News
BackIt is almost a year ago to the day that the EU Commission proudly introduced the EU Social Investment Package (SIP) to the general public. The thought behind it was to launch a comprehensive strategy for structural reforms in respect of social policy and to support the Member States in their efforts to improve social protection and to invest in people. The Package provided comprehensive guidelines with regard to investments in children, active inclusion, healthcare and long-term care, homelessness und social policy innovations. From the point of view of the EU Commission, on balance, the achievements so far have been positive even though there remains a lot to be done.
Investments in favour of people and of social cohesion will be worth their while
Some time ago already, the AK was able to prove in a study that investments in childcare, apart from considerable employment effects, also enable a significant additional income for the public sector. The SIP has also recognized the importance of investments in children. Following the call of the Commission to invest more in children, Belgium for example presented on 10 June 2013 a national child poverty action plan, which explicitly refers to the Commission Recommendation “Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage” and provides for 140 concrete measures, which shall improve access to adequate resources and affordable high quality services. Germany, France, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and the United Kingdom also took initiatives within the scope of their strategies to improve the opportunities of children, so that more children are able to benefit from early childhood care and education. In its intergovernmental agreement, the Austrian government too has agreed to extend childcare and has pledged EUR 350 million for this purpose to be made available by 2017. This shows that things can be moved if the willingness is there.
European Social Funds: 20 % of resources are available for social inclusion
It can be regarded as one of the results achieved by the SIP that in the new Programme period of the European Social Funds each Member State will at least allocate 20 % of the funds available to promote social inclusion. This will hopefully contribute to promoting social investments in accordance with the priorities set out in the country-specific recommendations. Over the same period, the European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived will provide material assistance in the form of food or basic consumer goods for people most affected by poverty and children living in material poverty and offer a range of measures for their social integration.
Roadmap gives overview over measures within the scope of the SIP
To ensure that one does not lose track in the jungle of measures undertaken and planned, the EU Commission has set up a website where all information is available. However, it will also be important that both the EU Commission and the Member States do indeed realise that social investments have to be given priority and that they are worth their while.
Further information:
EU Social Investment Package
AK Study on Childcare
Some time ago already, the AK was able to prove in a study that investments in childcare, apart from considerable employment effects, also enable a significant additional income for the public sector. The SIP has also recognized the importance of investments in children. Following the call of the Commission to invest more in children, Belgium for example presented on 10 June 2013 a national child poverty action plan, which explicitly refers to the Commission Recommendation “Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage” and provides for 140 concrete measures, which shall improve access to adequate resources and affordable high quality services. Germany, France, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and the United Kingdom also took initiatives within the scope of their strategies to improve the opportunities of children, so that more children are able to benefit from early childhood care and education. In its intergovernmental agreement, the Austrian government too has agreed to extend childcare and has pledged EUR 350 million for this purpose to be made available by 2017. This shows that things can be moved if the willingness is there.
European Social Funds: 20 % of resources are available for social inclusion
It can be regarded as one of the results achieved by the SIP that in the new Programme period of the European Social Funds each Member State will at least allocate 20 % of the funds available to promote social inclusion. This will hopefully contribute to promoting social investments in accordance with the priorities set out in the country-specific recommendations. Over the same period, the European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived will provide material assistance in the form of food or basic consumer goods for people most affected by poverty and children living in material poverty and offer a range of measures for their social integration.
Roadmap gives overview over measures within the scope of the SIP
To ensure that one does not lose track in the jungle of measures undertaken and planned, the EU Commission has set up a website where all information is available. However, it will also be important that both the EU Commission and the Member States do indeed realise that social investments have to be given priority and that they are worth their while.
Further information:
EU Social Investment Package
AK Study on Childcare