The latest one:
EAPN letter to the EPSCO Council: Put People and Respect for the European Social Model first
Ahead of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 9-10 March 2009, EAPN has written to the Ministers regarding the impact of the crisis on people in poverty and anti poverty organisations. In their letter, EAPN puts forward short and long term proposals to ensure that the needs of people experiencing poverty are included in the response to the crisis.
Download the letter: English – French – Spanish
Other EAPN policy papers on…
Social Inclusion
Building Security, Giving Hope: EAPN Assessment of the National Strategic Reports on Social Protection and Social Inclusion (2008-10) Read
Read more
Employment
EAPN Letter to EAPN to EU Ministers of Employment: “The adequacy of Minimum Income Schemes is a key way to address the economic crisis” Read
The Lisbon Strategy
>>Will the economic crisis force a stronger social pillar in Lisbon? EAPN Social Inclusion Scoreboard on the National Reform Programmes (2008-10) Read
Structural Funds
Services
Participation and civil Dialogue
09/10/2015 – Today EAPN released its EAPN Assessment of the National Reform Programmes 2015 – Can the Semester Deliver on Poverty and Participation? at its Annual Policy Conference held in partnership with and at the premises of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The report, strongly welcomed by the attendance including high-level representatives, provides a synthesis of EAPN members’ assessment of the 2015 National Reform Programmes. Each of the 21 National EAPN Networks have assessed on how far the NRPs are delivering on the social targets of Europe 2020 (particularly the poverty target, but also the employment and education targets) and on the effectiveness of civil society stakeholders’ engagement with the governance process of the Semester and Europe 2020. The report consequently draws 3 main messages.
02/02/2015 – As part of the ‘DRIVERS for Health Equity’ project, EAPN published a report and synthesis of case-study evidence on income and social protection, which is a joint EAPN and Centre for health Equity Studies (CHESS) work. Authored by Fiona McHardy with Olle Lundberg, this research undertook a case study approach exploring in a comparative country context, the impact of social protection system, both operations and provisions, on health inequality, in Hungary, Poland, UK, Sweden and Portugal. The publication also includes a Toolkit on how to develop focus groups (Annex 2).
12/04/2015 – EAPN has issued its Proposals regarding the new European Commission’s Integrated Guidelines in the economic and employment fields. This 6-page document summarises the new guidelines, their potential and shortfalls as well as a set of 7 recommendations: 1) Guidelines must deliver on Europe 2020 goals and targets, 2) Inclusive Investment means Social Investment, 3) Safeguard adequate social protection for social cohesion,
27/07/2015 – EAPN has released its briefing on Juncker’s EU Investment Plan and the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI). As a consequence of the economic crisis, the level of investment in the EU has dropped significantly since its peak in 2007, by about 15%. The former Barroso Commission had been characterized by the austerity era, where fiscal consolidation has been over prioritized at the expense of investments, including social investment. Although the current Juncker Commission is composed by the same political coalition, the urgency of a response in terms of investment to the consequences of the economic and financial crisis seems to have become more prominent.
12/05/2015 – EAPN submitted today its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation regarding the provision of services to long-term unemployed in the Member States and at EU level. In its response, EAPN highlights that the long-term unemployed cannot be regarded as a homogenous group, and a one-size-fits-all approach will not yield the expected results.
08/12/2014 – EAPN publishes its assessment of the 2015 Annual Growth Survey and and Draft Joint Employment Report “Fresh start or broken promises?” with a series of 6 key messages. EAPN’s assessment is sent today to the Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs ahead of their EPSCO meeting on 11 December, where they will discuss progress on the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Mid-Term Review.
01/10/2014 – The labour market situation of young people in Europe is one of today’s most debated topics, with unemployment rates reaching 23.4% in 2013, and over 55% in countries such as Greece or Spain. Yet, a less known number is even more staggering: 29.7% of Europe’s young men and women experienced poverty and social exclusion in 2012 (EU-28, Eurostat, 2012).
8/10/2014 – EAPN has invested a large amount of resources in trying to engage and monitor the delivery of the Europe 2020 Strategy with inputs to the National Reform Programmes and proposals for Country-specific Recommendations (see other publications in this section). In 2015, the EU Institutions, under the auspices of the new European Parliament and Commission will carry out a Mid-Term Review of the Strategy. This process was launched on the 5 March 2014 with the Commission’s Stock-Taking Communication assessment of the Europe 2020 strategy and followed on 5 May, with the launch of an on-line public consultation with a deadline of 31 October.
Our overwhelming concern is: Can the Europe 2020 Strategy be made fit for purpose enough to deliver its promises on poverty reduction?
8/10/2014 – This year marks the last round of National Reform Programmes (NRPs) before the Mid-Term Review of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2015. Whilst some signs of recovery have been seen in some countries, Europe’s social crisis continues to worsen, as a result of rising unemployment and continuing austerity policies.
In this context, EAPN members have continued to try to engage in the Semester and Europe 2020 process at national and EU level, with the hope that increased engagement could help to bring real progress on effective policies to meet the poverty target. EAPN’s report From Austerity to Inclusive Growth – what progress? builds on the 2013 NRP Assessment: Widening the Gap and EAPN member’s assessment and proposals for Country-specific Recommendations for 2014.
