13 EAPN: Fighting for a Social Europe Free of Poverty EU Policy Update February 2014 EAPN Policy Team EAPN EU Inclusion Strategies Group 8 February 2014 Brussels EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DES ASSOCIATIONS DE LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE

Highlights from the Policy Briefing Macroeconomic priorities and follow up to the social dimension of the EMU Social Investment Package Road Map and follow up from Annual Convention. Structural Funds - where we are with SF programming and opportunities for funding

1. Macro-economic – EU on right road? Dec European Council Conclusions set tone for 2014 EU on road to recovery and austerity recipes working Backs same priorities for the Annual Growth Survey 2014- objective 4: tackling unemployment and the social impact of the crisis but weaker measures. Call for MS to submit their youth guarantee implementation plans and youth employment initiative Call for progress on tax fraud and evasion – eg agreement on tax of savings income (Mar 2014) Tighter economic governance coordination through Semester 15th October: National Budgets presented to Commission for surveillance procedure In-depth reviews prepared for 16 countries including Germany, Luxembourg and Croatia- DE criticized for surplus. FR for excessive deficit Focus on creating legally binding partnerships for growth, jobs, competiveness signing ‘contractual commitments’

1. Social Dimension of the EMU – what impact? Limited scope of the action Starting point: growing social imbalances impact on macroeconomic growth/stability Main action: Social indicators integrated in Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure and Employment and social indicators scoreboard, attached to Joint employment report : unemployment rate, NEETs, disposable income, at risk of poverty, inequality (20/80 ratio). What impact on policy? Automatic triggers? Social impact? Social ministers reluctant to exploit potential Council backs new scoreboard and asks for progress on use, but limited to ‘allowing broader understanding of social developments’ not negative social impact of macroeconomic. EAPN Action? What you can do? EAPN PR and Letter to General Affairs Council and European Council highlighting initial response to AGS and social scoreboard: Economic progress needs social progress. Input to EAPN response to AGS/Joint Employment report Follow up Letter to March EPSCO and Spring Council

2. The European Platform against Poverty/ Social OMC and SIP Strong EAPN presence in Annual Convention but concerns about participation and impact Over 30 EAPN members including PeP participate, speeches by President and Director, EAPN side event on in-work poverty, input to workshops on progress on the poverty target and reference budgets, participation in SF World Café, meetings with President Barroso and President Van Rompuy. EU stakeholder meeting evaluation (24 January) highlighted high satisfaction (80%!), but picked up on EAPN concern of lack of policy impact and clear political process, but not on participation. EAPN will make proposals for new Convention – but unclear process. Continued confusion on EPAP/Social OMC /SIP overlap Social OMC - 2014 National Social Reports, but invisible process/impact? SPC/OMC- Peer Reviews more linked to Europe 2020 and Semester. Important Peer Review on the Belgian Platform Against Poverty (Jan 2014) with strong EAPN presence, but impact? Social Investment package replaces EPAP? EPAP update in July, almost identical to SIP Roadmap November

SIP Roadmap – what impact on poverty? 3 Priority areas: 1) strengthening social investment through the Semester, 2) Using EU funds and 3) Strengthening Governance/reporting Main method: through Europe 2020 and Semester and using EU funds Key individual actions: See here but coherent roadmap? Methodology on efficiency and effectiveness of social spending Common methodology for reference budgets for adequate MI Web-based platform for exchange – Knowledge Bank launch Effectiveness of conditional cash transfers supporting child development (Spring 2014) Effective policies to reduce homelessness/housing exclusion (2015) Financial, economic, social benefits of social investment. New work on indicators eg material deprivation of children EAPN Concerns Lack of clear framework to ensure impact on poverty or key themes. Worries about support to reduce ‘passive’ social protection Unclear how stakeholders are meant to engage - particularly NGOs Lost focus on participation of PeP, or stakeholder engagement with guidelines from EPAP now dropped

Structural Funds & FEAD Timeline for Partnership agreements and OPs Big majority of Partnership agreements officially submitted to EC For OPs (ERDF and ESF): official submission planned till late Spring Adoption of the European Code of Conduct on Partnership ESF Launching Conference on 6-7 February FEAD Extension of the scope of support to social inclusion activities (Art. 4. 2a) 2 kinds of OPs (OP I for Material Assistance/ Food Aid-type of Programs: OP II for Social Inclusion-type of Programs) : OP I much simpler – OP II more like ESF OP (with Monitoring Ctee; Strategy to deliver on the poverty reduction target) A risk of overlap with ESF-type of activities Allocation of FEAD per MS: minimal budget for MSs belonging to the blocking minority (3,5 m €)

Thank you for your attention EAPN Policy Team Sian Jones, EAPN Policy Coordinator Sian.Jones@eapn.eu Policy Officers: Amana Ferro: Amana.Ferro@eapn.eu Vincent Caron: Vincent.Caron@eapn.eu Admin Support: Rebecca Lee: Rebecca.Lee@eapn.eu See: www.eapn.eu EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DE LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE SQUARE DE MEEUS, 18 – 1050 BRUSSELS TEL: 0032 2 226 58 50 – FAX: 0032 2 26 58 69 www.eapn.eu - team@eapn.eu