AGS 2019: Leave a real Social Triple A legacy! Ensure the AGS 2019 prioritizes implementing Social Rights and the meaningful participation of Civil Society!
EAPN’s new President, Carlos Susias wrote to President Juncker this week, asking him to ensure concrete results for Social Europe as his legacy, by making the Annual Growth Survey 2019, a driver for a more Social European Semester in 2019.
This means prioritising a road map for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, and ensuring an equal voice for Civil Society as a partner, in line with the new Employment Guidelines which provide a new legal base (Recital 11).
He further raises concerns highlighted by the EAPN’s General Assembly’s final declaration (29 September) of the need to make progress on making Europe poverty free, by recognising the limits of the European development model and the negative impact of a decade of austerity, and inviting the next Commission to reorient macroeconomic policies to reduce inequality and poverty and guarantee wellbeing.
The letter highlights 6 key messages with detailed recommendations drawn from EAPN’s 2018 NRP Assessment: Make participation a driver for social rights.
Key Messages:
1. Ensure macroeconomic policies promote social rights and
poverty reduction;
2. Progress on poverty + social rights with a rights-based
integrated strategy/action plan;
3. Implement quality employment policies that ensure that
nobody is left behind;
4. Invest in equal access to universal, free, quality public
education and holistic lifelong learning, as well as
vocational training;
5. Increase EU funds for measures supporting integrated
anti-poverty strategies, delivered with civil society
organisations;
6. Make partnership with people in poverty a driver for
Social Rights – embedding regular, meaningful dialogue
with people facing poverty and NGOs.
