European Anti-Poverty Network: Will EPSCO Council press for policy coherence on Social Europe?
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) calls on the Ministers of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs meeting next week to press for delivery on Commissioners Thyssen and Dombrovskis’s announced priorities for European Union (EU) social policy, which seriously contradict the current approach within the European Semester.
EAPN has sent a letter today to the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council meeting next week 18-19 June as they will discuss the new developments in the European Semester, i.e. the European Commission’s proposals on 2015 Country-Specific Recommendations and the proposals for new Integrated Guidelines.
European Commissioners debated on 9 June orientations on EU social policy. Commissioners Thyssen and Dombrovskis gave a clear message on their priorities: “rebalancing economic priorities on a par with social policies”, “a coherent vision for social dimension”, “quality jobs”, “investment in strong social protection systems” and “adequate minimum income”.
However, the policy reality totally contradicts that message. The European Commission’s 2015 Country-Specific Proposals give an even lower profile to concrete action on poverty and social objectives, and the Europe 2020 strategy. At a time when poverty affects one in four of the EU population and keeps increasing in two-thirds of member states, only six countries now have received proposals regarding poverty, instead of 12 last year. The proposals for Integrated Guidelines step away from Europe 2020 and the poverty targets, focusing on fairness rather that ambitious guidelines to deliver integrated strategies to fight poverty and social exclusion.
“These good intentions risk remaining empty words unless this balanced approach is first and foremost explicitly reflected in the European Semester – particularly in the Country-Specific Recommendations and in the Guidelines, reintegrating a balanced smart, sustainable and inclusive vision from Europe 2020, with real priority to economic and social policies that can achieve the poverty and other social targets,” says Sérgio Aires, President of EAPN.
Overall, the European Commission’s Country-Specific Recommendation proposals clearly worsen the imbalance between economic and social objectives. They continue to press for further austerity, resulting in cuts in social spending rather than social investment, with no visible link to the inclusive or sustainable growth agenda of Europe 2020. Employment is still proposed as the main solution, focusing on “reducing disincentives to work” by increasing conditionality and sanctions rather than focusing on quality job creation, and supportive personalised approaches, which also ensure access to quality social protection and services.
If Ministers meeting next week turn a blind eye to these realities, prospects are gloomy for the social crisis and growing unrest about the future of the EU project, hence for the economic situation of the EU as well. Trust in EU leaders is once again at stake.
