Issue 11: Q1 2012 www.socialplatform.org The quarterly publication of Social Platform, an alliance of 46 NGO networks fighting for social justice in Europe
The Commission recognises that our recommendations make an important contribution to the wider debate on care. Commissioner Andor - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (Care Conference December 09, 2011) Source: Social Platform
Did you know… In 2010 1 person in 4 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU (115 million) Eurostat February 2012
Our top achievements 1
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January and March 2012: We call on member states to intergrate a social pact in the European economic governance and a democratic process for Europe, to give priority to the promotion of social protection, social justice, quality jobs, and a sustainable economy while combating inequalities January 2012: Member states acknowledge our assessment of the impact of austerity measures on social services in the Social Protection Committee (SPC) January 2012: in our position on the Social Business Initiative we advocate for a social cohesion policy to accompany the single market to achieve a “social market economy” where public services and the social economy play an essential role in achieving this goal
What’s next on the agenda 1
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April 2012: We will exchange with Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council, at our GA asking for a European social model for a sustainable, inclusive and participatory EU April 2012: We will address Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs at the informal EPSCO Council with our views on youth and unemployment and the social services under pressure due to the crisis April 2012: We will exchange with Ministers from the Cypriot Government on how the Cypriot EU Presidency will address social priorities and respond to the social consequences of the EU crisis
KEY
Social Platform events
We discuss the social impact of the crisis and ongoing fiscal consolidation with member states. Social Protection Committee (Jan 12)
Launch of the European Year of Active Ageing and solidarity between generations (Jan 17)
What’s happened, what’s coming up
Eu institution events
We debate the social dimension of EU Funds with the EP rapporteur on the MFF - European Social Fund (ESF), the EU Program for Social Change and Innovation (EUPSCI), and the Rights and Citizenship Programme (Jan 24)
We examine the 2012 Danish EU Presidency Work Programme and Priorities, elements and events concerning employment and social affairs with representatives from the Danish Presidency (Jan 19)
We highlight the progress made for the recognition of the specificities of social services in the new competition rules applicable to public services, including social services –Almunia’s package – including on the scope of exemption from notification for social services. EP hearing (Feb 1)
We advocate for a social cohesion policy to accompany the single market to achieve a “social market economy” in our common position on the Social Business Initiative (SBI) (Jan 26)
We discuss proposals to enhance quality in social services, social considerations in the award of contracts, respect of working conditions in subcontracting with the EP rapporteur on the public procurement directive (Feb 7)
We address the EP with our opposition to the Treaty on fiscal consolidation and the need to integrate a social pillar in the economic governance with our partners from the Spring Alliance (Feb 9)
January We address the EP with our key messages on the ESF: focus on social objectives, partnership with NGOs, ensure funding of NGOs (Jan 26)
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We adopt our common positions for the Social Dimension of EU Funds 2014-2020 (Jan 26)
We call for the EUPSCI to have a specific priority on social protection, social inclusion and combating poverty. EESC conference (Jan 30)
We call on the Council and the EP to adopt a solid financial regulation committing the EU to promote and protect equality and nondiscrimination (Feb 10) We address a letter to Vice-President Tajani, Commissioner Barnier and Commissioner Andor describing our position on the SBI (Feb 10) We call for a Social Fund that fights poverty and exclusion and ask the EP to incorporate our amendments in its opinion on the ESF (Feb 10)
February
EU summit on growth and jobs (Jan 30)
We call on member states to intergrate a social pact in the European economic governance and a democratic process for Europe, to give priority to the promotion of social protection, social justice, quality jobs, and a sustainable economy while combating inequalities (Jan 30)
EP adopts a resolution condemning current austerity driven policies (Feb 15)
EPSCO Council (Feb 17)
We write to Vice-President Almunia who opened the way to the recognition of the specificities of social services in the new competition rules on public services (Feb 21)
European Economic Governance
What is it: The term refers to the coordination of national economic, financial, fiscal and budgetary policies at EU level and the supervision of the economic and monetary union. In response to the problems posed by the financial and economic crisis, Member States recently agreed to redesign European economic governance through the adoption of a new set of rules (such as the Six-Pack and the new Fiscal Treaty) to enhance the EU’s fiscal and budgetary surveillance and to detect and correct risky economic developments in the future.
What we want: A social pact in the Economic Governance to counterbalance the consequences of fiscal consolidation and austerity measures - including concrete actions for protecting the vulnerable and for supporting the employment of young people, and other target groups, with difficulty in accessing sustainable, quality employment, and social services. To start actions should include: defend and further improve the effectiveness of social protection systems; implement integrated active inclusion strategies; and, ensure access to affordable quality services.
We highlight the difference between social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility CoR‘s meeting on the responsible business package (Mar 2)
We exchange with the EP rapporteur and present our proposals for amendments to the regulation on future EU funding for equality and nondiscrimination (Mar 6)
How will the Cypriot EU Presidency respond to the social consequences of the EU crisis Conference in Cyprus (Apr 19-20)
March
We present our recommendations on the EUPSCI EP EMPL (Feb 29) We call on member states to commit to a social pact with concrete actions for protecting the vulnerable and for supporting the employment of young people, and other key target groups with difficulty in accessing sustainable,quality employment (Feb 27)
EU Summit (Mar 1-2)
We participate in the ETUC action for social justice to express our opposition to the austerity measures and budgetary discipline being implemented by the EU and member states (Feb 29)
We address the EP with our proposals for amendments to the regulation on future EU funding for equality and non-discrimination (Mar 7) We present our main concerns on the new EU funds to the Greens in the EP: removal of macro-economic conditionality, coherence on the partnership principle in all funds, food program separated from the budget of the ESF (Mar 8)
We will exchange with Ministers on youth and unemployment and social services Informal EPSCO Council (Apr 24)
April
We call on the Council to adopt the equal treatment directive blocked since 2008. EP hearing (Mar 20)
Bi-annual meeting with EP EMPL Committee (May)
May
Informal EPSCO Council Cyprus (Jul 12-13)
July
We will discuss a European social model for a sustainable, inclusive and participatory EU with Herman van Rompuy. Social Platform Annual General Assembly (Apr 26)
Almunia Package
What we asked for:
What is it: a new set of rules governing the financing of Services of General Economic Interest (including social services with an economic nature) with public money. It includes an Exemption from notification: The new rules include an extended list of social services that do not have to notify the EC when they receive state aid reducing the administrative burden and recognises the specificities of social services compared to other SGEI. De minimis regulation: public authorities may now grant aid to entities providing a SGEI - up to 500,000 euros over three years.
Clarify the list of social services exempted from notification and give a wide definition of social services, which in our opinion address all citizens that without them could not fully participate in society and not just people most in need (but access to social services for the most vulnerable must be guaranteed). On the de minimis regulation delete the condition that aid is granted by a local authority representing a pop of less than 10.000 inhabitants, because the local character of a service - deemed not to distort competition – is not necessarily linked with pop size.
The five-minute interview
Bruno Roelants, Secretary General, CECOP-CICOPA Europe
We represent different types of cooperatives (industry and services) including social cooperatives - enterprises that provide social services (or by extension social services of general interest such as environment, education etc) and labour integration to disadvantaged people. They make up about 20% of our membership, over 9,000 enterprises. We also have worker cooperatives which should be increasingly looked at as a model of social practise, in particular in terms of sustainable employment and, hence, prevention of exclusion.
What’s your next battle?
For cooperatives to be recognised on a par with other types of enterprises such as Public Limited Companies (PLCs) and to have simultaneous recognition that we have a concrete social mission which is at the root of establishing and developing cooperatives. The PLC and its model are so strong it seeps through everyone’s conception of an enterprise - this has to change. We must show it is possible to be an enterprise, to all effects and purposes, and at the same time have a 100% social mission.
What changes would you like to see?
We need a number of specific EU policies to: coordinate the conversion of conventional enterprises into cooperatives, a financial mechanism to help these conversions, and help for creating peer groups among cooperatives, the benefits of which are not recognised. In relation to social
cooperatives and the integration of disadvantaged citizens– there are national measures but currently no EU measures.
Why are these issues relevant for all members?
We consider ourselves a specific type of member of Social Platform, we are an association of enterprises and we are an economic operator while most other members of Social Platform represent a specific interest and work very much in the field of advocacy and policy making. I think this is very complementary. But I would like Social Platform members to think about prevention over the coming years - prevention of poverty, prevention of social exclusion etc. Then we will have more to offer as we can share our experiences in the creation of sustainable jobs and the maintenance of jobs - employment is one of the main ways by which you can achieve prevention in the social field.
What’s CECOP’s biggest achievement?
A recent achievement is on the proposed public procurement directive. The previous directive talked about “protected workshops” and “reserved markets” for people with disabilities. We lobbied extensively for a new formulation as nobody knew what protected workshops were and because they gave the idea of enterprises staffed only by people with disabilities. The new directive now talks about enterprises with a mission to provide integration and lowers the threshold from 50% to 30% (the number of disabled staff in an enterprise). It also now includes the disadvantaged - the long term unemployed, the socially excluded etc.
Together with our partners from the Spring Alliance we spoke to MEPs on the second European Semester. From left to right: Bernadette Segol (ETUC), Conny Reuter (Social Platform), Jeremy Wates (EEB), and Judith KirtonDarling (ETUC). Picture: Rebecca Lee, EAPN
For the full interview with Bruno Roelants please visit our website
Contact:
T: +32 2 511 37 14 • E: platform@socialplatform.org A: Square de Meeûs 18, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium W: www.socialplatform.org
Social Platform is the largest civil society alliance fighting for social justice and participatory democracy in Europe. Consisting of 46 pan-European networks of NGOs, Social Platform campaigns to ensure that EU policies are developed in partnership with the people they affect, respecting fundamental rights, promoting solidarity and improving lives. Social Platform acknowledges the financial support of the European Commission. This publication reflects the author’s views. The Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained in this publication. Published in December 2011
Printed on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper using vegetable ink • art direction: social platform • design: www.beelzepub.com
Why did CECOP get involved with Social Platform?