Our DSV highlights in the annual review.

Dear Readers, 

An eventful year is drawing to a close for all of us, and the festive season is just around the corner. Christmas brings not only joy and reflection but also a wonderful opportunity to look back at the past twelve months and share with you some of our personal DSV highlights.

The year 2024 was a very special one for us Europeans. It was marked by the European election, which showed us all once again how the political landscape and the mood in the Member States has changed over the last five years. But it was also characterised by the start of a new legislative period with a spirit of optimism for the year ahead.

This year, we have once again been involved in a variety of activities. In the run-up to the European elections, for example, we closely examined the election programmes and took a close look at the candidates. A very special moment was the panel discussion in Berlin, which we organised together with the Gesellschaft für Versicherungswissenschaft und -gestaltung (GVG). We wanted to play an active role in the political debate and promote cooperation based on openness, tolerance and respect. Under the title "Between hope and fear – the European elections, the shift to the right and the social policy of tomorrow", we had the opportunity in March to discuss the increase in votes for anti-European and right-wing populist parties with German members of the Bundestag. It was exciting and challenging to discuss the possible consequences of changing power relations for European social policy.

However, this event was only the beginning of our involvement in the European elections; it was the start of our first European election campaign. In light of the political developments and challenges facing Europe, the entire DSV team was keen to actively promote a democratic, peaceful, diverse and tolerant Europe. As part of our very personal social media campaign with the hashtag #SocialSecurityMatters, we tinkered, baked and talked about the achievements, benefits and shared core values of the EU in various formats. Of course, the importance of European social and health policies for all of us was always at the heart of it.

These issues are at the heart of our day-to-day work, which is why this year we have again been very involved in a number of legislative initiatives. We drafted statements, summarised our positions in position papers and engaged in dialogue with policymakers. Some of the most important legislative processes that kept us busy in 2024 were the revision of the medical devices regulation, the pharmaceutical reform, the reform of the “one substance, one assessment” chemicals assessment, the European Health Data Space (EHDS), the directive to improve working conditions for platform workers and the revision of insolvency law. There is still much to do and some of these initiatives will continue to be with us in the new year.

After the European elections and with the start of the new legislature, we also had to re-orient ourselves. Which MEPs were re-elected? Who will be responsible for what in the future? In which committees will MEPs be represented? This is important to us as these changes in the European Parliament have a direct impact on our daily work. The organisational changes within the European Commission also bring new challenges. Tasks are no longer the responsibility of individual Commissioners, but increasingly overlap. For us as an interest group, this means that we now have to work with a larger number of political decisionmakers and adapt our strategies accordingly.

We look forward all the more to engaging in dialogue with political leaders in the new year and to sharing our ideas and concerns.

But before we start the new year, we would like to thank you very much for the pleasant and good cooperation. We always benefit from our dialogue with you and we look forward to working together again in 2025 to set the course for a social, democratic and diverse Europe. 

We wish you a peaceful Christmas. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and start the new year healthy and happy!

Your DSV Team