"Harmonization", so that the reconciliation of work and family life, the central objective of the social policies of all Countries in the European Union, may become the instrument for promoting effective growth of households and territories. This is the idea that emerged from the third Festival of the Family, which was held last Friday at the conference center in Riva del Garda, with the theme "The Ecosystem of Life and Work. Employment of Women and Fertility, Prosperity and Economic Growth."
 
Such policies, explained the promoters in a summarized statement at the conclusion of the event, "are implemented according to a synergistic logic and inspired by subsidiarity, which call into question all of the assets in civil society that make it possible to travel boldly on the road social and technological innovation." Among the objectives defined in the course of the day‘s work, which brought together 35 speakers, 10 laboratories dedicated to students, and 1000 participants, are: "sustaining the levels of female employment, birth rates and the welfare of families, developing new services and new opportunities for businesses and households, while maintaining society‘s productivity and competitiveness." Since a "healthy" family also benefits the economy, the closing of the festival was dedicated to the role of institutions: "The challenge of harmonizing life and work makes it necessary to design a new welfare system, and consequently a new model of governance, which supports the family as a relational good, the relations between the institutions and the cooperation of all the actors of the territory."
For the reports and further information, see: www.festivalfamiglia.it