EAPN produces an assessment of the Council’s Country Specific Recommendations and proposes its own

EAPN continues to engage as active partners in Europe 2020 and the European Semester, at national and EU level, in order to make progress on the poverty and other social targets and the goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Its members have produced an analysis of the Country Specific Recommendations and their implementation, along with their own alternative recommendations.

The document reflect member assessments of the Commission/Council’s 2012 CSR proposals, and includes a review of the CSR implementation, as well as proposing adoptions or new alternative Country Specific Recommendations. We also present the full country fiches developed by EAPN members and here below is a short summary of the main Common Messages.

1. Open the Assesment of Country Specific Recommendations and proposals for alternative CSRs from National and EO Members;
2. Access the Detailed Country Fiches

Alternative CSRs: Common Messages:

Although all National Networks develop their own CSR proposals, there are common themes which arise. In this section we highlight the main common key messages:

1. Ensure coherence of CSRs balancing social/economic objectives, with systematic proofing of austerity measures to prevent macroeconomic CSRs driving an increase in poverty and exclusion, and generating long-term social, health and economic costs.
2. Require a comprehensive multi-annual national anti-poverty strategy to demonstrate how progress will be made on the poverty target which ensures access to rights, resources + services, developed with stakeholders.
3. Set ambitious, effective poverty and social targets, with sub-targets for key groups, improve data collection, monitoring, and extensive mutual learning on results.
4. Reduce social and economic inequality, through reducing income gaps, and supporting progressive taxation, reinforced redistribution mechanisms including universal services.
5. For working-age, prioritize integrated Active Inclusion Strategies adapted to the needs of specific groups and through personalized accompaniment, avoid punitive activation.
6. Ensure adequacy of minimum income that reflect real costs, support better take up and extend coverage to all in need, particularly increasing number who have no income.
7. Tackle unemployment especially those furthest from the labour market with multiple difficulties, through tailored approaches, support active investment in quality job creation and tackle in-work poverty, especially through increasing minimum wages. Recognise/support key role of NGOs/Social economy in this area.
8. Ensure key public services are accessible to all, defending universal services combined with targeted support. Key priorities are access to affordable health, education, social housing, but also energy, transport.
9. Give increased priority to national integrated strategies to tackle key thematic priorities and groups at worst risk of poverty: Child/ family poverty, single parents, long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, homeless people and those suffering housing exclusion, minorities including Roma, migrants including undocumented.
10. Embed meaningful dialogue with national stakeholders, including NGOs and people experiencing poverty at all stages of the NRP and actively build social capital by supporting NGOs/third sector as key partners in implementation, particularly in delivering innovative, local, grass-root services responding to people’s needs.