previously Director of Public Service Strategy, UK Civil Service

The 2011 event took place at SQUARE Brussels on 22-23 November. The full conference programme can be viewed in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish by clicking here or by using the links on the left-hand menu.

If you would like us to send you more information about the 2012 event, please register for our newsletter by entering your email address in the box to the right, or contact us.