The Platform of European Social NGOs
Presentation for the Steering Group
March 27, 2014
Index
• Information: Task forces on topics on
which we have a Social Platform position
• Decision: Task forces on topics on which
we don’t have a Social Platform position
• Discussion: Political orientation on our
new topics
INFORMATION (point 5 of the agenda)
Task forces on topics on which we
have a Social Platform position
• Obj. 5 Migration (2013)
• Obj. 4 Combating all forms of bias
violence through EU legislation (2012)
• Obj. 1 Public procurement (2011-12)
• Obj. 6 Civil dialogue (2009)
How we are going to set up
the task forces
After the Steering Group meeting, the Secretariat will send
members:
• a call to register for the task forces
• terms of reference for each task force by specifying:
 Objectives
 Expected outcomes
 Foreseen beginning date and end date
 Foreseen no. of meetings
 Profile of participants
DECISION (point 6 of the agenda)
Task forces on topics on which we
don’t have a Social Platform position
• Obj 1. European governance (European
Semester and mid-term review of Europe 2020)
• Obj. 1 Social benefits (minimum income and
unemployment benefits)
• Obj. 1 Minimum wage
• Obj. 3 EU internal Strategy on Human Rights
• Obj. 1 Financing of social services
DISCUSSION
Political orientation on our new topics
 Obj. 1 Mid-term review of Europe 2020
 Obj. 1 Minimum income
 Obj. 1 Minimum wage
 Obj. 3 EU internal Strategy on Human Rights
 Obj. 1 Financing of social services
• ‘Unemployment benefits’ and ‘European Semester’
will be discussed at the next SG meeting
Discussion process for all objectives
• 1) What policy challenge are we facing?
• 2) What do we want? (clear definition and key elements)
• 3) what is the most appropriate tool?
• 4) What is our target?
• 5) Who should we partner with to impact the target?
Mid-term review Europe 2020
•
Political Orientation
– Rebalancing financial/economic vs social policies
– Put EU back on track with social targets + reduce inequalities
•
Possible questions
– How to rebalance?
– Key challenges and flaws of Europe 2020?
– Review poverty target / Review EPAP?
– Review employment target?
– Inequality reduction target?
– Possible partners?
Mid-term review Europe 2020
•
What is our target? The European Council
•
Who should we partner with to impact the target?
– The Spring Alliance
– The Trade unions?
Minimum income
•
Policy challenge: there is no minimum income scheme at EU level
•
Political Orientation
– EU framework on minimum income: definition
– Accessible + adequate minimum income schemes in all member
states
•
Possible questions
– Directive? Decision? Recommendation?
– Essential elements of the framework? (adequacy? Accessibility?
Beneficiaries? Calculation methods?)
– Possible partners?
Minimum income
•
Target: the EC, the Council
•
Partner: EMIN, ETUC?
Minimum wage
•
Political challenge: No minimum wage set at EU level and challenges
of posting of workers directive, fiscal consolidation, competition policy
•
Political Orientation
- an EU framework on minimum wage / living wage or at least a
statutory minimum wage in all member states
- key elements of living / minimum wages: adequacy + coverage (all
workers) + calculation methods
•
Possible questions
- Minimum wages or living wages?
- Do we want an EU framework?
- Building a coalition with ETUC?
Minimum wage
•
Opportunities: only 7 member states don’t have a minimum wage
•
Challenge: ETUC is against a EU legislation on minimum wage.
•
Target: the Commission and European Council
•
Partner: we cannot go alone without the TU
EU internal Strategy on HR
•
Policy challenge: There is no EU internal human rights policy while
there are numerous systemic Human rights violation in member
states
•
Proposition: EU adopts a strategy and internal mechanisms that
address member states failures to respond to consistent and
structural violations of human rights.
•
Key demands: content of the internal strategy, indivisibility of
human rights, action plan, mechanisms of EU intervention, upward
convergence between internal and external strategy.
EU internal Strategy on HR
• Target:
European Commission and Council
• Partnership: Work and define the content of
our messages together with the Human Rights
and Democracy Network: In order to collectively
generate maximum political will by civil society.
We will also seek further possible partnership.
Financing of social services
Political Orientation
- public funding should be the mainstream way to finance
social services, in order to guarantee universal access,
quality, accessible and affordable services for all
- concrete responses to the current challenges:
o
shrinking public financing
o
how to cope with an increased demand for social services with less resources?
o
pressure on measuring the social impact, increased focus on efficiency and effectiveness
of service provision (the logic of “payment by result”)
o
social services considered more and more only for the most vulnerable and not for
society as a whole (repairing versus investing)
Financing of social services
Possible questions
•
Are revised taxation policies a possible answer to respond to shrinking
public financing?
•
What are the conditions according to which we can accept that private
sources can complement public funding? If so, to:
–
promote social innovation?
–
support in a temporary way social services in the countries under the Troika
supervision or those with an excessive public debt?
•
Do we want to explore existing methods and tools to improve quantitative
and qualitative assessment of social service delivery?
•
Do existing tools and methodologies need to be adjusted to our sector? Can
they help us to improve management control, strategic thinking, planning,
and support our accountability towards funders and institutions?