Measuring the freedom to stay: Understanding the conditions that enable people to stay in their region
10:00 – 12:00 Europe/ Brussels
Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040, Brussels, BE
What conditions enable people to build their lives in one place rather than another? Across Europe, the ability to build a life in one place reflects more than employment opportunities. A range of factors is at play. As part of its #BrusselsBriefings series, Eurofound will host an off-the-record, in-person discussion on 16 June 2026, 10:00 - 12:00 Brussels time, presenting new research from its forthcoming report: Monitoring geographical disparities: Regional convergence.
Event background
Eurofound’s expert Eleonora Peruffo will introduce the new Freedom to Stay (FTS) Index, offering a comparative view of how EU regions perform across six decisive factors: access to essential services, economic opportunity and job quality, environmental quality, digital connectivity, housing, and the strength of local institutions. The index maps EU regions and gives practical expression to the idea of the 'freedom to stay', as set out in Enrico Letta’s recent report Much More Than a MarketPDFopens in new tab.
Alongside the index, a series of ten case studies examines how targeted interventions in education and healthcare can improve access to services in scarcely populated regions or regions facing population decline.
Taking place just as the European Commission’s call for evidence to identify the key challenges faced by communities - and the support they need to grow and succeed - comes to a close, this briefing will explore what the findings reveal about regional resilience and what policymakers can do to ensure that staying becomes a viable and attractive choice for citizens across Europe.
The invitation-only session offers stakeholders the opportunity to engage directly Eurofound experts on the most recent data and analysis. Following opening remarks and a short presentation, the session will include a Q&A and an exchange of views with participants.
Image © SERGEI/Adobe Stock
Agenda
Contact
Attendance is by invitation only. For any queries about the briefing, please contact Cristina Arigho.
Cristina Arigho
Senior Communication ManagerCristina Arigho is Senior Communications Manager and Stakeholder engagement and Promotions Lead in the Information and Communication unit at Eurofound, having joined the Agency in 2012. Previously, she spent almost 20 years in Brussels working in various roles, many of them at the European Commission, including as spokesperson for DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (2010–2012) and for DG Budget (2007–2009). Before joining the Commission’s spokesperson’s service, she was press officer at DG Employment (2005–2007) and speech writer for the Commissioner and Director General at the time (2003–2005). Prior to her years at the Commission, she worked for RTÉ radio and television (Irish national television) in Brussels as a production assistant and researcher, and later as news producer. Cristina is a graduate in Applied Languages from the University of Ulster at Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Speakers
Eleonora Peruffo
Research officerEleonora Peruffo is a research officer in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. She works on topics related to upward convergence and social cohesion in Europe. During 2021–2022, she provided data analysis for the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS). She joined Eurofound in 2014 and has worked on topics related to restructuring, employment and digitalisation. She holds an MA in Diplomatic Sciences and International Relations awarded by the University of Trieste and an MSc in Computer Science - Data Analytics from the National College of Ireland.
Monitoring geographical disparities: Regional convergence
This report examines the ‘right to stay’ across EU regions, exploring why some communities thrive while others decline. Examining the issue in six critical aspects – access to essential services, labour market opportunities, environmental quality, digital connectivity, housing availability and institutional effectiveness – the research maps the combination of factors that either encourage people to remain or drive them away.Monitoring geographical disparities: Regional convergence
This report examines the ‘right to stay’ across EU regions, exploring why some communities thrive while others decline. Examining the issue in six critical aspects – access to essential services, labour market opportunities, environmental quality, digital connectivity, housing availability and institutional effectiveness – the research maps the combination of factors that either encourage people to remain or drive them away.Series: Brussels briefings
Eurofound's Brussels Briefings are off-the-record, in-person sessions designed for insightful exchanges. Meet Eurofound experts to discuss the latest developments on the Brussels agenda in an informal setting.
Brussels Briefing: What is flexible working doing to our working lives?
Brussels Briefing - Measuring the freedom to stay: Understanding the conditions that enable people to stay in their region
Brussels Briefing - Housing affordability for young people in the EU: Insights from Eurofound’s latest research
Brussels Briefing - Mental health: Key findings and emerging risks
Brussels Briefing - Better jobs, longer careers: The role of job quality in retaining older workers
Brussels Briefing: Work and well-being - The gender gap in job quality
Brussels Briefing: Breaking barriers to employment and independent living for people with disabilities
Brussels Briefing: AI and algorithmic management - Reshaping the modern workplace
Brussels Briefing: Addressing unaffordable and inadequate housing in Europe – What can we do?
Brussels Briefing: Minimum wages – Comparing and contrasting in the EU
Brussels Briefing: Equal pay for women and men – It’s not just about the money
Brussels Briefing: The role social services play in European resilience - Applying lessons from the pandemic
Brussels Briefing: Job quality in the EU’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy
