Social Platform: 'Member states must restore balance between social and economic governance'

Social Platform, the largest coalition of European social NGOS, regrets that the 2014 AGS has once again failed to give credibility to Europe 2020 and the European Semester process. The AGS, while offering little new, remains focused on austerity, emphasising competiveness, growth and jobs without taking proper account of the social implications of current macroeconomic policies and offering few solutions.

On 9 December, European ministers for employment and social affairs at the EPSCO Council meeting will discuss next year's European Semester, kicked off by the 2014 Annual Growth Survey (AGS). Meanwhile poverty and unemployment in the EU have reached an historic peak with over 26 million unemployed and around 125 million (one out of four) at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Social Platform President Heather Roy said: "It is clear that the current governance approach has not delivered on the Europe 2020 poverty and employment targets. We need a new approach fostering social investment in the context of a coherent social strategy that ensures adequate social protection and promotes quality employment."

Social Platform is calling on social ministers to restore the balance between social and economic governance. The achievement of the Europe 2020 poverty and employment targets should be prioritised, and policy reforms have to be assessed in advance to ensure macro-economic objectives do not prevent the realisation of social priorities but enable them. This will also support the European Council’s commitment to further enhance the coordination of economic, employment and social policies.

Last week, at the Annual Convention of the European Platform Against Poverty and Social Exclusion, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said: "We cannot afford to leave so many on the side-lines, sit passively while inequalities and poverty grow".

"We are convinced that well designed and coherent social policies are at the centre of sustainable growth, and are key to re-establishing the confidence of people in the European project," said Roy.

Read Social Platform's letter to the ministers for employment and social affairs.

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