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Social Platform was invited last week to the closing session of the Commission’s conference on “social policy innovation” of 19-20 June together with the Director General of DG EMPL and the Chair of the Social Protection Committee. Pierre Baussand, Director of Social Platform intervened on four main points. Social innovation has been implemented by social NGOs for decades. It is underpinned by democratic principles and serves the wellbeing of people. It is about partnership and implementation of existing EU instruments. And innovation for wellbeing is not only for social policies but also for EU budget and economic policies.

“As the director of Social Platform, I was pleased to witness that not less than 10 of our members have actively participated in the conference in bringing or supporting concrete evidence of social innovation that can be scaled up at regional, national and European level. FEANTSA with the implementation of “housing first” projects, ENSIE on the integration of vulnerable groups in social enterprise, but also Solidar, EASPD, Cecodhas, Eurochild, Age Platform Europe, Eurodiaconia, Eurocarers and the Red Cross. Social NGOs have social innovation in their DNA when they have to adapt to the changes in needs, environments, or societies. Last December, Social Platform adopted its common position on this issue.  

When we talk about social innovation, we can have the impression that we are back to the future. Decision makers want to promote a concept that social NGOs have been promoting for many decades. For example the disability movement has been calling since at least the 1970s for a change of paradigm from a medical approach (in institutions) to an environmental approach to disability. This has led to the call for an accessibility act to be adopted by the EU. Another example is children’s rights NGOs who have called for deinstitutionalisation in Europe based on the UN Convention of the rights of the Child. Housing first is an innovation that secures for homeless people a home where services come to them instead of the other way around. And innovation is not only about change at the local level but also change in national and European structures and legislation. Innovation can happen through adopting more progressive laws (anti-discrimination directive) or as one participant mentioned, the adoption of welfare states after WWII can be considered as a major social innovation.

What are the characteristics of social innovation for us? It has to ensure the wellbeing of people and respond to their unmet needs. Therefore there must be a clear social purpose to innovation instead of innovation for its own sake. It is about a bottom up approach which starts with people’s needs and ends in a partnership between public authorities and social NGOs who work with or represent people with needs. AT the final stage, the partnership should lead to policy changes so that the innovation is scaled up and transferred in a sustainable manner to policy making.

There is a need for social innovation. At the end of that conference week the European elections took place.  It was forecasted that there would be both a low turnout and a rise in Euro scepticism. At the same time, 6 years after the beginning of the crisis, Europe is changing. It faces a rise in inequalities, a serious social impact of the crisis and has witnessed the emergence of new needs from its population (increase in poverty, unemployment, housing, health, etc).

So when looking at the future, it is important to state that it started right after the conference. Social innovation is not new but it has not been acknowledged and supported by policy makers, what we are looking for is opportunities for social progress. There will be a new European Parliament. There will be a new college of Commissioners. What social NGOs called for at this conference is the implementation of existing EU instruments that can be an opportunity for social progress. The implementation of the Social Investment Package is one of them. Operationalising social investment in the European semester process can be a first step towards that objective. The implementation of EU funds can be a second step. The EU has adopted an improved partnership principle that associates NGOs with local and regional authorities for the design, implementation and evaluation of structural funds. That should be implemented to bring the social NGOs expertise and innovation to the forefront.

Social innovation is not just a topic for specialists. It is a highly political issue. We need a new approach to our current EU and national policies when it comes to tackling the social consequences of the crisis. Despite the Europe 2020 target to reduce poverty by 2020, Europe is failing with 125 million people experiencing poverty. The current policies are also failing to tackle growing inequalities in our societies.

Now is the time to support innovation. And it is important to stress that we don’t need innovation only for social policies. We also need it for budget and economic policies. The current austerity measures are far from delivering on the wellbeing of people. Innovation is drastically required in these fields.