EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities

1. The National Action Plan on Social Inclusion as a Policy Instrument29th March 2006The NAP on social inclusion after the refocusing of the Lisbon strategy: still an adequate instrument? EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Hugh Frazer, Policy Co-ordinator, Social inclusion policies 1

2. Review of Social Protection/Social Inclusion Processes - 1 • 2005: a year of uncertainty • Review Process • Evaluation Questionnaires • Luxembourg Conference • evaluation of Community Action Programme • learning from NAPs Implementation reports • Communication on streamlined OMC on social protection and social inclusion (December 2005)

3. Spring European Council 2006 -1 • New strategy for growth and jobs a framework where economic, employment and social policy mutually reinforce each other • Parallel progress on employment creation, competitiveness and social cohesion • New objectives and working methods for social protection and social inclusion endorsed • Annual reporting on progress to each Spring European Council

4. Spring European Council 2006 - 2 • Reaffirms objective that steps have to be taken to make a decisive impact on the reduction of poverty and social exclusion by 2010 • Member States are asked to take necessary steps to rapidly and significantly reduce child poverty

5. Streamlined OMC • Brings together social inclusion, pensions and health care and long-term care • Revised common objectives • 3 overarching and 3 for each of 3 strands • National Reports on social protection and social inclusion • Annual Joint Report on SP and SI

6. 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) Promote effective and mutual interaction with the Lisbon objectives • of greater social cohesion, greater economic growth and more and better • jobs and with the EU's Sustainable Development Strategy. • (c) Promote good governance, transparency and the involvement of • stakeholders in the design, implementation and monitoring of policy.

7. Streamlining - Objectives for the Inclusion Strand A decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion by ensuring: • access for all to the resources, rights and services needed for participation in society, preventing and addressing exclusion, and fighting all forms of discrimination leading to exclusion; • the active social inclusion of all, both by promoting participation in the labour market and by fighting poverty and exclusion; • 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.

8. 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

9. National Reports 2006-2008Common Overview • Assessment of Social Situation (2 pages) • Overall Strategic Approach (about 4 pages) 4 key areas: child poverty; social inclusion of migrants and minorities; longer working life; flexicurity • objective (a) • objective (b) • objective (c) • Overarching Messages (about 1 page)

10. NAPs/inclusion 2006-2008 – Guidelines: Key Messages • Implementation Gap • Increase Strategic Focus • Integrated and Multi-dimensional approach • Coordination with other strategies • Improve mainstreaming • Strengthen governance

11. NAPs/inclusion 2006-2008 – Guidelines: Structure • Key Challenges, Objectives and Targets (3-4 pages) • 3-4 Priority Policy Objectives (2 pages each) • policy measures (existing and new) • resource allocation: level and responsibility • indicators and monitoring • Better Governance (2-3 pages) • preparation process; policy coordination; mobilisation; mainstreaming; monitoring • Annexes • good practices (maximum 4) • implementation report on 2004-2006 NAPs/inclusion (optional) • elaborated NAPs (optional)

12. [1] i.e. policies to fight discrimination on grounds of sex, race/ethnic origin, religion/belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

13. Other OMC Developments • Indicator development • Exchange of Learning • Progress • "Light" Years • voluntary light updates • policy reports • Mainstreaming at EU level • Awareness raising • Enlargement and Wider World

14. Strengths of New Arrangements - 1 • Renewed political leadership • Mutual interaction with Jobs and Growth • possibly making the Lisbon Δ real • Links with Sustainable Development Strategy • Enhanced reporting and visibility within the EU process

15. Strengths of New Arrangements - 2 • More focussed and strategic • More emphasis on implementation and outcomes – address implementation gap • Further development of indicators • Greater stress on monitoring and evaluation of impact • More specific resourcing (including structural funds) and accountability • Multi-dimensional policy making reinforced

16. Strengths of New Arrangements - 3 • Sharper analysis and stronger "suggestions" • better data (EU SILC)= better analysis = stronger comparisons • more in depth analysis of issues • Good governance reinforced (and extended to other strands) • preparation process • policy coordination at all levels of governance • mobilisation of actors • mainstreaming reinforced (nationally and EU) • reinforced monitoring and evaluation • more focus on good practice and learning

17. BUT

18. Some Risks - 1 • OMC never was panacea – just a useful tool • Strength of political commitment and leadership still to be proven • will mutual interaction with jobs and growth be taken seriously? • will lack of political visibility change? • Lack of European level targets • No power to make recommendations • EU mainstreaming still remains weak

19. Some Risks - 2 • Timing problem of different government cycles not solved • Loss of social inclusion identity in a streamlined process • Loss of comprehensive/multidimensional approach • Some issues become forgotten (e.g. access to culture, transport, sport and recreation) • Becoming too broad (forgetting about those in extreme situations) or too narrow in approach (only focussing on small and very specific groups or just on child poverty) • Risk of avoiding most difficult issues • e.g. undocumented migrants • Capacity to deliver in several Member States

20. Child Poverty • An opportunity • to create greater political ownership and urgency • to break intergenerational inheritance • to address issues of gender, equality, discrimination, employment etc. • to focus on rights

21. Conclusion • An adequate instrument? • a more adequate instrument • provides new opportunities but • other things will be important as well, e.g.: • effective social impact assessments of EU policies • outcome of debate on services of general interest • consultation on active inclusion and minimum income schemes