Přehled o publikaci

The presented publication contains a whole range of current issues faced by the member states of the European Union which are connected to the demographic development of society, such as population ageing, the low birth rate, the increased migration rate, a lack of workers in social services or ecological sustainability. These questions represent challenges to which social policy, whether at the regional or European level, must respond. The publication is divided into several key chapters that focus on the history and development of the European social policy, the social security system in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on current changes regarding the parental allowance, the conditions of the support for war refugees relating to the invasion of Russian troops onto the territory of Ukraine or the reforms in social benefits and the pension reform. Another important chapter is the area of social services; defining the current issues and the possibilities of their provision, their structuring and financing in the Czech Republic and selected European countries. The chapter “Social policy in the context of equality and solidarity” mainly contains the aspects and tools of social policy that are related to gender equality, protection of society, fight against discrimination, whether based on age, ethnic origin, religion or sexual orientation. The last parts of the publication are devoted to the European social model, the information on selected bodies of the European Union and their role in the creation of the European social policy, but also to the basic legal documents that have a significant influence on the direction of the social policy. There is also a characterisation of alternative models and current challenges, such as the universal basic income, the four-day work week, social entrepreneurship and community development, including particular examples of good practice.