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Today Eurofound hosted its annual Open Day, an event when the agency opens its doors to the public, engages with citizens, connects with Irish-based partners, and celebrates its long-standing place in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area.

Eurofound’s will hold its third Annual Lecture on 19 June in Dublin. Entitled 'Living and working in Europe - Rethinking progress for a sustainable and equitable future', the lecture will be given by guest speaker Enrico Giovannini, professor of Economic statistics and of Sustainable development at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’.

This lunchtime event will be opened by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and at the Department of Defence, and Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, to celebrate Eurofound’s 50th anniversary – five decades of supporting better policies for a strong social Europe. Minister Byrne will also reflect on Ireland’s preparations for its upcoming 2026 EU Council Presidency.

Prof. Giovannini will explore the crucial challenge of balancing economic transition with sustained growth and societal prosperity. The address will delve into current EU policies, reflecting on their overall effectiveness in these areas. Looking at relevant national examples, Prof Giovannini will outline how legal frameworks can be adapted to integrate vital long-term thinking into policy-making.

The lecture takes place in the context of increasing emphasis on the need to boost European competitiveness on the global stage, and how this drive aligns with the core values and principles of the European social model.

Speaker background:

Enrico Giovannini is professor of Economic statistics and of Sustainable development at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' and professor and the National School of Administration (SNA). He was Italian Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility in the Draghi government (2021–2022) and Minister of Labour and Social Policies in the Letta government (2013–2014). He is also co-founder and Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), a coalition of more than 300 organisations established to implement the UN 2030 Agenda in Italy. He was Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician of the OECD (2001-2009), President of the Italian Statistical Institute (2009-2013) and visiting fellow at the European Political Strategy Centre of the European Commission (2014-2015). In October 2014, the President of the Italian Republic made him ‘Cavaliere di Gran Croce al Merito della Repubblica’, the highest honour of the Italian Republic. He is the author of more than 130 articles published on national and international journals and author of eight books on statistical and economic topics.

This event is by invitation only. For more information please contact Cristina Arigho.

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