New Task Force

On 19-20 January the 8^th Meeting of the UBC Commission on Health and Social Affairs took place in Rostock. Representatives of the cities of Riga, Klaipeda, Reda, Helsinki, Turku, Stockholm, Gavle and Rostock and social scientists from Vilnius and Rostock met to define the next working direction and methods.

The representatives exposed the special situations of their cities. As a result of this analysis two working groups were set up which will push forward the exchange of experience and the project development in the next future: the Working Group on Children and Youth on Risk, chaired / co-chaired by the cities of Riga / Gavle and the Working Group on Employment is chaired / co-chaired by Klaipeda and Helsinki.

After having discussed the UBC Social Charter a charter working group was set up, in charge to find a way how to implement its goals within UBC cities.
Further interesting themes under debate were:

• the EU Strategy on Poverty and Social Exclusion broken down to National Action Plans how to work with it,
• experiences in transnational EU project design, application, implemen tation and follow-up and
• the Open Method of Co-ordination as an Instrument of international co operation work.

The next task force meeting is planned for 14-15 May 2004; details will be announced in due time. Cities ready to take responsibility within the Commission are invited to send their representative to the task force.