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European Union Programme for Social Change and Innovation
In preparation for a CoR opinion and the 3rd CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020
Background information- The EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation (PSCI) is being proposed as aninstrument tosupport employment and social policies. It is part of the Commission's proposal for EU regional, employment and social policy for 2014-2020.
- The PSCI integrates three existing programmes: Progress (Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity), EURES (European Employment Services) and the European Progress Microfinance Facility and extends their coverage. It will enable the Commission to increase the policy coherence and impact of its instruments, thus contributing to the Europe 2020 Strategy.
- The PSCI will support policy coordination, sharing of best practices, capacity-building and testing of innovative policies, with a view to up-scaling the most successful measures with support from the European Social Fund[1].
- Enrico Rossi, president of the Tuscanyregion andrapporteur for the forthcoming CoR Opinion onan EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation, invites you to provide preliminary feedback on this new EU Programme. Your input will contribute to his draft opinion, to be adopted by the CoR's Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS) on 8 February 2012.
- Your feedbackwill also feed into the 3rdCoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, whereit will be acknowledged.This annual report gives an account of how Europe 2020 is implemented on the ground before the European Commission adopts its Annual Growth Survey[2].
Please send your replies in ANY EU LANGUAGE in Word format (doc),
using the spacesprovided immediately below the questions,
to by 19December 2011
The questionnaire will be availableon our websitein all languages as of the last weekin November.For more information and to find out how to become a member of the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform:
CONTRIBUTORIDENTIFICATION[3]:Name of sender: / ......
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On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / ......
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Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform (formerly Lisbon Monitoring Platform)[4]: / Yes No
1) As well as causing the current financial difficulties, the economic crisis has placed a serious question mark over prospects for future growth and prosperity which had previously seemed certain. In the light of this, to what extentthree axisof the programme[5] proposed and their respective objectives are sufficient to tackle the new challenges and problems?
2) Considering the objectives of the European Social Agenda, do you think the three instruments making up the new EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation are sufficient to achieve them? Or should other instruments be envisaged?
3) Almost four years on from the launch of Progress 2007-2013, looking at the projects implemented, what is their added-value and what are the difficulties that have been encountered by the regional and local authorities involved in implementing them? How widespread is the use of instruments such as EURES and the microfinance instrument for employment and inclusion at local and regional level? Would you like to share some examples/good practices?
4) What role could the regions and cities play in implementing the new European Programme for Social Change and Innovation? How can this programme make a real contribution to regional action in the area of social innovation?
5) What do local and regional players understand by social innovation and experimentation? Including in the context of cooperation with third sector and non-profit bodies on projects for inclusion, entry into the world of employment and combating social exclusion, how do you think social innovation and experimentation should be implemented and what are the real social innovation instruments?
6) Given the importance of assessing the results of the projects, especially as a starting point for developing the new programme, what are the criteria you feel are necessary and more effective for these assessments? Do you think that there is effective monitoring at EU level (European Commission) of implementation of these programmes and of how widely disseminated and well known they are?
7) Do you wish to add any further comments or suggestions?
[1] More information and a proposal available in all languages at
[2] The 1st CoR Monitoring Report was adopted in December 2010: the 2nd edition will be presented to the CoR Bureau in December 2011.
[3]Privacy Disclaimer: In order to follow up your contribution, your personal data (name, contact details etc.) will have to be held on file. Should you require further information, or wish to exercise your rights under Regulation (EC) 45/2001 (e.g. to access or rectify data), please contact the Data Controller (Head of Unit E2 Subsidiarity Network / Europe 2020 MP / EGTC / CoM Dir E) at . If necessary, you can also contact the CoR Data Protection Officer (). You have the right of recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor ( at any time. Please note that your personal data will not be published online.
[4] If you are interested in joining the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, please visit:
[5]The Programme shall be made up of the following three complementarity axes: the Progress axis; the Euros axis, the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis- for more details see a proposal for a Regulation: