Brussels, 15/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - On 5 February, the European Commission published its communication, “Proposal for the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2010”, which set out a number of key messages.
(1) The human cost of the crisis is difficult to fully evaluate as yet, and the impact on labour markets and on the population, in particular the most vulnerable groups, is still unfolding. Investing in regular monitoring of social trends and enhancing social statistics is crucial for designing early and effective policy responses and assessing their impact.
(2) Not all member states have the financial means to meet rising demand and some have large gaps in their safety nets. Reducing these gaps is now a priority.
(3) The quality of social intervention and social protection has to be improved, in line with the principles of access for all, adequacy and sustainability.
(4) Tackling unemployment and promoting inclusive labour markets should go hand in hand. With recovery underway, policies need to prepare people to grasp job opportunities, promote good quality jobs and avoid long-term dependency. Active inclusion can reconcile the goals of fighting poverty, increasing labour market participation and enhancing the efficiency of social spending.
(5) In our ageing and rapidly changing societies, it is crucial to prevent and tackle poverty, child poverty in particular, in order to prepare Europe for the future and to avoid a waste of human potential, of both men and women.
(6) It is important that post-crisis policies contain integrated strategies that seek to address housing exclusion and homelessness, with a view to building cohesive and environmentally sustainable societies.
(7) Economic distress undermines mental and physical health and threatens to deepen health inequalities. The impact of the crisis will vary with the initial health situation sand the capacities of member states to address the challenges. Increasing demand coupled with severe budget pressure gives new urgency to the efficiency of healthcare systems. The challenge is to improve efficiency while ensuring access for all to quality healthcare.
(8) The crisis and lower growth prospects are likely to impact on all types of pension schemes and aggravate the challenge of the ageing population. As pensions increasingly depend on life-time earnings-related contributions, pension adequacy will depend on the ability of labour markets to deliver opportunities for longer and more complete contributory careers.
(9) A marked shift towards funded provision brings forward some of the costs of future pensions in an ageing society and increases the exposure of pension schemes to financial markets. Variations in the ability of funded schemes to weather the crisis show that differences in design, regulation and investment strategy matter. Better balancing security for savers and affordability against potential gains and losses will be important.
(10) The crisis has emphasised the added value of policy coordination through the Open Method of Coordination on Social Protection and Social Inclusion and provided further incentive to exploit its potential fully.
(11) Drawing on the lessons of the crisis and of 10 years of the Lisbon strategy, there will be a need to foster sustainable growth along with job creation and social cohesion and systematically to assess progress of social outcomes, including gender equality.
In conclusion, the Commission underlines that the European Year 2010 for combating poverty and social exclusion offers a timely opportunity to strongly reaffirm the commitment made by the EU 10 years ago on a decisive impact on eradicating poverty and social exclusion. (G.B./transl.rt)