1. POVERTY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: BUILDING A COMMON VISION FOR ACTION
Brussels, 27 September 2012
POVERTY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION:
BUILDING A COMMON VISION FOR ACTION
(EAPN CAPACITY BUILDING MEETING) Eric Marlier International Scientific Coordinator of CEPS/INSTEAD (LU) Manager of the EU Network of independent experts on social inclusion

2. EU Poverty target and EU indicators:
How far are these tools instrumental in reflecting the reality and fighting poverty?

3. Objectives of the session
 Build capacity on EU definitions and measurement of P&SE. Improve understanding of these and question them.  Assess the current EU social inclusion (SI) target and indicators: how has the target been implemented at national level to date and how could this be improved?  Develop a common basis for an EAPN input into the Mid- Term Review of Europe 2020 ( ), with a particular focus on the SI target and the possible revision of the EU indicators

4. Organisation of the session (11.00-12.30)
Short introduction (setting the scene)
Kornelia Kosovska (European Commission, Indicators Sub- Group of the EU SPC): Everything you’ve always wanted to know about EU indicators… (15’)
Paul Ginnell (EAPN IE): EAPN current position actions on EU Poverty indicators and target (10’)
Short reaction from Liz Gozme (FEANTSA) and Tadas Leoncikas (EUROFOUND) (3’ each)
Discussion with audience

5. Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
29/
Measuring poverty and social exclusion is essential at (sub-)national and international levels
WHY?
Source: Atkinson, A.B. and Marlier, E. (2010). Analysing and Measuring Social Inclusion in a Global Context, Report ST/ESA/325 produced at the request of the United Nations (UNDESA), New York: United Nations, Available at:

6. Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
30/
Three main reasons why crucial to measure poverty and social exclusion at (sub-)national levels:
for countries to assess their current performance according to an explicit set of criteria;
to determine whether or not they are making progress in fighting poverty and social exclusion; and
to compare the impact of different policy measures undertaken to promote social inclusion. 6

7. Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
31/
Three main reasons why crucial to measure poverty and social exclusion at EU level:
to make it possible to compare in a (reasonably) harmonised way the extent of poverty and social exclusion across countries;
to determine progress being made in reducing poverty and social exclusion across countries in the world/EU/… as a whole; and
to improve international comparative analysis and mutual learning between countries through contextualised benchmarking, that is a benchmarking that is made in the light of the countries’ related policies and institutional setting (a proper analysis of indicators must go beyond a simple comparison of national results). 7

8. EU cooperation in the field of SP&SI (Social OMC…) requires that
Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
29/
EU cooperation in the field of SP&SI
(Social OMC…) requires that
national indicators be complemented with specific EU indicators

9. Need for specific EU indicators (1/3)
Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
34/
Need for specific EU indicators (1/3)
Social indicators are used everywhere, for a variety of purposes (country, OECD, UN, WHO…)
Close links required between design of social indicators and questions they are intended to answer (too often forgotten)
Questions in EU cooperation in SP&SI? EU indicators needed for very specific purposes: to facilitate international comparisons of actual performances achieved by Member States through their national (and sub-national) social policies… and thus to improve mutual exchange and learning from good (bad) practices among MSs 9

10. Need for specific EU indicators (2/3)
Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
35/
Need for specific EU indicators (2/3)
Therefore: primary focus of EU indicators on social outcomes. MSs jointly agree the indicators by which their performances are assessed but are free to choose the methods by which they achieve their objectives
NB1: Social outcomes… but input indicators also important (e.g. expenditures on social transfers)  policy efficiency
NB2: Need for system-wide analysis. Requires in-depth knowledge of broad institutional settings in which policies operate: context info on “how?” & “why?” essential for potential policy transfers

11. Need for specific indicators (3/3)
Eric MARLIER – CEPS/INSTEAD
36/
Need for specific indicators (3/3)
For indicators to be fit for purpose, their construction needs to follow a principle-based approach: a specific methodological framework is required for developing the specific indicators needed for the OMC
EU framework for EU SP & SI indicators adopted in June Based on the framework agreed in 2001 for the EU SI Process on the basis of Atkinson/Cantillon/Marlier/Nolan framework (academic study commissioned by 2001 BE-Presidency)
4 sets of objectives for Social OMC  4 portfolios of EU indicators (together with context information). Focus today: SI portfolio (Kornelia)

12. Europe 2020 social inclusion target
Persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) are persons who are:
at risk of poverty (AROP); and/or
severely materially deprived (SMD); and/or
living in households with very low work intensity (VLWI).
Persons are only counted once even if they fall in more than one category: Persons can combine 2… or even all 3 problems. So, for ex, in 2010 (millions):
BE: among the 2,235 AROPE people, combine all 3 problems;
EU-27: resp. 115,508 and 13,319.
EU target for SI: minus 20 Mo AROPE by Agreed upon in June 2010, based on 2008 EU-SILC figures, 2007 income & LWI. D

14. Europe 2020 social inclusion target: and/or