Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-06-Speech-3-395"
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"en.20090506.40.3-395"2
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"As the honourable parliamentarian has said very well the joint report on social protection and social inclusion, which was submitted to the European Council meeting on 19-20 March, stresses the need for appropriate social policies, not only to mitigate the adverse social impact on the most vulnerable but also to cushion the impact of the crisis on the economy as a whole.
Within the framework of the current EU Presidency, the Conference on Social Services entitled ‘Social services: a tool for mobilising the workforce and strengthening social cohesion’ was held in Prague in April this year. The conference stressed the importance of social services for active inclusion of people endangered by social exclusion and excluded from the labour market.
The social services sector, due to economic and demographic changes on the one hand, becomes the important field of new job opportunities, in particular for women and older workers and, on the other hand, it helps the social services users themselves to hold down their jobs.
The conference introduced basic starting points for further all-European discussions on the role of social services in society. Although the ways of providing social services, sharing competences and the conception of financial sustainability are different in EU Member States, there was a good deal of consensus among the speakers at the conference on the role and goals of social services.
In the conference conclusions, which will be further elaborated and then negotiated with the aim of adoption by the EPSCO Council in June, the role of social services as an essential instrument for social policies is stressed.
The necessity of the integrated manner in conceiving and delivering social services and taking into account individual needs of clients is underlined as well. The important role of public authorities in guaranteeing quality, access and sustainability of social services is mentioned and it is stated that investing in social services, in particular during the present financial and economic crisis, pays and can strengthen the growth potential and the cohesion of economies and societies. The importance of informal care is pointed out and so-called ‘shared care’, a combination of both formal and informal care, seems to be optimum and most effective.
In the conference conclusions, the importance of the promotion of a system of lifelong training and capacity-building for assuring the quality of services is mentioned. Last but not least, the protection of rights, dignity and special needs of social services users is emphasised.
This implies adjusting benefits, where needed, to safeguard appropriate support for recipients. In particular comprehensive active inclusion strategies that combine and balance measures and inclusive labour market access to quality services and adequate minimum incomes need to be implemented.
A boost must be given to Member States’ efforts to implement comprehensive strategies against poverty and social exclusion of children, including accessible and affordable quality childcare.
Sustained work is required to tackle homelessness as an extremely serious form of exclusion, to promote the social inclusion of migrants and to address, for example, the multiple disadvantages the Roma people are facing and their vulnerability to social exclusion.
Vigilance is also needed as new risk groups, among them young workers and labour market entrants, as well as new risks, may emerge.
As regards the specific situation of older people, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities, the Council has already adopted legislation aiming to protect these and other vulnerable groups from discrimination. Council Directive 2000/78/EC establishes a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation as regards employment and occupation. Council Directive 2000/43/EC implements the principle of equal treatment between persons, irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, in a wide number of areas including employment, self-employment, vocational training, social security, education and access to goods and services, including housing.
In addition, the Council is currently examining a new Commission proposal that aims to extend the protection against discrimination even further. The proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation would extend the protection against discrimination based on religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation to areas beyond employment. On 2 April 2009 the European Parliament voted in favour of the Commission’s proposal under the consultation procedure, and discussions on the draft directive are ongoing in the Council.
Allow me also to recall that last spring the Council and Parliament successfully negotiated a first-reading agreement on the Commission’s proposal to establish a European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion in 2010. At the time, few of us could have guessed the scale of the coming economic crisis. However, with the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that the Commission, Council and Parliament were absolutely right to focus on the problems of poverty and social exclusion.
Finally the Council is also examining a set of draft conclusions on equal opportunities for women and men of the age 50-plus generation, tabled by the Czech Presidency. It is expected that these conclusions will be adopted by the Council in June. This will be another opportunity for the Council to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring that our older citizens can live active lives and age with dignity."@en1
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