Seminar on Developing Local and Regional Plans for Social Inclusion

1. Seminar on Developing Local and Regional Plans for Social InclusionPrague, 9th February 2006The National Action Plans for Inclusion EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Hugh Frazer, Policy Co-ordinator, Social inclusion policies 1

2. Outline • The Open Method of Coordination • Purpose and Structure of the NAPs/inclusion • Stengths and Weaknesses of the NAPs/inclusion • Future Arrangements

3. Open Method of Coordination – key elements • Common Objectives • National Action Plans • Commonly agreed indicators • Reporting and Monitoring - Joint Reports on Social Inclusion • Exchange of Learning - Community action programme

4. The common objectives of Nice • 4 objectives • To promote participation in employment and access of all to goods, services, resources and rights • To prevent social exclusion • To support the most vulnerable • To mobilise and involve all stakeholders • NB: • multi-dimensional • universal and targeted • prevention and alleviation • policy and process

5. Overall purpose of NAPs/inclusion • National Action Plans on poverty and social exclusion (NAPs/inclusion) are the means by which Member States translate the common objectives into national policies so as to contribute to making a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion

6. Specific purposes of NAPs/inclusion • analyse nature and extent of poverty and social exclusion and identify major trends and challenges • review progress over previous 2 years • present coherent strategy with clear objectives and targets • outline detailed policy measures planned for next 2 years (objectives 1-3) • outline institutional arrangements • identify examles of good practice

7. About the NAPs/inclusion • common framework • 30-40 pages plus annexes • cover 2 year period • prepared following consultative process

8. Joint Reports and CSDs • after each round of NAPs/inclusion (and JIM) • 4 purposes • nature & extent and key challenges • assess NAPs/inclusion and encourage more ambition • encourage mutual learning • create greater political and public awareness • Part 1 - horizontal overview and Part 2 Country fiches • preparation involves many actors • draft discussed with MS and all relevant actors • Commission document followed by Joint document

9. A Short History • Dec 2000- Common objectives (Nice) • June 2001 – 1st NAPs/inclusion EU-15 • Mar 2002 – 1st Joint Report on Social Inclusion • July 2003 – 2nd NAPs/inclusion EU-15 • Dec 2003 -Joint Memoranda on Social Inclusion (JIM) • Mar 2004 – 2nd Joint Report on Social Inclusion • June 2004 – Commission Report on Social Inclusion in EU10 (based on JIM)

10. A Short History • July 2004 – 1st NAPs/inclusion of new MS (and "light" updates by some EU15) • Jan 2005 – Report on social inclusion in 10 new MS • June 2005 - Implementation and Update Reports on 2003-2005 NAPs (and "light"updates for EU10) • Feb 2006 – Commission Report on Implementation Reports and Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion

11. Some Positive Outcomes • Kept poverty on political agenda • Growing exchange of learning • Improving analysis of problems • Increase in multi-dimensional approach • Some development of institutional arrangements • mainstreaming and coordination • Increased involvement of civil society • Growing consensus on key policy areas

12. 7 Key Policy Priorities • increasing labour market participation • modernising social protection • tackling disadvantages in education • eliminating child poverty • ensuring decent accommodation • improving quality of services • overcoming discrimination and increasing the integration of people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and immigrants

13. 8 Lessons for Future • address implementation gap • co-ordinate better with other strategies • increase strategic focus • improve mainstreaming and coordination • maintain multi-dimensional approach • strengthen governance • link local, regional and national • involve all actors • increase public awareness • improve monitoring and evaluation • more impact assessment • better data • enhance exchange of learning

14. Review of Lisbon Brussels European Council, 2005 • Reaffirms the importance of the social dimension, social cohesion and social inclusion • "Social inclusion policies should be pursued by the Union and by Member States, with its multifaceted approach, focusing on target groups such as children in poverty" • Urgent action and effective implementation

15. Review of Social Protection/Social Inclusion Processes • Review Process • Evaluation Questionnaires • Luxembourg Conference • learning from NAPs Implementation reports • Communication on streamlined OMC on social protection and social inclusion (December 2005)

16. What Next? • March 2006 - Adoption of Streamlined Approach including revised objectives by EPSCO and Spring European Council • March 2006 - Guidelines for National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion • 15th Sept 2006 – 2006-2008 NAPs/inclusion for EU-25 (as part of streamlined National Reports) • 2007 – Community Action Programme, Progress • 2010 – European Year on Poverty and Social Exclusion

17. Streamlining - Overarching objectives • Promote social cohesion and equal opportunities for all through • adequate, accessible, financially sustainable, adaptable and efficient • social protection systems and social inclusion policies. • (b) Interact closely with the Lisbon objectives on achieving greater economic • growth and more and better jobs and with the EU's Sustainable • Development Strategy. • (c) Strengthen governance, transparency and the involvement of stakeholders • in the design, implementation and monitoring of policy.

18. Streamlining - Objectives for the Inclusion Strand • Making a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion: • Ensure the active social inclusion of all by promoting participation in the labour market and by fighting poverty and exclusion among the most marginalised people and groups. • Guarantee access for all to the basic resources, rights and social services needed for participation in society, while addressing extreme forms of exclusion and fighting all forms of discrimination leading to exclusion. • Ensure that social inclusion policies are well-coordinated and involve all levels of government and relevant actors, including people experiencing poverty, that they are efficient and effective and mainstreamed into all relevant public policies, including economic, budgetary, education and training policies and structural fund (notably ESF) programmes and that they are gender mainstreamed.

19. National Reports 2006-2008 • Common Overview (5-7 pages) • social situation • overall strategic approach • overarching messages • NAPs/inclusion (10-15 pages) • National Strategy Report for Pensions (3-5 pages) • National Plan for Health and Long-term care (10-15 pages) • Annexes

20. NAPs/inclusion 2006-2008 • Key Challenges, Objectives and Targets • 3-4 Priority Policy Areas • policy measures (existing and new) • resource allocation • indicators and monitoring • Better Governance • preparation process; policy coordination; mobilisation; mainstreaming; monitoring • Annexes

21. [1] i.e. policies to fight discrimination on grounds of sex, race/ethnic origin, religion/belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

22. Further Information • DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities' web site on social inclusion: • http://esnet.cec/comm/employment_social/social_inclusion/index_en.htm