Addressing social divergence in European societies: Improving Minimum Income Support 4 April 2014

1. Addressing social divergence in European societies: Improving Minimum Income Support 4 April 2014 Input Fintan Farrell EAPN and EMIN

2. A Story that millions of European Citizens would want to hear

3. Content of Input • Recent EAPN Work on Minimum Income • EMIN Project: Objectives and First Outcomes • EU Meetings of People Experiencing Poverty

4. Recent EAPN Work on Minimum Income • EAPN Irl led Social Standards Project (2007) • Austrian led EU Project Standard Budgets (2009) • EAPN Major Conference and Campaign on Adequate Minimum Income (2010) • EAPN Election Campaign 2014 (See Blog electingchampionsin2014.net) • Constant part of EAPN work on Europe 2020 and related activities • EAPN work to build consensuses: EP - Figueiredo (2010) and PaPreport, CoR report on PaP (2010), EESC Report Min Income (2013)

5. EMIN Network Aim of the European Minimum Income Network • To raise awareness on 1) the commitments made by the Council and Commission on adequate Minimum Income Schemes, 2) the importance of adequate Minimum Income Schemes to keep people active in society 3) the Importance for all of the society of adequate Minimum Income Schemes as the base for a high level social Protection Systems • To build consensus and advocate to take the necessary steps towards the progressive realisation of adequate and accessible minimum income schemes at 1) National and 2) EU levels • A two year project (2013 – 2014) initiated by the European Parliament and administered by European Commission

6. Partners in the Project – Building stakeholder engagement • Lead Partner: EAPN (European Anti-Poverty Network) • Key European level Partners • AGE Platform Europe • FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless) • Belgian Public Administration, Public Planning Service Social Integration, Anti Poverty Policy and Social Economy Social Integration • ANSA (Agence Nouvelle des Solidarités Actives) • ETUI (European Trade Union Institute) • OSE (Observatoire Social Européen) • SIRG (Social Inclusion Regional Group) • Two advisory Groups – Civil Society and European Parliament • National Minimum Income Networks (building engagement of stakeholders) • Belgiumby Belgian Anti Poverty Network • Italy, CILAP/EAPN Italy • Ireland, EAPN Ireland • Denmark ,EAPN Denmark • Hungaryby EAPN Hungary • Year 2: Work in a further 25 Countries (25 National Reports and National Conferences)

7. Based on a Common Understanding • Minimum Income schemes: “income support schemes which provide a safety net for those who cannot work or access a decent job and are not eligible for social security payments or whose entitlements have expired” • Adequate Minimum Income: income that is indispensable to live a life in dignity and to fully participate in society

8. What Adequate Minimum Income Schemes bring to society • Ensure that people who need to receive them can remain active in the society, help them reconnect to the world of work and allows them to live in dignity. • Are good for the whole of the society as they are indispensable for more equal societies and more equal societies are better for everyone. • As the base for high-level social protection systems they act as ‘economic stabilisers’, as was demonstrated with the countries with high-level social protection systems being best able to resist the negative impacts of the crisis. • Are a very small percentage of the Government’s social spending and represent a huge return on the investment as the cost of non-investment has enormous immediate impacts for the individuals concerned and long term costs for the society. • Must ensure a positive hierarchy with minimum wages and thus help to reverse the destructive trend of rising numbers of working poor in Europe.

9. An emerging EU Road Map for the progressive realisation of adequate minimum income schmes. • Awareness raining and public debate on 1) Adequate Minimum Income Schemes and 2) The Commitments made at EU level in relation to adequate Minimum Income • Building towards an EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Income based on: common definitions, common methodologies for defining adequacy (60% at risk of poverty indicator, Reference Budgets), common information requirements, proactive granting of benefits, addressing the needs of particular groups, uprating mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation, independent assessment, integrated active inclusion approach and engagement of stakeholders • Integrating follow up into Key EU processes: Research on the costs of not investing in adequate Minimum Income Schemes and in non take up. Follow up of the Active Inclusion and Child Poverty Recommendations. Integrated into the Europe 2020 Strategy (use of social scoreboard and CSR), Use of 20% ESF Funding. Reported and followed up under National Social Reports, OMC (peer Reviews) and reports of European Social Policy Network

10. Reports of the 2013 PeP Meeting now available www.eapn.eu • General Report Key messages, Main Inputs • Background papers Reference Budget, Impact of crisis, Practice examples • Slogans from the 2013 Meeting.

11. Key Message from the 2013 PeP Meeting • Message: There is a harmonization of the costs of a decent life in the different European countries but still huge differences between wage levels and social welfare schemes and no real effort to ensure common efforts to reach high level social standards across Europe. This is creating a totally unbalanced Europe. • Reference Budgets developed with agreed common principles and methodology could make a big contribution to see more clearly the realities in the different countries. • People experiencing Poverty and their organisations should be involved in agreeing the principles and methodology to be used for Reference Budgets. • We must be clear about the objective of the cooperation at EU level. It should have the clear ambition to contribute to ensuring common high level social standards across Europe.

12. Key Message from the 2013 PeP Meeting Message: The response to the crisis is developing behaviour that undermines respect for human rights, such as: labour exploitation, xenophobia and increased discrimination, more waste in our societies (empty houses while having increased homelessness), growing distrust in our politicians and political institutions, criminalisation and negative stereo typing of ‘poor people’, while doing nothing to tackle the increasing concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few. We need to defend a society and a politics based on values and respect for Human Rights. We just want a normal society where everybody has access a decent life. Minimum Income Schemes should have the ambition to be at a level that’s needed for a life in Dignity and not just what is good enough for the poor

13. Slogan from the Czech Republic Delegation: We just want a normal life

14. EMIN Contacts For more information contact Fintan Farrell, Project Manager fintan.farrell@eapn.eu Anne Van Lancker, Project Policy Coordinator vanlanckeranne@gmail.com To follow the project emin-eu.net Twitter #eminetwork