Conference on effective advocacy for health in Europe

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Conference on effective advocacy for health in
Europe

Riga, 3-5th April 2003

The open method of coordination
EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Employment and Social
Affairs Armindo Silva, Head of Unit Social
protection and inclusion policies
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The Open Method of Coordination

• Fixing guidelines for the EU combined with
  specific timetables for achieving their goals
• Establishing indicators and benchmarks as a means
  of comparing best practice
• Translating the EU guidelines into
  national/regional policies
• Periodic monitoring, evaluation and peer review.

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The merits of the Open Method of Coordination

• facilitates policy reform by promoting mutual
  learning among Member States
• gives a concrete meaning to the European social
  model, by helping to build consensus
• creates a sense of urgency in driving reforms
  forward, by promoting emulation
• contributes to greater balance between the
  social and the economic dimensions in EU policy

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The Open Method of Coordination -Controversial
issues

• Lack of democratic legitimacy? Risk of
  uniformity?
• Ineffective for achieving greater social
  cohesion? Too soft for national governments?
• Too bureaucratic and paper-loaded?

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The Open Method of Coordinationin the field of
social inclusion

• The strategic goal to make a decisive impact on
  the eradication of poverty by 2010
• The instruments
• National action plans gt Joint Report
• A new Community programme to support cooperation
• A shared role for Commission and Member States

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A place for the Open Method of Coordination in
the new Treaty?

• Yes, but only in those areas where no legal
  harmonisation is justifiable or specific Treaty
  provision exist.
• Stronger role for the EP and consultation of
  social partners and NGOs
• Scope for simplification and streamlining
  forthcoming communication by the Commission

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The Open Method of Coordination for combating
poverty and social exclusion The Common
Objectives

• 1. To facilitate participation in employment and
  access by all to resources, rights, goods and
  services
• 2. To prevent the risks of exclusion
• 3. To help the most vulnerable
• 4. To mobilise all relevant actors

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The key findings the dimension of poverty in the
EU

• 15 of the EU population lived under the relative
  poverty line (at 60 of the median) in 1999 gt50
  million people
• 9 were poor for three successive years.

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The impact of social protection

• Relative poverty would have affected 24 without
  social transfers,
• and 39 without social transfers or pensions

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The most disadvantaged groups

• Relative poverty is especially high for
• children
• young people
• older women
• unemployed
• single parents
• numerous families

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Wide variation across the EU

• Monetary relative poverty varies between 9 and
  21
• International comparisons based on subjective
  indicators of poverty show much wider variations

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The key findings 8 core challenges

• Developing an inclusive labour market and
  promoting employment as a right and duty
• Guaranteeing adequate income and resources for a
  decent standard of living
• Tackling educational disadvantage
• Preserving family solidarity and protecting the
  rights of children

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The key findings 8 core challenges

• Ensuring reasonable accomodation for all
• Guaranteeing equal access to and investing in
  high-quality public services
• Improving the delivery of services and tuning
  them closely to the citizens needs
• Regenerating areas of multiple deprivation

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Assessing plus and minus in the EU process

• All Member States are committed in new process
• Greater political visibility of inclusion
  policies
• NAPs contain a wealth of valuable information
• Agreement on indicators to monitor progress
• New programme to consolidate progress

• Lack ambition/innovation in many NAPs
• Limited strategic dimension, few targets set
• Limited consultation of NGOs, local authorities
• Insufficient gender dimension
• Insufficient mainstreaming across other policy
  areas

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What to expect from 2003 NAPs/inclusion?

• Targets set at national level for the eradication
  of poverty
• Emphasis on gender mainstreaming and inclusion
  of immigrants (the new issues)
• More consultation of civil society in the
  preparation of the NAPs/inclusion
• Frank assessment of strengths and weaknesses
  revealed since 2001.

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Community Action Programme to combatSocial
Exclusion

• Strand 1
• Improving understanding of poverty and social
  exclusion (studies, indicators, statistical data)
• Strand 2
• Promoting exchanges on policies and mutual
  learning (peer reviews, transnational exchange
  projects expert networks, seminars)
• Strand 3
• Supporting participation of the various
  stakeholders and networking at EU level

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Enlargement will present new and greater
challenges for combating poverty in EU

• Large numbers live on low absolute income and
  lack access to basic services
• High unemployment
• Weak systems of social protection
• Serious situation of children, ethnic minorities,
  mentally ill
• Relative inequalities are lower than in EU

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Involving applicant countries in EU process for
social inclusion is a priority

• To draft Joint Inclusion Memoranda (JIM) until
  end 2003
• Identifying challenges
• Putting policies in the EU framework of common
  objectives
• Highlighting key issues for further review

• To allow participation in the Community
  programme
• Studies
• Joining partnerships and networks
• Participating in peer reviews

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The Open Method of Coordination in the field of
pensions

• Demographic challenge is common across all Member
  States
• The new process should not transfer political
  responsibility from national to EU level
• Despite wide diversity of pension systems, there
  is consensus around 11 broad objectives.

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The 11 common objectives come under three headings

• To ensure the adequacy of pension systems in
  order to prevent poverty and comparable living
  standards in old age
• To ensure the financial sustainability of pension
  systems over the long run
• To adapt pension systems to societal and labour
  market changes

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The process in 2002/3

• Submission of National Strategy Reports
• Examination by the Commission leading to a first
  draft
• Adoption of a Joint Report on Pensions by the
  Council and the Commission, endorsed by the
  Brussels European Council
• Continuing work on common indicators

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The key messages from the 2003 Joint Report on
Pensions

• Despite reforms, many pension systems are still
  facing considerable financial and demographic
  challenges. Budgetary impact ranges between 0 and
  6 of GDP until 2050.
• Reforms show that it is possible to ensure
  financial sustainability and preserve adequate
  incomes for older people.
• Privately funded systems are on the increase but
  they are not exempt of the impact of ageing

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Policy co-operation in the field of healthcare

• Joint report identifies three main challenges
  across the EU
• To ensure access of all to affordable healthcare
  and care for the elderly
• To ensure financial sustainability of healthcare
  systems
• To guarantee a high level of quality of
  healthcare services.