On the 3rd of December 2024, we welcomed 30 of our members to Brussels to kick off the #SOLIDARdays!

The #SOLIDARdays is a week dedicated to our members with events, strategy meetings, panels, and networking opportunities concluding with our flagship event, the Silver Rose Awards Ceremony.

The #SOLIDARdays began on the 3rd of December with the Social Europe Conference “Civil Society in the European Semester – road to a more democratic and social cycle” held in the European Parliament. We presented the main findings of the Social Rights Monitor 2024, the assessment of the state of social rights and civic space at the national level according to our members, as well as the consequent recommendations. After this, a panel discussion with experts on the European Semester explored avenues to strengthen the participation of CSOs in the cycle and to enhance its social and democratic component.   

After lunch, the SOLIDAR Foundation had the pleasure of organising the “Democracy in Action: A Conference on Global Citizenship Education” event at the European Parliament. It included a roundtable discussion with experts from CSOs and the European Commission talking about the role of GCE as a catalyst for democratic participation. At the event, SOLIDAR Foundation presented its new policy paper “Global Citizenship Education and Democratic Participation in Europe.” 

The following day, the 4th of December, members gathered at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) offices to discuss the next SOLIDAR strategy and share their insights on Social Rights, Education and Lifelong Learning, and Civic Space. The Social Affairs team highlighted a consensus on prioritising universal social protection, the fight against poverty, and addressing discrimination and inequalities, while areas such as digitalisation were deemed less relevant. In the International Cooperation Forum meeting, policy coherence was identified as one of the key advocacy messages that we need to keep promoting: EU policies and programmes have a global impact, and the EU cannot promote itself as a leader of human and environmental rights without a proper impact assessment. 

In the afternoon researchers Ifigeneia Douvitsa and Sofia Adam presented the findings of the thematic publication titled “An Economy Beyond Profit: SOLIDAR Membership’s Vision on Social and Solidarity Economy”. In this document, they summarised the ideas shared by SOLIDAR members on the current state of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and its desired future. During this event, member organisations had the opportunity to provide their feedback and input for the further development of a common standing on the topic.  

In the evening, SOLIDAR, in collaboration with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament (S&D), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the Young European Socialists (YES), and PES Women co-hosted the 2024 Silver Rose Awards Ceremony. This annual event, presented by SOLIDAR and the progressive family, recognises civil society organisations, trade unions, exceptional individuals, and activists for their work at all levels of society. For the second year in a row, the Silver Rose Ceremony took place at La Tricoterie in Brussels, marking a pivotal moment for championing the causes of social justice, gender equality, and a just transition. The event was a source of inspiration, demonstrating that, through collective action, systemic change is attainable.

Congratulations to the 2024 Silver Rose Award winners, Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) for the Just Transition Award, and Nicolas Schmit for the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, we introduced a new award, the Legacy Prize for Social Justice, awarded posthumously to Glenys Kinnock to honour her lifelong commitment and dedication to social justice internationally.

The ceremony is an occasion for winners to come to Brussels, where partners and the progressive family come together to celebrate organisations and individuals committed to the values of social justice and systemic change. Silver Rose emphasises the need for Europe to lead the way towards a just transition that is truly inclusive and just.

We made a video with the highlights of the ceremony!

On Friday 5th of December, we concluded the #SOLIDARdays with the event on the Global Green Deal at the European Economic and Social Committee.

Since the adoption of the European Green Deal (EGD) in 2019, a key question remains: How can the EU better involve partner countries in its ambitions towards a fair and just transition?  This concern was at the centre of SOLIDAR’s event, organised together with the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, Fair Trade International and the World Fair Trade Organisation, which took place on December 5 at the European Economic and Social Committee. The event gathered different stakeholders, from EU institutions to partner countries such as representatives from Colombia and Ecuador, aiming to discuss how the EU can address the global dimension of the European Green Deal in order to increase its efficiency, in the mutual interest of the EU and its partners. 

We wanna thank all our members and partners for having made this year’s #SOLIDARdays remarkable and for reminding us why the work we do is so important. Today more than ever!