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EIRC
Foundation
European Integration and Regional
Competitiveness
European Union Experts EUE AISBL
The European Social
Policy within the perspectives of
the EU 2020 Strategy
Social Economy as a
way to social inclusion;
status of play in
Bulgaria, the Italian
Experience and the
European Social
Policy: ideas for the
new programming
period 2014-2020
Sofia 5 October 2010
Technical University
Filippo Strati - Studio Ricerche Sociali Italy
(member of the EU Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion)
Filippo Strati - Studio Ricerche
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The presentation foci:
A) Important changes in the EU institutional,
strategic and governance architecture
B) Progress in the EU social policies since 2000
C) Critical points of the past and current debate
and challenges in the near future
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A) Important changes in the EU institutional,
strategic and governance architecture
The new “Lisbon” Treaties with the associated
Charter of Fundamental Rigths (1/12/2009)
The new Strategy (EU 2020) compared with the
past Lisbon Strategy
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The New Treaty on European Union
Founding Values (Art. 2)
Respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and
human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to
minorities.
“These values are common to the Member States in a society in
which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity
and equality between women and men prevail”.
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The New Treaty on European Union
Overarching Objectives (Art. 3)
Peace and well-being; sustainable development; a highly
competitive social market economy; economic, social and territorial
cohesion; full employment and social progress; a high protection and
improvement of the quality of the environment; scientific and
technological advancement; social justice and protection; equality
between women and men; solidarity between generations and
among Member States.
The Union “shall contribute to peace, security, the sustainable
development of the Earth, solidarity and mutual respect among
peoples, free and fair trade, eradication of poverty and the protection
of human rights, in particular the rights of the child”.
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The New Treaty on the Functioning of European Union
Five important “Horizontal Clauses” in defining and
implementing policies and activities
Equality Clause (Art. 8) to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality,
between men and women.
Social Clause (Art. 9) to guarantee adequate social protection, to fight against
social exclusion, to promote high level of employment, education and
training, to protect human health
Anti-discrimination Clause (Art. 10) to fight against discrimination based on
sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual
orientation
Environmental Clause (Art. 11) to promote sustainable development and
environmental protection (Art. 11)
Consumer Clause (Art. 12) to protect consumer rights
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The New Treaty on the Functioning of European Union
Three important “Governance pillars” in defining and
implementing policies and activities
Broad guidelines of the economic policies adopted by the EU Council
in agreement with the Member States (Art. 121) to achieve the EU
Objectives (as defined in Art. 3 of the Treaty on European Union) (Art.
120).
Employment guidelines consistent with the broad guidelines and
adopted by the EU Council in agreement with the State Members (Art.
148).
Recommendations concerning each Member State, proposed by the EU
Commission, adopted by the EU Council and communicated to the EU
Parliament, through a regular overall assessment and monitoring of
economic and employment developments (Art. 121.2 and Art. 148).
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The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union
The same legal value as the Treaties
The Charter places the principle of human dignity as its first
Article and Title, through which all other rights are formulated and
pursued: freedom, equality, solidarity, citizenship and justice.
Human dignity includes also the right to:
- Social security benefits, social protection and services, social
and housing assistance, sufficient resources for a decent existence
in order to combat risks of social exclusion and poverty (Art. 34).
- A high level of environmental quality and protection (Art. 37).
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The EUROPE 2020 Strategy and the previous Lisbon
Strategy
The EU 2020 Strategy was designed as the successor of the Lisbon Strategy
Lisbon Strategy Vision
(launched in 2000)
EU 2020 Strategy vision
(launched in 2010)
European Union (EU) as the most
competitive economy in the world
and achieving full employment by
2010
EU as a social market economy
based on smart, sustainable and
inclusive growth, also to come out
stronger from the crisis, delivering
high levels of employment,
productivity and social cohesion.
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The Lisbon Strategy and the EU 2020 Strategy
Lisbon Strategy: 3 Pillars
EU 2020 Strategy: 3 mutually
reinforcing priorities
- Economic pillar: a competitive,
dynamic, knowledge-based
economy.
- Social pillar: modernisation of the
European Social Model by
investing in human resources and
combating social exclusion.
- Environmental pillar, (included
by the Göteborg Strategy for
Sustainable Development in 2001):
decoupling economic growth from
the use of natural resources
– Smart growth: developing an
economy based on knowledge and
innovation.
– Inclusive growth: fostering a
high-employment
economy
delivering social and territorial
cohesion.
– Sustainable growth: promoting
a more resource efficient, greener
and more competitive economy.
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Public consultation on the EU 2020 Strategy
Between November 2009 and January 2010. Background considerations
included the following ones:
1- The conservation and a more efficient utilisation of energy, natural
resources and raw materials are key drivers of economic competitiveness and
productivity.
2- The application of greener technologies constitutes new sources of
employment.
3- Growth and jobs alone do not secure a reduction in poverty and social
exclusion.
4- Gender equality, social cohesion and solidarity, integration of immigrant
population, lifelong learning and education, income support, social services
and pension systems are effective ways to fight inequality, poverty and child
poverty with a close attention to vulnerable groups in an ageing society.
The EU Commission received nearly 1,400 contributions from a wide range of
stakeholders (e.g. EU-level bodies, NGOs, experts, trade unions, employers and
professional associations, political parties, consumer organisations, citizens).
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EU 2020 Strategy: Five Headline Targets and Seven Flagship
Initiatives
5 Headline Targets on: employment rate; Research and Development (R&D);
climate change and energy; education.
7 Flagship Initiatives linked to the Headline Targets:
- social and territorial cohesion to allow people to live in dignity and to take
part actively in society (European platform against poverty - EPAP)
- decarbonisation of the economy and the decoupling of economic growth
from the use of natural resources (Resource efficient Europe)
- research and innovation (Innovation Union); support to business, especially
SMEs, to compete globally (An industrial policy for the globalisation era);
high-speed internet for households and firms (A digital agenda for Europe);
- modernisation of labour markets to increase labour participation throughout
the lifecycle (An agenda for new skills and jobs);
- education systems (Youth on the move)
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The European Platform against Poverty (EPAP)
To ensure that the benefits of growth and jobs are widely shared and people
experiencing poverty and social exclusion
To increase visibility, improve communication and dissemination, enhance
mutual learning processes
To improve quality and continuous involvement of relevant stakeholders
To develop the Open Method of Coordination and to benefit from the
experience, instruments and activities in the field of social protection
(pensions, health and long-term care) and social inclusion
To enhance capacity and quality of initiatives and measures at both EU and
national level to deliver the social dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy
To foster the social impact assessment of policies according to the horizontal
“social clause”
To develop indicators that reflect the multidimensional nature of poverty and
social exclusion
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The European Councils of March and June 2010:
1) Agreed on Five Headline Targets of the EU 2020 Strategy
- Member States should, in close dialogue with the Commission,
rapidly finalise their national targets, taking account of their
relative starting positions and national circumstances, and
according to their national decision-making procedures.
2) Gave its political endorsement to the Integrated Guidelines
for economic and employment policies, which will be formally
adopted after the European Parliament's opinion.
3) Defined a governance framework between the EU and the
Member States
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EU 2020 Strategy: Five Headline Targets 2020
1. People at risk of poverty and social exclusion
2. Climate change and energy
a. Greenhouse gas emission
b. Share of renewables in final
energy consumption
c. Energy efficiency
Down by 20 million at least
“20/20/20” (already formulated in the 2007
Energy Policy Action Plan)
a. 20% reduction compared to 1990 levels
(30% if the conditions are right)
b. Up to 20%
c. 20% reduction
3. Research and Development (R&D)
Up to 3% of GDP
4. Employment rate for population (women and men) aged 20-64
5. School drop-out rates
Share of 30-34 years old with tertiary education
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Up to 75%
Down to less than 10%
Up to 40%
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EU 2020 Strategy: Poverty Targets 2020
People at risk of poverty and social exclusion
Down by 20 million at least
Member States set their national targets on at least one of three indicators:
At-risk-of poverty rate
Equivalised disposable income below 60% of the
national median income (after social tranfers)
Material deprivation
At least 4 out of 9 indicators relating to economic
strain, durables, housing and local environment
Jobless households
Households where the adults work less than 20% of
their total work potential during the past year (12
months)
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EU 2020 Poverty Targets: some estimates (1)
People
EU 27 in
million
Bulgaria in
million
At risk of poverty and social exclusion
120
2.9
At-risk-of poverty rate
80
1.62
Materially deprived
20 out of 40
1.22 out of 2.4
In jobless households
20 out of 45
0.06 out of 0.6
(1) Carin Lindqvist-Virtanen, Social Protection Committees’ Indicator Subgroup (ISG), EU Belgian Presidency
Conference on EU Coordination in the social field in the context of EU2020, La Hulpe 14-15.9.2010
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Integrated Guidelines (IGs) in the Lisbon Strategy and in the
EU 2020 Strategy
Lisbon Strategy: 24 IGs 2005-2008, EU 2020 Strategy: Draft 10 IGs,
confirmed for 2008-2010
largely stable until 2014.
For macroeconomic policies (6), For the economic policies (6) and
microeconomic policies (10) and employment policies (4)
employment policies (8).
Two IGs (number 17 and 18) with
One IG (number 10) to promote
some reference to social and
social inclusion and to fight against
territorial cohesion and to inclusive
poverty
labour markets
One IG (number 11) to encourage
the sustainable use of resources and One IG (number 5) to improve
strengthens the synergies between resource efficiency and to reduce
environmental
protection
and greenhouse gases
growth.
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EU 2020: Draft Integrated Guidelines for economic
policies of the Member States and the Union
1) Ensuring the quality and the sustainability of public finances
2) Addressing macroeconomic imbalances
3) Reducing imbalances in the euro area
4) Optimising support for R&D and innovation, strengthening
knowledge and unleashing the potential of the digital economy
5) Improving resource efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases
emissions
6) Improving the business and consumer environment and
modernising the industrial base
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EU 2020: Draft Integrated Guidelines for employment
policies of the Member States
7) Increasing labour market participation and reducing structural
unemployment
8) Developing a skilled workforce responding to labour market
needs, promoting quality and lifelong training
9) Improving the performance of education and training systems
at all levels and increasing participation in tertiary education
10) Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty
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Ingredients of the draft Integrated Guidelines 10: Promoting social
inclusion and combating poverty
1) equal opportunities, anti-discrimination, gender equality, people empowerment,
opportunities at different stages of people’s lives
2) close attention to vulnerable groups, e.g. one-parent families, minorities,
including the Roma, people with disabilities, children and young people, elderly
women and men, legal migrants, homeless
3) access for all to high quality and affordable services (e.g. social field, housing
and health care)
4) labour market participation and lifelong learning to prevent in-work poverty
5) benefit systems to ensure income security during transitions and to reduce
poverty
6) social protection systems (pensions, health and long-term care) to ensure
adequate income support, access to quality services, while encouraging
participation in society and in the labour market
7) full use of the European Social Fund (ESF) and promotion of social economy
and social innovation
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The EU 2020 Governance Framework
- The strategy implementation is based on a thematic approach and country
surveillance.
- Thematic approach reflects the EU dimension, showing the
interdependence of Member States economies. It refers to the 3 mutually
reinforcing priorities and the deliver of the 5 headline targets also by means
of the 7 flagship initiatives;
- Country surveillance is based on country reporting to achieve the EU
2020 in the EU Member State.
- The Member States prepare National Reform Programmes to identify the
main bottlenecks to growth and to indicate how they intend to tackle them.
- The Integrated Guidelines (IGs) will continue to be the basis for policy
recommendations that the Council may address to Member States both for
the thematic approach and the country reporting.
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The EU 2020 Governance Framework
- Recommendations shall be fully in line with relevant Treaty provisions and
EU rules and shall not alter Member States' competences.
-Recommendations regarding the thematic approach would provide detailed
advice on micro-economic and employment challenges.
- Recommendations under the country surveillance would address issues
with significant macroeconomic and public finance implications.
- Recommendations would be sufficiently precise and provide s time-frame
within which the Member States are expected to act (e.g. two years).
- Progress towards the headline targets will be regularly reviewed by the
EU Commission through an annual report and issuing policy
recommendations and warnings. If a Member State has not adequately
responded to a policy recommendation of the Council or develops policies
going against the advice, the Commission could issue a policy warning.
-The EU Council provide overall guidance and steering for the strategy to
foster inter alia horizontal (between different policy sectors) and vertical
(between different levels of government).
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The EU 2020 Governance Framework
- The EU Parliament has a co-legislator role and is “a driving driving force
for mobilising citizens and their national parliaments”.
- All national, regional and local authorities should implement the
partnership, closely associating parliaments, as well as social partners and
representatives of civil society, contributing to the elaboration of National
Reform Programmes as well as to its implementation.
- The EU Economic and Social Committee as well as the Committee of
Regions should also be more closely associated in the strategy process.
- Exchange of good practices, benchmarking and networking - as promoted
by several Member States – are recognised as another useful tool to forge
ownership and dynamism around the need for reform.
- The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) on social exclusion and social
protection (Social OMC) is reaffirmed as a platform for cooperation, peerreview and exchange of good practice, and as an instrument to foster
commitment by public and private players to reduce social exclusion, and
take concrete action, including targeted support from the structural funds,
notably the ESF.
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B) Progress in the EU social policies since 2000
The Open Method of Coordination (OMC)
The Social OMC
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The Open Method of Coordination
“The OMC is a mutual feedback process of planning, monitoring, examination,
comparison and adjustment of national (and subnational) policies, all of this on
the basis of common objectives agreed for the EU as a whole. Through this peer
review exercise (which involves the European Commission and all Member
States), and thus the sharing of experience and good practices, all the countries
can learn from one another and are therefore all in a position to improve their
policies.” (Marlier E. et al., 2007)
OMC-type processes have interested several policy fields, e.g.: employment,
education, training, immigration, asylum, disability, health and safety, youth
policies, environmental protection, research, innovation, information society,
enterprise promotion, structural economic reform, fundamental rights.
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The Open Method of Coordination and the
Community Method
OMC: a main instrument of “soft law” to orient governance
mechanisms and planning development according to common
guidelines, objectives, indicators and mutual learning processes (e.g.
peer reviews) throughout the EU territory.
Community Method: the main instrument of “hard law” (e.g. the
Treaty, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and all the other acts of EU
legislation)
OMC and Community Method are complementary and mutually
reinforcing.
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OMC processes after the 2005 revised Lisbon
Strategy
The revision of the Lisbon Strategy (2005) and Sustainable
Development Strategy (2006) streamlined OMC processes (e.g.
rationalisation, simplification, integration and synchronisation).
Three main documents:
Lisbon Strategy “Growth & Jobs” = National Reform Programme
(NRP); integrating the employment, economic, social and
environmental strands
Social Protection and Social Inclusion = National Strategy Report
(NSR) integrating social inclusion, pensions, health care and longterm care policies
Sustainable Development Strategy = National Progress Report on
the European Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS);
integrating environmental policies, public health, social inclusion
and poverty, demography and migration policies.
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The Social OMC
Provides a framework for national strategy development, as well as for coordinating
policies between EU countries on issues relating to poverty and social exclusion, health
care and long-term care as well as pensions.
The open method of coordination is a voluntary process for political cooperation
between the EU Member States.
OMC is formed by 5 main elements (strengthened since 2006):
1) Common Objectives
2) Common Indicators, which show how progress towards these goals can be measured.
3) National policies, through which National governments translate the common
objectives into national plans (National Strategic Reports, NSR).
4) Joint Reports (EU JR), through which the national reports are assessed by the
Commission and Council; EU JR reflect what EU-level initiatives have achieved in
individual countries.
5) Mutual learning process and dialogue between the EU Member States to stimulate
innovation and the sharing of good practices (e.g. the Peer Review seminars).
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The Social OMC
Social Inclusion: 2000
Pensions: 2001
Health and Long Term
Care (LTC): 2004
2000 – 2005: commonly
agreed EU Objectives
without linkages (e.g. 4
for Social Inclusion)
Since 2005 (Lisbon II): one integrated Social
OMC between the 3 policy strands (social
inclusion, pensions, health and LTC)
2005 – 2010: 12 commonly agreed EU
Objectives, 9 of them specific (3 each strand)
and 3 overarching Objectives to help linkages
(horizontal issues):
1. Promote social cohesion, gender equality and
equal opportunities for all
2. Mutual interaction between the Lisbon
objectives and with the EU Sustainable
Development Strategy
3. Good governance, transparency and the
involvement of stakeholders
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EU commonly agreed Objectives for Social Inclusion
Social policy: a “dual role” as productive factor for economic performance
and key instrument to reduce inequalities and promote social cohesion.
Employment policy: the best safeguard against social exclusion.
2000-2004
2005-2010
Participation in employment and
access by all to resources, rights,
goods and services
Access for all to the resources, rights
and services, preventing and
addressing exclusion, and fighting all
forms of discrimination
Help to the most vulnerable
Active social inclusion of all, both by
promoting participation in the labour
market and by fighting poverty and
exclusion
Prevention of the risks of social
exclusion
Mobilisation of all relevant bodies
Co-ordination and involvement of all
levels of government and relevant
actors
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Social OMC: key phases and main documents
2000-2005
2006-2010
EU15 (old members): National Action
Plan Inclusion (NAP) 2001-2003 and
2003 – 2005; update report 2003-2005
EU10 (new members): NAP 2004-2006;
update report 2004-2006
Pensions Reports in 2002 and 2005
Preliminary National Policy Statements
on Health Care and Long-Term Care in
2005
Streamlining started from 2006.
EU25: National Strategy Report on
Social Protection and Social
Inclusion (NSR) 2006-2008
EU27: NSR 2008-2010
National Reform Programmes
(NRP) 2005-2008 and 2008-2010,
following the Lisbon Integrated
Guidelines and with a section on
NSR
EU Commission: Joint Reports on Social EU Commission: Joint Reports on
Inclusion 2002, 2003 and 2004; Joint
Social Protection and Social
Reports on Social Protection and Social
Inclusion 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Inclusion 2005; Report on Social
and 2010
Inclusion in Europe 2006 concerning the
national update reports
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OMC processes
The OMC process was more effective in the Lisbon
Strategy (NRP) with respect to the social inclusion and
social protection policies (NSR), while it remained
substantially voluntary in sustainable development (NSDS).
E.g.: EU country-specific recommendations and “points to
watch” for the NRP; only general comments for the Social
OMC in terms of country-challenges; no comments on
NSDS.
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Most evident weaknesses of OMC processes
- official documents (NRP, NSR and NSDS) often considered as a
reporting exercise, to be submitted to the EU Commission, rather than
strategic action plans
- a pervading bureaucratic and administrative attitude (e.g. “copy and
paste") instead of a coherent and constructive integration of the
documents
- general objectives and guidelines rather than precise qualitative and
quantitative targets.
- a substantial lack of analysis on the “feeding in” and “feeding out”
interrelationships between different policies; in Social OMC
“feeding in” is the contribution of social protection and social
inclusion policies to employment and economic policies, while the
contribution of the latter to social policies is called “feeding out”.
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Most evident weaknesses of OMC processes
- lack of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of
strategies and national plans
-scarce improvement in horizontal (between policy fields and
the relevant departments / ministries) and vertical (between
different level of government, e.g. national and sub-national) coordination
- mere consultation of stakeholders rather than an effective
participation in decision-making processes
- small circles of policy makers, practitioners and experts
involved in the preparation of the documents
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Reasons why of weak Social OMC
- economic and employment matters considered more
important than environmental, poverty and social exclusion
issues
-as a consequence, a deeper imbalance between policy pillars,
for which growth and jobs (a cornerstone of the Lisbon
Strategy) are seen as prevalent instruments to fight against
poverty and social exclusion
- unfortunately these instruments are necessary but not
sufficient to tackle income disparities, regional disparities,
gender and ethnic disparities, household hardships,
environmental degradation and quality of life as a whole.
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C) Critical points of the past and current debate
and challenges in the near future
From Lisbon Strategy to EU 2020 Strategy
Challenges of the EU 2020 Strategy
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon Strategy to
EU 2020 Strategy
According to the UN 1992 Rio Declaration on Sustainable Development and
the associated Agenda 21, an effective strategy to fight against poverty and
social exclusion must take into account:
- the impact of environmental conservation and protection on those who
depend on natural resources for their livelihoods
- the impact of economic growth policies on the environment and
consequently on poverty due to depletion of the natural resources and of
their quality.
In other words, the right to the environmental quality cannot be divorced
from those to social inclusion and human health.
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon Strategy to
EU 2020 Strategy
The Göteborg Strategy for Sustainable Development of 2001 was more in
line with the principles stated in the UN 1992 Rio Declaration and the
associated Agenda 21.
The Lisbon Strategy of 2000 was purely focused on economic issues; the
social pillar was an additional component depending on “Growth & Jobs”;
the environmental pillar was based on techno-optimism associated with
“Growth”; no linkages were defined between environmental degradation,
poverty and social exclusion.
The re-launched Lisbon Strategy of 2005 attempted to identify and analyse
the interrelationships between economic, employment and social pillars (e.g.
“feeding-in” and “feeding-out”) while only general reference were made to
environmental issues and limited institutional interfaces were defined with
the sustainable development strategy.
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon Strategy to
EU 2020 Strategy
The EU 2020 Strategy was conceived by the EU Commission as “a
European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, but it was
approved by the EU Council in June 2010 as “a new strategy for jobs and
growth” closely in line with the previous Lisbon Strategy.
The word, and the concept, of sustainable development, progressively
disappeared in the key official documents, while being replaced by
sustainable growth, sustainability of public finances and so on.
The meaning of sustainability become that of “continuity” at same or higher
rates or levels of any type of activity (economic, financial and so on).
The original meaning of sustainability was instead “reconciliation between
humanity and nature” through the wise use of natural resources at a level
that is not likely to damage the environment.
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon Strategy to
EU 2020 Strategy
Sustainable Development was universally recognised in 1987 by the
Brundtland Commission (United Nation) as
- a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
- a process in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of
investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional
change are all in harmony, and enhance both current and future potential to
meet human needs and aspirations.
Following these definitions and the scientific debate, development cannot be
confused with growth.
Development consists in the pursuit of values and beliefs necessary for life
(e.g. equity and social inclusion, unity and diversity, democracy and justice,
freedom and solidarity, environmental integrity and diversity) through norms
and ways of acting.
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon Strategy to
EU 2020 Strategy
Considering a wide range of concepts, development can be defined as the
process whereby human beings use their knowledge, understanding and
capacity to improve the quality of the ecosystems with which they interact,
including the other components of nature.
Growth consists in the increase of goods and services (e.g. environmental,
productive, technological, social, cultural and health) through human
activities.
Growth is quantitative as it takes into account the amount of goods and
services over a given time and from a specific ecosystem. It is therefore
possible to measure their increase or reduction over time.
The general belief in a linear and continuous growth without limits is the
highest risk to natural ecosystems, which have exhaustible resources and
services.
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Critical points of the past and current debate: from Lisbon
Strategy to EU 2020 Strategy
Growth may occur (e.g. income and consumption) without
development (e.g. unequal income distribution, poverty and
pollution).
Likewise, development may occur (e.g. better environmental and
health conditions) without growth or with de-growth (e.g. absence
of or reduction in production and consumption that are harmful to
the environment and living beings).
As a result: sustainable (continuous) growth is an oxymoron,
having the exact opposite meaning of sustainable (wise and fair)
development based on social, economic and environmental
justice.
Filippo Strati - Studio Ricerche
Sociali - www.srseuropa.eu
43
Challenges of the EU 2020 Strategy
The public consultation on EU 2020 strategy underlined key challenges that
still remain to be addressed:
- more holistic approach with an equal weight assigned to social,
environmental, employment and economic dimensions
- strengthening the social dimension and its links with the environmental,
employment and economic pillars
- strengthening gender equality as an inherent pillar of the new strategy
- linking the fight against climate change and environmental degradation
with the fight against poverty and social exclusion, inequality, insecurity and
all types of discrimination
- better integrating the EU 2020 Strategy with the Sustainable Development
strategy, Social Agenda, Cohesion Pact, Energy and Climate Change,
Stability and Growth Pact.
Filippo Strati - Studio Ricerche
Sociali - www.srseuropa.eu
44
Challenges of the EU 2020 Strategy
- pursuing effective monitoring and benchmarking systems concerning the
Headline Targets (and Integrated Guidelines) both at EU, national and subnational levels
- developing indicators “beyond GDP” (gross domestic product) to assess
progress
- developing Social Impact Assessment of any policy in close relation with
Environmental Impact Assessment
- providing more binding recommendations and arrangements while
strengthening the open method of coordination (OMC) processes
- enhancing a full and equal partnership between different levels of
government (multi-level governance) and between different policies (multidimensional approach)
- reinforcing participation of and ownership by stakeholders
- improving communication.
Filippo Strati - Studio Ricerche
Sociali - www.srseuropa.eu
45