10/03/2014 – EAPN presents its proposals for CSRs for 2014, based on its national and European-organization members’ assessment. This comes in the week following the European Commission’s launch of the Communication in preparation for the Mid-Term Review of the Europe 2020 Strategy (2010-2020). EAPN’s synthesis report provides an overview of members’ findings on the social impact of the 2013 CSRs, i.e. recommendations of the European Commission to member States and their implementation, and proposes positive recommendations for the different States. The Report highlights the urgent need for the European Semester to deliver results on the Europe 2020 targets if it is to maintain any credibility, within the context of spiraling poverty levels across Europe, recognized by the Commission’s Communication.
Key Messages
The Key Messages from the assessment of the 2013 Country-Specific Recommendations are:
- Negative CSRs still overwhelmingly outweigh the more positive social ones.
- CSRs are being implemented, but more attention is paid to macroeconomic CSRs, and by countries who have higher deficits.
- Austerity continues as the dominant strategy, although some positive developments are noted on some national anti-poverty strategies, social investment and youth guarantee.
- Individual positive recommendations are undermined by lack of overarching, integrated anti-poverty strategy and adequate funding support.
- Civil society is not meaningfully involved in the CSRs or the European Semester process, undermining credibility, democratic legitimacy and effectiveness of policy solutions.
12 Priority Areas for CSRs to Reduce Poverty
- Ensure coherent economic and social policy: preventing austerity penalizing the poor.
- Require a comprehensive long-term strategy to fight poverty with effective targets.
- Tackle inequality, including through tax justice.
- Guarantee Adequate Income Support across the life cycle, for all groups.
- Promote quality of work and employment, through decent jobs and inclusive labour markets.
- Mainstream integrated Active Inclusion into all areas.
- Promote an inclusive education system, tackling segregation and ensuring equal access for all.
- Implement Youth Guarantee and support Youth Inclusion, beyond employment.
- Tackle Homelessness and promote social housing.
- Ensure equal access to health to reduce rising unmet health needs
- Require meaningful participation and stakeholder involvement, including civil society
- Support effective use of EU Funds for Poverty Reduction through partnership approaches involving civil society
See EAPN’s Assessment and Proposals for the CSRs 2014 ‘Getting Progress on Poverty and Participation‘
See also the Annex with full fiches per country
