Employment & Social Affairs

The EU currently faces a range of societal challenges. Too many people are inactive or unemployed, too many young people leave school early, and as a result, too many people are living in poverty. On top of this is a rapidly aging, but also increasingly wealthier, European population, which has created dependency problems and increased incidents of diseases of affluence, such as obesity and stress. The recent economic downturn has only gone and exacerbated these problems further. The EU is aware that social policies need to keep pace with the changing realities of Europe. Polices need to be flexible and responsive to the changes in Europe.

The EU aims to create more and better jobs and an inclusive European society with equal opportunities for all. Member States currently have the primarily responsible for delivering social policies. Consequently, the EU’s power in this field is limited. However, the EU is uniquely placed to act as a coordinator to work in partnerships with Member States and other stakeholders to deliver an equal and inclusive society. The Commissioner’s involvement in social policy currently falls under the following categories:

• Employment Policy - The EU is working to create more and better jobs. This is currently done through the European Employment Strategy. This Strategy was developed in order to encourage exchange of information and joint discussions between Member States to try and find solutions and best practises in job delivery and creation together.

• Free movement of workers – Every EU citizen is entitled to look for work and live in another EU country as a basic European right. To assist and complement this free movement of workers around Europe, the EU is attempting to co-ordinate Member States’ social security schemes. Although this coordination is not attempting to replace national systems with a single European one, it is providing common rules to protect Europeans’ basic social security rights when moving within Europe.

• Working Conditions – The EU aims to improve working conditions across Europe by guaranteeing minimum levels of protection. A majority of this work is focused on health and safety in the workplace. The EU Health and Safety Strategy 2007-2012 seeks to cut accidents in the workplace by 25% by 2012.

• Social Inclusion and Non-discrimination – 79 million people in the EU, 16% of the population, are currently at risk of poverty. The EU endeavours to eradicate child poverty, ensure decent housing for everyone, overcome discrimination and to tackle financial exclusion. Through the open method of coordination, the EU had provided a policy framework than enables Member States to critically examine their policies and make better policies through the involvement of NGOs, social partners and local and regional authorities, as well as working with those in poverty.

• Gender Equality – Through Gender Mainstreaming, the EU plans to integrate the gender perspective into every stage of all policy-making to ultimately eradicate the unequal treatment of women and men. The Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010 outlines 6 priority areas of EU action on gender equality, including the elimination of gender stereotypes, the eradication of gender-based violence and trafficking and equal economic independence for women and men.

Funding for social issue projects comes from three main funding instruments:

• European Social Fund - The Commission is not directly involved in the selection of funding for projects under this stream. Managing authorities at the national and regional level are responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the ESF. The ESF is devoted to promoting employment in the EU.

• PROGRESS - PROGRESS is the EU’s employment and social solidarity programme. It complements the ESF by supporting projects that seek to bring employment, social inclusion and equal opportunities to European citizens.

• European Globalisation Adjustment Fund - This fund aims to help workers that were made redundant as a result of changing global trade patterns to get another job as quickly as possible.

Funding for social projects may also be eligible for support from other instruments, such as the Annual Work Programme grants and the European Microfinance Facility.

Renewed Social Agenda

Following on from the Social Agenda (2005-2010) the Renewed Social Agenda is a cross-cutting and multidimensional approach that is designed to ensure that the EU can respond effectively to today’s economic and social challenges. The Renewed Social Agenda aims to unlock and create new opportunities in the job market, grant access to jobs and social inclusion and create European solidarity. The priorities for the Commission under this new Agenda, includes Children and Youth, Investment in jobs and skills, Mobility, healthier and longer lives, tackling social exclusion and fighting discrimination. The EU intends to meet its objectives by using a variety of instruments, which includes EU legislation, Social Dialogue and Open Method of Cooperation.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept that describes companies integrating social and environmental concerns into their business operations and stakeholder interactions on a voluntary basis. In 2006 the Commission issued its Communication on Corporate Social Responsibility ‘Implementing the Partnership for Growth and Jobs: Making Europe a Pole of Excellence on Corporate Social Responsibility'.  For a Briefing Note click here.

2011 European Year of Volunteering

This year will be a celebration of the commitment of millions of people in Europe who work in their communities during their free time without being paid – for example in schools, hospitals, and sports clubs, protecting the environment, providing social services and helping people in other countries. Their efforts and those of the many thousands of volunteering organisations make a huge difference to our lives in countless ways. Additional information about the 2011 European Year of Volunteering is available here.

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