Background document for the Steering Group meeting of March27
Dear members,
At the next Steering Group meeting, you will have to make important political decisions in relation
to the implementation of the work programme objectives.
In particular for point 6 of the Steering Group meeting agenda, you will decide on the political
orientation to be given to the task forces that will be implementing the work programme.
What should be the results of your decisions?
1) To reach an agreement on the political direction on the following topics: mid-term
review, minimum income, minimum wage, EU internal strategy on human rights,
and financing of social services. The direction shall be as specific as possible in order to
provide clear guidance for the work of the task forces and the work of the secretariat.
2) To clearly lay out what results / outcomes are expected from the task forces at
future Steering Group meetings.
How are we going to proceed during the Steering Group meeting?
1) You have received a few days in advance briefings from the Secretariat in relation to the
objectives. These briefings include:
a. Possible questions for discussion by the Steering Group and a proposition from the
Secretariat on the way forward
b. Present situation in the EU, including members’ position on the issue (please note
that in this section we are providing you with background information to back our
discussion, and not with the complete policy positions of members)
c. Assessment of the situation.
Please note that the briefings are not position papers but rather background
documentation to support the discussions.
2) Based on the work programme and on the briefings, our President will lead the discussions
around the following points:
1) Restate the problem we face and Social Platform’s previous position, if any.
2) What do we want?
a. A Clearly defined outcome
b. Key elements to be included in the work of the task forces
3) What is the most appropriate tool/mechanism at EU level that can support our
proposal?
(e.g.
directive,
regulation,
standards,
common
principles,
Recommendation, etc.)
4) Who should we partner with to strengthen our position and to have an impact on
decision makers?
What has the Secretariat done to support you in making your decisions?
1) We have asked you to send us your three key demands for each of the work programme
objectives and integrated the answers in our briefings
2) When we had sufficient information, we have mentioned the possible choices
3) We have also included a proposition from the Secretariat that you can build on: criticise,
agree with, complement.
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