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EU local and regional authorities contributing to the

Mid-term review of Europe 2020

Assessment of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative

Over two years after its launch, the Committee of the Regions will take stock of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative at a conference to be held on 29May 2013 in Brussels. This conference will be the fourth in a series of CoR events and monitoring initiatives surrounding the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014. More news on this conference can be found on the CoR website[1].

By participating in this survey, you will:

-  ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference;

-  contribute to the fourth CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013;

-  contribute to the CoR's consultative activity in this field over the coming months;

-  contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.

If you wish to participate in this survey, Please complete this questionnaire in any eu language, using the spaces provided, and return it in text format to:

by 22 April 2013

For more information on this survey and for details on how to join the

Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to:

http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/

The questionnaire is available on this website in all official languages of the EU


Contributor information[2]

Name of sender: / JUAN BRAVO GALLEGO
Contact details:
(address, telephone, email) / Avda. de Extremadura, 43 06800 Mérida.
On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / Directorate-General for Social Policy and the Family, Ministry for Health and Social Policy, Regional Government of Extremadura
Type of organisation / City/Town/Municipality Region
County/Province
Association of local and/or regional authorities
Other (please specify)
Country: / Spain
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform: / Yes No

Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level

BOX 1 – European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: basic information
This is the first time ever that the objective of reducing poverty has been identified as a quantitative target under an EU strategy. The aim of the Europe 2020 flagship initiative, the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, is "to ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion in order to raise awareness and recognise the fundamental rights of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, enabling them to live in dignity and take an active part in society" [3]. In particular, it outlines actions to help Member States reach the EU target of reducing poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by the year 2020[4].
Although the average at-risk-of-poverty-and-social-exclusion rate in the EU has remained relatively stable in recent years, it varies significantly among different age groups and between the Member States. It has significantly increased in a number of countries over the last three to four years[5]: while the rate is under 20% in certain Member States such as Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg, it recently increased to 47% in Bulgaria, 40% in Latvia and 31% in Greece (2011). Furthermore, considerable differences exist between different regions in the Member States[6].
Today, the inhabitants of around one fifth of the EU's regions are particularly exposed to risks of poverty and social exclusion.
The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion feeds into the Europe 2020 objective of inclusive growth along with the Agenda for New Skills and Jobs flagship initiative. It will also help to achieve the other objectives of smart growth (alongside the Youth on the Move flagship initiative). In particular, it contributes to the objective of achieving the Europe 2020 headline target to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and social exclusion.
The main objectives and lines of action of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are highlighted in Box 2 below.
EU regional and local governments are responsible for about one fifth of total government expenditure for social protection and services and therefore play an important role in helping to achieve the objectives of the flagship initiative[7].
You can find more information on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, as seen from the local and regional authorities' viewpoint, on the European Commission's Europe 2020 portal[8] and in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy. Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities[9]. General information on Europe 2020 can be found on the strategy's official website[10] and on the website of DG Employment.[11].
1) What are the main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of (i) preventing child poverty (ii) providing decent housing conditions and (iii) combating the social exclusion of vulnerable groups?
The main challenges facing our authority with regard to (iii) combating the social exclusion of vulnerable groups are: meeting basic needs and ensuring that people are integrated into society and work.
2) Please briefly describe what type of policy programmes/actions are being implemented in your city/region in the policy areas covered by the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, highlighting their specific contribution to the above targets (see Box 1).
The programmes/actions that are in place or in the process of being set up to (iii) combat the social exclusion of vulnerable groups that our authority has to deal with are: the Extremadura legislative proposal on Basic Income, which is currently being examined by parliament, the proposal for a new Extremadura Law on Social Services, the Extremadura Basic Social Services Network and Specialised Social Services, targeting the following vulnerable groups: homeless or roofless persons, Roma, immigrants, returning emigrants and LGBT individuals. There are also measures in place to promote voluntary social work and Third-Sector work in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura.
3) Are any of the policy programmes/actions described in the above question carried out in partnership with different tiers of government and/or with other stakeholders (regional or local NGOs, representatives of the social partners, the business sector or service providers). If yes, please state (a) the administrative levels involved (b) the practical arrangements taken to manage such joint action (c) who the main partners were and (d) how you worked with them (work organisation and time).
a)  Participating tiers of government: national, regional and local government and third-sector social action organisations
b)  Practical measures taken
c)  Key players: councils, consortia and third-sector social action organisations
d)  Cooperation has taken place: by committees monitoring and assessing the implementation of measures under cooperation agreements, calls for applications for grants and the award of grants included by name in the General Budget of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura.
4) Ensuring effective access to and participation in cultural activities for all is an essential part of promoting an inclusive society. In what way can participation in cultural and creative activities be instrumental for helping people and communities overcome poverty and social exclusion? Please refer to specific examples and existing initiatives.
These activities help overcome poverty and social exclusion by facilitating access to and participation in one of the areas underpinning social inclusion, education and culture. In 2012, under the project “Volver a Ser” ["Back on track"], managed by the Plasencia branch of Caritas, homeless or roofless persons, immigrants and disadvantaged people, both older and younger, travelled to the city of Mérida and visited the Extremaduran parliament, which is the legislative chamber of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. They also visited the Roman theatre and amphitheatre.

How is the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion relevant to your city or region?

BOX 2 - European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: main objectives and actions
The specific objectives of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are[12] [13]:
·  to support the eradication of child poverty. Over 20 million children are at risk of poverty in Europe today. This risk rises to 25% for children who live in large families and is over 30% in the case of children who live in single parent families;
·  to promote the active inclusion in society and on the labour market of the most vulnerable groups since unemployment is the principal cause of poverty among the working-age population. The risk of poverty for the unemployed is more than five times greater than in the case of people in employment;
·  to provide decent housing for everyone. Homelessness and housing exclusion represent one of the most extreme forms of poverty and have increased in recent years. Fuel poverty, which risks depriving households not only of heating or air conditioning but also hot water, light and other essential domestic necessities, is another example of severe deprivation;
·  to overcome discrimination and increase the social integration of people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, immigrants and other vulnerable groups. For example, older people face a higher risk of poverty compared to the overall population; moreover, in some countries older people are at particular risk of material deprivation;
·  to tackle financial exclusion and over-indebtedness which arise from a lack of access to basic banking services, a situation which has been aggravated by the recent crisis. It can also be an obstacle to finding a job and thus lead to persistent marginalisation and poverty;
·  to promote the integration of Roma. Certain ethnic minorities, of whom Roma are the largest group, and migrant people in general, are disproportionately affected by multiple deprivation.
The specific actions and tools at EU level are structured as follows[14] [15]:
·  improved access to work, social security, essential services (healthcare, housing, etc.) and education;
·  better use of EU funds to support social inclusion and combat discrimination;
·  social innovation to identify smart solutions in post-crisis Europe, especially in terms of more effective and efficient social support;
·  new partnerships such as those between the public and the private sector;
·  enhanced policy coordination among the Member States;
·  provision of food to the most deprived people, as well as clothing and other essential goods to homeless people and materially-deprived children[16].
5) Which of the objectives and lines of action of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (listed in Box 2) are most relevant for the current situation in your region/city? To what extent have they encouraged you to set more ambitious policy goals at regional/local level? Please explain your answer.
Objectives:
- Stop discrimination and improve the social integration of people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, immigrants and other vulnerable groups. For example, older people are at greater risk of poverty than the general population and, in several countries, are particularly exposed to material deprivation.
- Promote the integration of Roma. Some ethnic minorities, of which the Roma make up the largest group, and immigrants in general, are disproportionately affected by numerous forms of deprivation.
Actions:
- Provide food for those in greatest need, as well as clothing and other essentials to the homeless and to children suffering material deprivation.

BOX 3 – Social Investment Package[17] [18]:

The Social Investment Package (SIP) aims to give guidance to Member States on more efficient and effective social policies in response to the significant challenges they currently face such as financial distress, increasing poverty and social exclusion,unemployment, especially among young people. These are combined with the challenge of ageing societies and smaller working age populations, which test the sustainability and adequacy of national social systems.

The Social Investment Package includes a Commission recommendation against child poverty, calling for an integrated approach to child-friendly social investment. Investing in children and young people is especially effective in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and social exclusion and improving people's opportunities later in life.

The Social Investment Package is an integrated policy framework which takes account of the social, economic and budgetary divergences between Member States. It focuses on:

1. Ensuring that social protection systems respond to people's needs at critical moments throughout their lives. More needs to be done to reduce the risk of social breakdown and so avoid higher social spending in the future.

2. Simplified and better targeted social policies, to provide adequate and sustainable social protection systems. Some countries have better social outcomes than others despite having similar or lower budgets, demonstrating that there is room for more efficient social policy spending.

3. Upgrading active inclusion strategies in the Member States. Affordable quality childcare and education, prevention of early school leaving, training and job-search assistance, housing support and accessible health care are all policy areas with a strong social investment dimension.

6) How relevant is the new Social Investment Package adopted by the European Commission on 13February 2013 (Box 3) for your local/regional policies? Has it encouraged or helped you to set more ambitious policy goals at regional/local level? Please explain your answer.
It has a direct effect, reinforcing the need to improve existing policies or develop new ones along similar lines, such as the future Law on Basic Income and the Extremadura Social Services Act, which respond to the current socio-economic crisis situation.
7) What are the strong and weak points of the EU's policies addressing poverty and social exclusion? Were they sufficient in view of the challenges you are facing in this area? If not, would you recommend making any specific changes to the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative after the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014, especially with regard to local and regional authority involvement?
The strong points of the EU's policies addressing poverty and social exclusion are establishing its own strategy as a framework for the whole Union to make progress on reducing the economic and social disparities between Member States, on combating poverty and social exclusion using common criteria and implementing measures such as PROGRESS or the Community Funds, which give these projects financial support. One of the weaknesses of the EU's policies is its budgetary balance policies resulting from the current economic situation, which is not taken into account in the design and implementation of the EU2020 Strategy, with the strong points not being sufficient to meet the challenges. The current objectives of the Platform and Europe 2020 need to be refocused due to the worsening socio-economic situation in the European Union as a whole, with a significant shift required in countries such as Spain and regions such as Extremadura, flanking these with EU economic policies that help ensure their success.

Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?