EMN National Contact Point in Poland organised a conference on Tendencies and Evolution of the Social and Health System for Foreigners in View of the International Obligations Regarding Social Policy. The conference took place in Warsaw on June 25, 2014.
EU Member States are committed to ensure well-being of their population through effective social security and health systems. However, the rules on who is entitled to social security benefits and health care vary. Currently, the social security systems of all Member States face challenges and pressures for their change also in view of economic crisis and unfavourable demographic developments effected by declining fertility rates. Therefore the main goal of the conference was to provide experts with platform for exchange good practice, experience and views on social security and health systems towards migrants and measures to combat social exclusion.
The first panel of the conference was focused on tendencies and evolution of the social security policies toward foreigners at the international level. Among the discussants were representatives of the Council of Europe, International Labour Organization (ILO) and the University of Antwerp.
During the second panel the outcomes of the EMN synthesis report on Migrant Access to Social Security and Healthcare: Policies and Practice were presented. Consequently, specific problems of migrant access to social security systems were discussed by delegates of EMN National Contact Points for the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Spain.
Panelists of the last session dealt with organisation of the social security and healthcare policy in Poland from the point of view of academic and research institutions, ministries and municipal family support centre.
Conference programme and presentations are available on Polish EMN National Contact Point website.