European Anti-Poverty Network: Delivering Agenda 2030 – For People and Planet – EAPN Proposals for a post Europe 2020 Strategy

The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) presents its position paper on ‘Delivering Agenda 2030 for people and the planet – EAPN Proposals for a Post Europe 2020 strategy the European Semester’, a set of priorities for the European Commission and EU institutions to create a strategy promoting effective rights-based social and sustainable development.

The elections of the new European Parliament and the new President of the European Commission, Council, and Parliament were the opportunity to take stock of the European situation and learn from it.

The Europe 2020 Strategy did not achieve its “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” nor its poverty reduction target of 20 million with still 113 million people at risk of poverty and exclusion. Despite the adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights being an important social initiative, it remains a framework of principles lacking concrete implementation.

A new integrated strategy, built on the learning from Europe 2020 and underpinned by Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Social Pillar, is therefore needed to achieve real improvements for people and planet. It requires including an ambitious EU Poverty Target, an action plan to implement social rights as well as a high-level political commitment and a paradigm shift that must also be reflected in the European Semester.

4 Key Priorities for this new integrated strategy

1. Achieving Poverty Eradication and Increasing Well-Being

  • We need a rights-based integrated anti-poverty strategy, beyond employment
  • An ambitious EU Poverty Target, with mid-term review
  • Effective Poverty Indicators and Social Scoreboard
  • Urgent action to guarantee adequate Minimum Income and Social Protection
  • And concrete results on other social rights – particularly quality work, education and services including housing and health

2. Political Pre-Requisites to Achieve Results

  • There must be high level political commitment
  • And well-being must be the goal – rebalancing the economic/social/environmental objectives

3. Embedding Participation and Transforming EU Coordination Instruments

  • We need a participative, social, and sustainable European Semester
  • And civil society must be made equal partners

4. Mobilising EU Funds to Support the Anti-Poverty Strategy

  • We need to increase the effectiveness of EU funds spent on poverty reduction

Read the position paper here.

Full article.