EAPN’s annual conference was on 13 June, under the title Beyond Europe 2020 to Agenda 2030 – Working together for a post 2020 strategy that really benefits people and planet. We debated how to get a transformative social and sustainable post 2020 EU strategy which can deliver real results for poverty and social rights – underpinned by the Social Pillar and the SDGs. We provided a participative reflection space to progress concrete proposals.
See the short report here
2020 marks the end of the Europe 2020 strategy that aimed to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Despite unacceptable failure to deliver on the key target to reduce those in poverty by at least 20 million people by 2020, no review or public consultation of the strategy is planned.
The main proposals coming from the Commission are through the Future of Europe Reflection papers. In January 2019 a new Reflection Paper “Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030’’ was adopted. This paper aims to stimulate discussion on the EU’s vision and strategy for the long-term implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as part of a broader debate on the future of Europe and the priority setting for the new European Commission. It sets out three scenarios on how Agenda 2030 and the SDGs could be incorporated into the EU’s priorities.
One of the priorities is a socially fair transition to a sustainable economy that should leave no one behind, yet the paper predominantly focuses on how to deliver green growth, with the social objectives left to the European Pillar of Social Rights.
In 2017, EAPN’s policy conference Learning from the past to beyond Europe 2020 already agreed key messages on the need for an ambitious post 2020 built on Europe 2020 targets that could deliver an “ambitious social, sustainable and democratic vision for Europe based on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs”. This strategy should implement the European Pillar of Social Rights and develop an explicit rights-based integrated anti-poverty strategy based on active participation and backed by EU funding. This has been further developed under EAPN’s Future of Europe Position Paper, calling for support for a sixth scenario.
This participative conference came therefore at a timely moment – just after the election of the new European Parliament and the start of the new Commission, – to agree concrete demands that can ensure that the post 2020 strategy really delivers on social rights and poverty, putting SDG 1 at the heart of a truly social and sustainable post 2020 strategy.
Presentations on how a strategy should end poverty and implement social rights
- Sian Jones, EAPN – presentation of EAPN’s draft position
- Bert Luyts, ATD Fourth World
Key speakers
- Philippe Lamberts, MEP, Co-President of the Greens/EFA group, European Parliament
- Jiri Svarc, Head of Unit for Social Investment Strategy, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
- Carlos Susías, EAPN President/EAPN ES
- Vera Hinterdorfer, EAPN Vice-President/Activist with direct experience of poverty/EAPN AT
- Bert Luyts, Advocacy Officer, EU, ATD Fourth World
- Freek Spinnewijn, Director, FEANTSA
- Reka Tunyogi, Head of Advocacy, Eurochild
- Leida Rijnhout, Steering Group member, SDG Watch and Agenda 2030 Multi-Stakeholder Platform
- Mary Collins, Senior Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, European Women’s Lobby
- Graciela Malgesini, Chair of EAPN EU Inclusion Strategies Group/EAPN ES
- Marco Cilento, Senior Advisor, ETUC
- First Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness
For further information, contact Sian Jones (Policy Coordinator) sian.jones@eapn.eu.
Follow the event on #2019EAPN & #Agenda2030 and follow us on Twitter @EAPNEurope
Photo: © Rebecca Lee, EAPN
This event was supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation “EaSI” (2014-2020). The information contained does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission. For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi.