Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

How should the co-ordination of social policies be reinforced in a Europe of 27 member states? While the Union is launching a strategy for the next 10 years – EU 2020 – what are the processes already in place and what will their future be ? To answer these questions, experts and national delegations will present avenues of improvement based on the successes of the past. In order to ensure the commitment of the political actors, of the social partners and of civil society.

Co-operation between social policies in the European Union progressed considerably during the Lisbon Strategy. An Open Method of Co-ordination introduced to achieve its aims offered the Member States a framework of co-operation.  Therefore, since 2000, the Social Protection Committee has progressively been made responsible for dealing with the different aspects of social protection: social inclusion, pensions and health care and long-term care.

Between challenges and opportunities

How does the future of social policies in Europe look? What are the successes and the challenges encountered in the last ten years, and how can we make use of them in order to improve social protection in the European context and that of the Member States which find themselves in very different situations?

To assist the European decision-makers on these crucial questions, a two-day conference will suggest a number of concrete avenues to be followed.

From evaluation to vision

The starting point will be the evaluation of the social situation and of the responsibility of the Union in the co-ordination of social policies. The various processes – Open Method of Co-ordination, social funds and the new initiatives – the Fight against Poverty platform and the transverse social clause will be examined.

To strengthen the impact of these policies, the conference will deal with the subjects of political engagement and of visibility, but also with the regular evaluation of the progress made or again the bringing together of different means to achieve common objectives.

Based on these analyses, the conclusions will point towards a strengthening of the framework of co-operation between the social policies of the Member States of the European Union.

More information about this conference