1. 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

2. 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

3. 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 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’

4. 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

5. 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 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

6. 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

7. 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 €)

8. Thank you for your attention
EAPN Policy Team
Sian Jones, EAPN Policy Coordinator
Policy Officers:
Amana Ferro:
Vincent Caron:
Admin Support:
Rebecca Lee:
See:
EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK
RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DE LUTTE
CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE
SQUARE DE MEEUS, 18 – 1050 BRUSSELS
TEL: – FAX: -