Brussels, 13/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - After discussing the issue at their informal meeting in Brdo in April, EU finance ministers will, on 14 May, return to the effectiveness of social expenditure (see EUROPE 9637). Member states devote between 13 and 33% of their GDP to social expenditure. Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of social expenditure will have a crucial impact on improving and securing the quality and long-term fiscal sustainability of the European social models and public finances in general, stress the draft Council conclusions, due to be adopted this Wednesday. On the basis of member states experiences in reforming their social security systems, the Council sets out several “general features which may support the efficiency and effectiveness of reforms of social protection systems”, while stressing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. It says too that it may be helpful if different reforms are pursued together in a comprehensive approach. The Council restates its call to the Economic Policy Committee (EPC) and the Commission to “step up their efforts to improve the measurement and analysis of the quality of public finances and its impact on growth”. Member states and the Commission could include analyses on efficiency and effectiveness in Lisbon National Reform Programmes and the Community Lisbon Programme. The Council invites the EPC and the Commission to continue their sectoral analysis, with a view to (a) assessing in more detail the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending on R&D and education; (b) analysing the economic and budgetary impact of continuing health care and pensions reforms; (c) analysing the quality, sustainability and efficiency and effectiveness of the revenue structure and its interaction with welfare systems, and also its macroeconomic implications; (d) updating the work of fiscal frameworks, including work on institutional arrangements conducive to better quality of public finances. The Council will again consider these issues over the course of the first half of 2009, with an analysis of the trends in the composition of public expenditures. (A.B.)