Driving Social Change: Fighting Poverty for a Social Europe

1. 13EAPN: Fighting for a Social Europe Free of Poverty EAPN Policy Team EAPN EU Inclusion Strategies Group 25 October 2013 Brussels EU Policy Update October 2013 EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DES ASSOCIATIONS DE LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE

2. Structure of Presentation • Macroeconomic - the 2 pack in the driving seat • The Social Dimension of the EMU –what impact? • European Platform Against Poverty, SIP and Annual Convention. • Youth Guarantee and Youth Employment Initiative – what progress? • Structural Funds – have we won the • campaign?

3. Macro-economic – The 2 pack in the Driving Seat • Ever stricter economic governance is main driver • 1st January the 2 pack came into force enforcing ex-ante coordination of budgets to deficit limit. • May/June: Commission presents mainly austerity CSRs + Excessive Deficit Procedures • June Council Message: ‘growth and fiscal consolidation are mutually reinforcing’.. • 15th October: National Budgets presented to Commission for surveillance procedure • EAPN Action: Letter to June Council and follow up advocacy with Social Platform • What can EAPN members do? Raise awareness of implications and impact at national level/CSRs.

4. The Social Dimension of the EMU – what impact? • New weaker Communication published on 2nd October with unclear impact • Main proposals: Increased social surveillance.. • Social indicators in Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure-MIP • Employment and social scoreboard: unemployment, NEETs, disposable income, risk of poverty, inequality. • New financial instrument: CCI: Convergence and Competivness • EU wide unemployment benefit will need Treaty change • Increased involvement of social partners at all stages. • A step forward or back? • Important attempt to rebalance economic/social drivers but how will it work and what impact will it have? • No clear ex-ante assessment of potentially negative macroeconomic policies. • Lack of triggers on thresholds means no sanctions • No role for civil society • EAPN Action? Discussion in EXCO – Letter to Dec Council.

5. The European Platform Against Poverty, Annual Convention and SIP • 6th Stakeholder meeting in Sept confirms fears about unclear strategy on poverty and declining role of stakeholders : particularly NGOs and PEP. • EPAP table of actions: particularly thematic eg European Quality framework on SS sectoral level, homelessness mapping, Study on conditionality etc but little coherence.. • Attempts to integrate Social Investment Package in Europe 2020/Semester – the CSRs, and in Structural Fund with focus on economic case • Annual Convention:26-27 November similar to 2012: plenary, workshops, speed dating projects, side events but less strategic and participative. • EAPN to speak in plenary, Workshop on poverty reduction, reference budgets, organizing side event on in-work poverty and involved in Investing in Children side event. • Invitations split between national and regional so less places for NGOs. EAPN 2-5 places Role of PEP? • Main Concerns: SIP replaces poverty target as main focus; no link to national level and Europe 2020/NRPs etc; what impact?, reduced NGO + PEP engagement in design and delivery. • EAPN Action? Engage in Convention – Key Messages

6. Youth Guarantee and Youth Employment Initiative – what progress? Youth Guarantee • Member States to present implementation plans: • Those with youth unemployment over 25% - by December • The others – by Spring (unclear which month). • The Commission will evaluate these plans and incorporate feed-back into the CSRs; • Maybe include the Youth Guarantee in the NRP from 2014 Working Together for Europe’s Young People • Commission Communication released June 19th 2013 • Details on how to use the ESF for youth employment Youth Employment Initiative • For countries with over 25% youth unemployment • Youth Action Teams – Commission + Member States European Alliance of Apprenticeships / Erasmus + Launched / To be launched What you can do: Youth Active Inclusion paper; Monitor Youth Gtee

7. Structural Funds: Have we won the campaign? • The ESF MINIMUM SHARES AGREED (agreement during the trialogue meeting on Oct 1) • Vote on all the Regulations in EP Plenary by the end of November • FEAD: EUR 3,5 bn (EUR 2,5 bn obligatory + EUR 1 bn optional) Trialogue negotiation process started on Oct 16. Main points of debate: • Extension of the scope of intervention to social inclusion activities • widening of target groups (to all the most deprived and not only children in poverty and homeless people). • What can Members do? • 2 main openings to promote the social inclusion/ poverty reduction agenda in SF: • Pushing your Managing authorities to make Community-led local development possible in the OPs • Pressing your Managing authorities/ EC Desk Officers to fully respect the ex-ante conditionality on poverty reduction in PAs and OPs.

8. Thank you for your attention EAPN Policy Team Sian Jones, EAPN Policy Coordinator Sian.Jones@eapn.eu Policy Officers: Amana Ferro: Amana.Ferro@eapn.eu Vincent Caron: Vincent.Caron@eapn.eu Admin Support: Rebecca Lee: Rebecca.Lee@eapn.eu See: www.eapn.eu EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DE LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE SQUARE DE MEEUS, 18 – 1050 BRUSSELS TEL: 0032 2 226 58 50 – FAX: 0032 2 26 58 69 www.eapn.eu - team@eapn.eu