EAPN SPAIN: Who are we?

1. EAPN Seminar: 2010 and Beyond: the legacy we want!Workshop 1: Integrated poverty strategies and instruments to make progress on poverty “Building a legacy for 2010 at national and regional level: New anti-poverty strategies and instruments” Mrs. Sali Guntin, Executive Committee, EAPN Spain

2. EAPN SPAIN was established in 1991 as an independent coalition of NGOs involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in the EU. It was launched again in 2002, together with the Lisbon Strategy. EAPN’s membership is built on Regional Anti Poverty Networks and National NGOs primarily concerned with the fight against poverty and social exclusion. 15 Regional Networks and 15 National NGO’s as members engaged through working groups on social inclusion, participation, awareness, employment and structural funds. Spanish Red Cross (Anti-Poverty, Emergency, vulnerable groups) Caritas (Anti-Poverty and vulnerable groups) Fundacion Secretariado Gitano (Roma people) COCEDER (Rural development centres) CEPAIM (Migrants and refugees rights) Federación de Mujeres progresistas (Women rights) ESPLAI (Communication and Information Technology and Einclusion) UNAD (Federation of NGOs for Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse ) FEAPS (The Spanish Confederation of Federations and Associations for Mentally Disabled People) CEAR (Refugees) Movimiento Cuarto Mundo (Anti-Poverty) ACCEM (Migrants and refugees) COCEMFE (Federation of NGOs working with disabled persons) Red Araña (Social economy) EAPN SPAIN: Who are we?

3. Poverty: 19.5% of the population is under the poverty treshold (and 13.8% in permanent poverty) Deprivation: 18.5% is deprived in three or more indicators of basic needs. Exclusion: 17.2% of the population is affected by 3 or more indicators of social exclusion Severe poverty: between 3% and 4% of the population, 2.7% in chronic poverty Severe exclusion: 5.3% of the population More than 10% are working poor. Widowers and dependent people’s pensions are the lowest, under 400€ Minimum income is around 400€, well below the minimum salary, which is 610€ Persistency of high rates of unemployment, above EU average, before and during the crisis. The guaranteed minimum income is a system of last resort that can only be accessed by those on the very edge of destitution. Child poverty level, 25%, is higher than EU average. Which is the situation of people living in poverty in Spain and which is the impact of the crisis?Despite 15 years of sustained economic growth, well before the crisis, poverty level is high

4. What strategies and new instruments are being developed at national level to make progress on poverty? What are the success elements? • The most outstanding element is that social NGOs have become a partner in the Government dialogue body on social policy. • Participation of people experiencing poverty is more important than before. • The success elements are basically those related to the increase in governance.

5. Which is the progress made under the current EU approach since 2000 in relation to poverty and social inclusion? • The effectiveness of national strategies and instruments in making progress on poverty and social exclusion from 2000-2008 was positive in certain aspects. • However, poverty rates and high unemployment rates remained high. Child poverty did not significantly improve either. Positive aspects were: • EU dimension of poverty and social problems, a comparative framework. • Common social indicators and statistics. • OMC helped to understand and remark the main common social objectives. Spain, as other member states with a less developed welfare system, had to catch-up to the EU average. • Poverty and Social Inclusion became a visible part of the political agenda. • Governance as an asset.

6. In the context of the crisis, the weaknesses of the scarcely distributive model of growth became more visible. Those who already face poverty (or live on the edge of it) are hit extraordinarily hard in these days and will be in the year ahead. A stiff competition between those persons, and the newly impoverished people, is expected to increase. Important budget cuts in social spending are fuelling this process. What’s the impact of the crisis and the barriers to progress?

7. Challenges for 2009-2010 / Social services and NGOs are already overwhelmed • Local governments are dragging a public debt of nearly Euro 30 billion, and will surely face expenditures cutting measures in the months ahead.It is to be expected that local welfare offices will engage in an intensified drive to deny entitlements. • If the crisis becomes deep enough and caseloads reach a high enough level, the very viability of welfare provision, and the unemployment insurance, will be called into question. • Xenophobic sentiment is silently growing within the Spaniards because of the competence between them and immigrants to get the scarce facilities and social resources. They claim: “It’s easy to get help if you are an immigrant!”

8. Challenges for 2009-2010 / Housing is a major issue • Recently unemployed people with pending mortgages, and tenants who cannot afford their rents are beginning to loose their homes. • Families and particularly children, already at risk, are not covered by the traditional “social emergency” resources and facilities. • As basic social services, soup centres, shelters, drop-in centres and other such services managed by NGOs and private charity are facing a big increase in demand, while finding it harder to bring in donations and subsidies, the costs in terms of hunger, homelessness and illness will soon be very great indeed.

9. Problems faced by social NGOs • Increase in the volume of hosted immigrants. • Saturation of many services. • Inability to perform an accompaniment to individuals and families. • Considerable increase of aid in kind (food, clothes, medicines) to cover basic needs. • Growing needs to obtain more financial support.

10. What strategies and new instruments are being developed at national level to make progress on poverty? • Problem: social needs are growing steeply, while social spending is cut-off • EAPN Response: • To increase lobbying at the regional and national levels. • To coordinate efforts, together with other Platforms of the Third Sector to make joint proposals.

11. Already implemented: Measures aimed at easing the economic impact of the plunging housing market and rising unemployment: a two-year moratorium on 50% of mortgage payments for those made unemployed and an extended tax exemption period for reinvested capital gains on house sales. The “Eplan 2008” failed to activate the local labour markets, as it worked in the very short-run, with investments which implied low productivity and scarcely multiplying effects. Only announced, but never implemented: Extension of the unemployment insurance to those who are no longer covered. Now, 29 out of 100 unemployed do not have incomes at all. Extension of the Guaranteed Minimum Income to more needy beneficiaries. Increase of 8% of minimum pensions, which are below Euro 500. The government has embarked in a flurry of policy initiatives to protect or promote banking, automotive industry and other.“Social” packages have been promised – but, until now, there are more words than facts!

12. Heavy cut-offs in social spending and other basic public services from the 2009 budget • In 2009, the government reduced more than 33.8 million new investment in public safety, 40 million program to the second cycle of infant education, and almost 15 million of loans and scholarships for secondary education. • Also, the following cuts have been implemented: • 59 million less for the fund to support the reception and integration of immigrants • more than 12 million less to the IMSERSO (aged persons) • 2.4 million less for the Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities • 3.01 million less in support measures for the 'positive parenting', among others. • In total, the Government acknowledges having cut spending on 1,500 million; the ministries of Education and Social Policy (105) and Housing (105) are two of the four most affected.

13. The Forum of the Third Sector and the Social Economy is a joint initiative of 5 social platforms and networks. The Forum demanded a National Pact for Jobs and Social Inclusion and made proposals to the government (January 2009) • This plan should not only contain mitigation, but preventive measures as well, in order to support the more disadvantaged people. • Particularly, those measures that ensure the sustainability of the strategies raised by the Third Sector, in order to (re)create the social networks and other actions which may alleviate the exclusion effects.

14. The Forum of the Third Sector and the Social Economy Key recommendations made by the Forum • 1. To incentivize the economy and employment • 2. To implement training and support measures to help in the transition from unemployment to employment, and to return to the education system as well. • 3. To strengthen the support for social protection and social services. • 4. To strengthen the Social Third Sector.

15. The Forum of the Third Sector and the Social Economy Main proposals • In the area of Minimum Income: • To strengthen the individual minimum income, avoiding situations leading to social exclusion. • To establish a coherent network of social protection. • In the field of employment: • To implement employment policies aimed at the most vulnerable. • In the area of Services: • To strengthen the main providers, the municipalities and the Third Sector.

16. What would be the key elements of national legacy for 2010? • To retrieve all those Lisbon key objectives that remained unaccomplished and build upon them. • To improve efficiency in the eradication of poverty (after policies), and to increase the level of social spending, at least to the EU average level. • To implement a National Pact for Jobs and Social Inclusion

17. Proposals made by EAPN Spain to the government: a Pact for Jobs and Social Inclusion • System of Guaranteed Basic Income, considering the criteria of "social need" and “sufficiently protective intensity" • Active employment policies. • Social services as a pillar of the welfare state  There is an urgent need of improving efficiency in social spending as well as increasing its level, at least to the EU average level.

18. Specifically, in terms of SOCIAL PROTECTION • To raise the minimum wage amount up to €800. • To articulate a basic legal framework to guarantee the same Guaranteed Minimum Income scheme for the entire territory. • To expand the existing protective system. The minimum income is to be managed so that it is a step in the process of integration. Coordination between central state and regional governments is essential.

19. In terms of JOBS • To develop the personalized itinerary for labour insertion, managed both by the social services and the NGOs. • To support flexible and adapted professional training, specifically tailor-made for the most vulnerable. • To create more jobs for disadvantaged groups. • To support entrepreneurship within disadvantaged people. • To improve the protection system for the domestic service workers. • To work less hours, and to distribute the existing workload, in order to create more job-posts.

20. SOCIAL SERVICES as a pillar of the Welfare State • To emphasize their responsibility in the satisfaction of basic needs through an adequate system of social protection. • To strengthen the system of social protection for families facing economic difficulties. • To facilitate the access to housing to families with fewer resources and to avoid their eviction. • To manage public services of general interest so that the rights of vulnerable families are protected.

21. To focus at the local and regional levels • To increase efficiency, social projects must be translated to the smallest local level, i.e. respond to the specific needs and context of the level at which it is implemented. • Any project to be realized within the framework of the national social policy should clearly state the goal to be achieved and the detailed action steps to be taken, identify the target groups and comment on the expected outcomes. • It should also list the responsible and supporting agencies, contain a definite time frame and resource implications. • More synergy and coordination is required between the decentralized and the centralized administration!

22. Message for the next decade and future generations: RIGHTS, not only jobs! • Tackling child and family poverty in order to prevent intergenerational transmission of poverty. Reducing the chances that poor children become poor adults will dramatically lower futurepoverty rates. • Disadvantaged people can only commit themselves to active participation and full integration in society when they find ‘enabling’ environments for the fulfillment of their civic potential and when their actual needs and conditions are taken into account.

23. THANK YOUWWW.EAPN.ES