Our Key Messages on the AGS are:
- Europe 2020 continues to be invisible in the AGS, overshadowed by economic governance and the economic semester.
- The new “social’’ priority 4 is welcomed but undermined by EU’s overarching austerity focus and priorities.
- Growth-friendly fiscal consolidation proposals fall sort of re-affirming inclusive growth and closing the inequality gap.
- Tackling unemployment needs concrete measures to promote quality work and Active Inclusion, not hardening conditionality.
- Social Consequences of the crisis cannot be reduced to unemployment nor tackled without stronger safeguards to social protection, and social investment.
- Failure to mention governance and participation undermines credibility of EU, reinforcing the democratic deficit
- Structural Funds fall short of their potential to contribute to the achievement of the poverty reduction target.
Our key messages on the Joint Employment Report:
- Support overarching multidimensional, integrated national strategies to fight poverty and social exclusion, developed in the National Social Reports to underpin the NRP and EES.
- Active Incluson needs a higher profile and be better mainstreamed into the EES.
- Make employment a real route out of poverty for those who can work.
- Prioritize a comprehensive approach to the different needs of all vulnerable groups
- Raise the profile of Structural Funds in the fight against poverty and unemployment
Read:
EAPN’s responses build on EAPN and its members’ assessment of the 1st National Reform Programmes of the Europe 2020 strategy: Deliver Inclusive Growth – Put the heart back in Europe! (EAPN Analysis of the 2011 National Reform Programmes. (October 2011).
For more information contact: Sian Jones, EAPN policy coordinator (AGS) and Amana Ferro, policy officer (Joint Employment Report).
Photo by David Rose in http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/6711284/Poverty-in-Britain-is-at-a-nine-year-high-says-Joseph-Rowntree-Foundation-report.html.