Europe 2020 Shadow Report

1. Europe 2020 Shadow Report

2. Caritas Europa: • network present in 46 European countries incl. all EU MS • brings forward the needs of the people experiencing poverty and the voice of its member organisations to the European Institutions, member states and different public authorities, as well as private partners • focuses its activities on issues relating to poverty, social exclusion and inequality, migration and asylum in Europe. On the global level, Caritas Europa is actively engaged in humanitarian assistance and international development throughout the world * Presents in-depth analysis of employment and social situation in Europe incl. analysis of the situation on Programme countries: “Crisis Monitoring Report” and analysis of different welfare systems in Europe: Future of the Welfare State

3. In relation to the Europe 2020 Strategy Caritas Europa: • Supports poverty reduction targets of 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020 • Acts in the front line of helping those who suffer poverty and exclusion • Gathers evidence on the causes of poverty and exclusion, people needs and impact of measures applied at the national levels • Actively engages in monitoring of the Europe 2020 Strategy implementation especially of the progress in achieving its Social Objectives

4. Europe 2020 process – European Semester • Shadow Reports: 2011, 2012, 2013 Aims: • giving voice to many poor and vulnerable living in the society and organizations working with them • Influencing the European Semester process in order to make it supportive for achieving social dimension of Europe 2020 In practice: • European Shadow Report aimed at influencing the Annual Growth Survey • Country Report – assessments of the national situation - proposal of Country Specific Recommendations

7. Shadow Report 2012 Focus on: - Child poverty and its transmission to youth - In-work poverty and minimum income - Implementation of active inclusion strategies - Job creation in care sector and role of non-for- profit organisations in it employment creation • To be reflected in AGS Priorities • Call for more countries to be issued with CSR on tackling poverty + CSR for “Programme countries”

8. Shadow Report 2013 Child and family poverty - Multidimensional problem requiring urgent reaction as it may have sever long-term consequences - Eurostat: more than 1/5 of all children in EU experience poverty, in 5 MS it is more than ¼ • Increase of poverty observed in families and children assisted by Caritas: Secours Catholique (FR) – number of families and children supported increased by 10% between 2001 and 2011; single parent families are most affected by poverty Caritas Italy: increase of families with children claiming for assistance by 1/3 between 2008 and 2012 - Reasons: unemployment, low-work intensity and in-work poverty; cuts in spending for services and benefits, growing costs of living

9. Youth poverty - EU-28: at risk of poverty rate of 18-24 is almost 22% • Increase in the number of youth asking for assistance in Caritas organisations: Caritas Italy: in 2012 1/3 of all asking for help was below 30 years old and 60% increase observed between 2005 and 2010 • Causes: unemployment but also in-work poverty and precarious employment: Secours Catholique (France) – 15% of all young people supported were working; young people not eligible for benefits • Consequences: lack of opportunities to have an independent life; extreme poverty situation – homelessness (ca. 80 thousands homeless youth in the UK, Caritas organisations supports young homelessness in 45 night shop centres)

10. Income situation and access to services - Greece: minimum wage decreased by 20-30% while unemployment benefits dropped by ¼ - Strong budgetary cuts leading to lower access to basic services: fees are were introduced in Cyprus, out-of pocket payments are growing and people decide to postpone visits to the doctors - Costs of living are growing: in France between 2001 and 2011 costs of electricity and gas increased by almost 50% in the households supported by Secours Catholique - Caritas observes increase of people searching for basic assistance and help: food and clothes

11. In-work poverty • Employment less and less prevents from poverty • 1/3 of families supported by Secours Catholique have not experience any joblessness while their income was 300 EUR below poverty line • Part-time employment, temporary employment and low wages are among the reasons • Growing share of temporary jobs among the new jobs • Increasing number of poor self-entrepreneurs

12. Other issues addressed in the report: - Social exclusion of migrants and Roma people - Use of ESF for fighting poverty and social exclusion

13. Recommendations: • AGS should focus on poverty and social exclusion to the same extent as it focus on the economic reforms • Among its next Priorities for 2014 the AGS should therefore include measures aimed at reduction of poverty and social exclusion among children and families, youth, working population, Roma and migrantsand its should tackle the causes of poverty (budgetary cuts, precarious employment) • More countries should receive CSR on poverty and CSR on economic/financial reforms should be assessed against their social impact • NRPs should present how the national polices address the Social Investment Packages, e.g. how the Recommendation on Investing in children is implemented • “Programme countries” should receive CSRs and they should not be limited to implementation of the bailout-agreements • Labour market reforms and employment policies should not lead to in-work poverty; employment targets can’t be achieved at the expense of poverty reduction target. Poverty reduction target should be treated at the equal foot with other Europe 2020 targets.