The project fills the knowledge gap concerning opportunities and challenges for strengthening social dialogue in the exceptional COVID-19 pandemic governance related to vulnerable groups’ social rights and working conditions.

The main research question of DEFEN-CE is how social dialogue plays a role in addressing the employment and social protection rights of the vulnerable groups in the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath in 2020-2022.

Project aims are addressed via a multi-method approach, including database analysis and qualitative comparative analysis at the EU and national levels.

DEFEN-CE is committed to inclusiveness: it gathers data from all European regions (Northern, Western, Central, Southern, Eastern Europe) and includes both Member States and candidate countries (Serbia and Turkey).

The lead partner is the University of Helsinki, CELSI is the scientific coordinator responsible for the project’s methodology.

Project aims:

• Mapping public policy at national and EU-level in defense of the vulnerable groups upon the COVID-19 pandemic
• Mapping social partners’ strategies at national and EU level in defense of the vulnerable groups upon the COVID-19 pandemic
• Seeking interactions between social partners’ activities and policy making in tackling social and employment risks of vulnerable groups
• Promoting exchange of information for effective social dialogue between workers, employers and public authorities at national and EU level
• Understanding better the risks and opportunities for defending the vulnerable groups in the future
• Policy impact: gather evidence-based knowledge and recommendations for national and EU-level policy making
• Academic impact – conferences and journal publications using the collected data

Official project website: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/defen-ce/

Videos from the project:

Video: EU level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8dQv5j9GI

Video: Finland-Sweden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LayW0rSBSs

Video: Netherlands-Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlQn65sf2k

Video: Latvia-Lithuania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHvQ4-YE4C0

Video: Czechia-Slovakia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA3yKs3FsKI

Video: Spain-Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzn47aDYv7A

Video: Turkey-Serbia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI_onGSJV0M