1. EXCO Meeting – 23 April 2010 Taking Action together on Europe 2020

2. Update on current developments What’s coming up?
Outline
Update on current developments
What’s coming up?
EAPN actions so far – how effective?
Next Steps:
Flagship Platform on Poverty – what do we want?
Lobbying options at EU and national level

3. Current State of Play
3rd March – Commission Communication: Europe 2020 – for smart, green and inclusive growth
Not new social and sustainable but some step forward….
Proposes a target to reduce poverty by 25% by 2020, based on relative poverty indicator (60% median income)
Flagship Platform to combat Poverty and social exclusion, based on a “transformed Social OMC” and backed by Structural Funds
3rd March – summary of consultation responses (long)
Strong social input/particularly from social NGOs
25-26 March: Spring Council Conclusions
Agrees 5 headline targets in principle
But backtracks on poverty target – needs more work (June Council)

4. What’s coming up?
27th April: Commission to publish new Integrated Guidelines
10 Guidelines ( 6 economic and 4 employment – based on Treaty)
1 poverty and social guideline – but under employment guidelines?
May - European Parliament Report and Resolution – but likely to be weak.
SPC/EMCO preparing inputs on Guidelines and Flagship Programme on Poverty (April/May)
7-8 June: EPSCO Council
17-18 June: European Council – agrees main position on strategy, targets and guidelines (in principle)
Autumn: Commission presents Flagship Platform on Poverty
October: MS present new National Reform Programmes ( based on the Guidelines) –on targets, guidlines and “bottlenecks”.

5. EAPN Actions: EU and National
Influencing the shape of the strategy
EU We Trust: common proposals on post 2010
EAPN Parliamentary event – December 2009
Engagement with SP and Spring Alliance events and positions
Letters and lobbying of Barroso, Commission and Van Rompuy
Response to the Consultation – EAPN,SP and many national networks
Responding to Commission’s proposals and Spring Council
EAPN Response to Europe 2020
Letters to Barroso – communication/consultation/targets
Letters to PM’s/Press Releases – Spring Council - Guidelines
Arguments and Position on Targets and Guidelines
Meetings with Van Rompuy’s Cabinet, Andor and cabinet.
Meetings with EP = Employment Ctee/ Greens/s+d
Discussions with Belgian and Spanish Presidency
National Members Lobbying of MS makes all the difference! – particularly ES and BE linked to Presidencies.

6. Europe 2020 – What it’s not…
No change in growth paradigm – smart,green and inclusive growth, not fairer sustainable society.
No challenge to growing inequalities
Little recognition of role of social security/protection and access to affordable quality services
Focus on jobs but not on quality jobs or active inclusion
Confusing architecture – what role for the OMC?

7. But important step forward!
Social objective – Smart/green/ inclusive growth
5 headline targets with relative poverty target to reduce risk of poverty by 25% (60% median income)
Flagship programme – European Platform against Poverty: « to ensure social and territorial cohesion, such that the benefits of growth and jobs are widely shared and people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are enabled to live a life in dignity and take an active part in society »
A « transformed Social OMC – moving beyond cooperation and exchange to take concrete actions
Social Innovation programmes – education, training and employment support for deprived groups/fight d iscrimination.
Fully use social security and pension systems to « ensure adequate income support and access to health care »

8. Spring Council - MS ready to backtrack on poverty…
MS agree “main elements” and key objectives including social inclusion
Agree principle of 5 headline targets as “shared objectives” but..
Backtrack on poverty target – “promoting social inclusion, in particular through the reduction of poverty”
Decision delayed to June/ - further work on “appropriate indicators”
DE, DK, SE, CZ and UK – main opponents –
Main arguments – employment not poverty target/ MS not EU competence/ wrong indicator.

9. EAPN Achievement – Key Learning Points
Taking advantage of political context (the crisis/new Commission/Parliament/ Van Rompuy/ New Treaty and 2010 EU Year for combating poverty
Importance of lobbying from national networks
Working in broad alliances but keeping our value-added…
Combining targetted lobbying on detail with Commission/Council with broader political campaign – getting poverty on the map

10. What Next? : Key EAPN Areas for Action on Europe 2020
1) Saving the poverty target
2) Getting social guideline and process, not only delivered through employment recognizing Social OMC
3)Getting an ambitious EU flagship poverty platform
4) Getting new governance and participation – inputting into new National Reform Programmes and monitoring.

11. 1. Saving the Poverty Target
Defend the Commission’s proposals for a Poverty Target – 25% reduction in relative poverty – based on accepted OMC indicator (60% median income), broken down by age/gender etc) as a step toward goal of eradication of poverty
Develop national targets which reflect different reality, guard against creaming ( ie selecting people easiest to help) and based on full set of OMC indicators
Possible compromise – Target based on two indicators: relative poverty and material deprivation.

12. 2. EAPN Proposals on Guidelines
A cross-cutting social guideline and social impact mechanisms to ensure that the whole strategy delivers on social inclusion and poverty.
A specific social guideline which delivers on poverty, separate from the Employment Guidelines
Economic Guidelines that promote social inclusion and do not contradict the social objective
Employment Guidelines that create quality jobs, fight discrimination and promote access to decent jobs for all, through integrated active inclusion approaches.
A specific Governance and Participation Guideline to ensure structured dialogue with all key stakeholders including civil society and people in poverty.

13. 3. Flagship Platform on Poverty – What do we want?
Ambitious overarching strategy to combat poverty
Social Impact assessment/ensuring all policies deliver on social inclusion
Reinforced Social OMC built on strong governance and participation/ NAPs, effective monitoring/ link to NRP
Progress on social standards – steps towards legislation
Significant EU funding for inclusion and support NGO participation – Framework programme on poverty, Structural Funds and Progress.

14. 4. Better governance and participation - engaging in New National Reform Programme?
Commission underlines need for greater involvement of civil society actors in new NRP (delivering also on poverty target)
Bilateral meetings between MS and Commission happening now!!. (End of April/May.
NRP’s to be developed in autumn – what stakeholder involvement? What about National Action Plans on Inclusion and National Strategic Report?

15. How?
Lobbying Commission – Guidelines, Poverty Platform and NRP process.
Lobbying MS/Council – particularly on Poverty Target and Poverty Platform/Governance
Lobbying EP – Guidelines and Governance
Raising awareness – communication tools/website
National level crucial – to get MS commitment to poverty target, flagship programme delivery.

16. Next Steps – Where do we go from here?
Content: What do we want to see in a flagship platform? What role for OMC?
Lobbying:
What is position of your government?
What action have you managed to take?
How can national networks lobby effectively now?
What do you need from the secretariat?

17. Building cooperation in the fight against poverty www.eapn.eu