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The EU budget, including the European Social Fund
Eurodiaconia works with partners to ensure a strong social agenda and therefore a strong budget for social issues. In this work Eurodiaconia is specifically working to facilitate access of not-for-profit social service providers to the European Social Fund and to broaden the Fund's scope to address social exclusion and poverty, by proposing changes to the programme.
Measuring growth and well-being
Eurodiaconia has produced a briefing on the discussions about how to move "beyond GDP" indicators to measure societal progress. Eurodiaconia is in contact with ecumenical partners to examine how to promote indicators that take into account more than just economic output.
Measuring Social Value
Eurodiaconia has published a briefing for members on tools to measure the added social value and economic impact of an organisation’s activities. Knowing the social value an organisation creates through its services can help justify funding as well as support advocacy for investing in social services.
Community Engagement and Development
Eurodiaconia co-organised a project, managed by interdiac, on examining methods and theories of community development, engagement and orgainising in diaconia. More information about the on-going work can be found in the articles below.
Social Economy
Eurodiaconia wrote a briefing looking at how the social economy is defined by different actors, and looks at different types of social economy activities. It includes a section on Work Integrating Social Enterprises. Eurodiaconia held a workshop at its 2011 AGM and conducted research among its members to understand how the social economy is seen in diaconia and how it can be supported as the European Commission discusses promoting the social economy, particularly in the light of the Social Business Initiative. This led to a discussion document for members which invited feedback and will link to Eurodiaconia's meeting on the Social Economy in June 2012.
Social Innovation
Innovation is currently one of the EU's buzz words. Within this the European Commission is promoting social innovation, in terms of supporting and facilitating the mainstreaming of innovative ways of meeting social needs. Eurodiaconia is taking part in the discussions at EU level with partner organanisations to ensure that actions publicised are carefully evaluated and really are examples of social innovation, as well as that tools for evaluation and scaling up of innovations are promoted.
NEWS
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Diakonie Austria member and Eurodiaconia Award 2012 recipient featured in Good Practice Collection on Social Innovation |
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14 June 2013
Diakionie Austria member and Eurodiaconia Award 2012 recipient Miteinander Leben has been featured in a Good Practice Collection on Social Innovation. The collection was presented at a conference in the European Parliament organised by Heinz K. Becker MEP (EPP, Austria) and Caritas Vienna which examined challenges and barriers to social innovation as well as best practice in facilitating and financing it.
Heather Roy presented the experiences of Eurodiaconia members and stressed the importance of sustainability of finanancing and a supporting environment. Social innovation comes from a place of strength, she pointed out.
The agenda can be found here and the Collection here. |
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Eurodiaconia visits Lithuania to prepare for their Presidency of the EU |
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Last week Heather Roy and Catherine Mallet from the Eurodiaconia secretariat, together with a delegation from Social Platform went to Vilnius, to meet with the Lithuanian government with the aim of raising their awareness about some of Social Platform’s key social priorities in view of the upcoming Presidency of the European Council. Heather, as President of Social Platform had the opportunity to address the Minister for Social Security and Labour, giving an overview of the Platform’s social priorities. (For more details on the Minister’s presentation, see below). Catherine later met with the Head of Social Services and the Director of Social Inclusion and the Children’s Welfare Department from the same ministry to discuss some of their priorities for Lithuania and the Presidency.
We also took this opportunity to meet with new Lithuanian members of Eurodiaconia the Lutheran Diaconia and the Bishop Sabutis to learn more about their work and to discuss potential common actions ahead of the Presidency. The Lutheran Diaconia gathers 8 diaconal centres and over 50 congregations in Lithuania. In Vilnius, the Diaconia runs an elderly home, a number of soup kitchens, a drug rehabilitation centre, and children’s homes and more. The members of the Protestant church are a minority of around 20,000 people in Lithuania.
The social priorities for Lithuania’s Presidency of the EU
During the visit to Lithuania, the Minister of Social Security and Labour Algimanta Pabedinskiene gave a presentation about the three overarching priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency: “Credible Europe, Growing Europe and Open Europe”. More specifically the priorities in the field of employment and social policy she said were better job opportunities with a focus on youth, better protection of workers (including migrant workers), strengthening the social dimension, and de facto equal rights between men and women and antidiscrimination. The focus on youth and better job opportunities will include preparing to provide Youth Guarantees. They will also organise a discussion on a European Alliance for Apprenticeships and will make efforts, she said, to strengthen the social integration of young people not in education training or employment (NEET).
Regarding the better protection of workers she stressed that the legislative dosser of the Regulation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund would be a priority, as well as the Enforcement directive on posting of workers and the Pensions Portability Directive. The Presidency also aims to adopt the Directive on enforcement of rights of EU migrant workers and members of their families. She explained that the recently launched Social Investment Package (SIP) will be a priority area for analysis in connection with Country Specific Recommendations, including a focus on the Recommendation on Investing in Children. Another priority would be to strengthen the social dimension of Economic and Monetary Union.
On anti-discrimination, among other things, there will be a Council recommendation on enhancing the effectiveness of measures for Roma Integration which will be adopted in the December EPSCO Council.
At the Informal EPSCO meeting in July, the meeting will focus on implementing the Social Investment Package, including the example of the Recommendation on Investing in Children. They will also discuss the social dimension of the EMU (Economic and Monetary Union). |
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Positions and recommendations on the Social Investment Package now online |
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16 May 2013
Eurodiaconia contributed to the responses to the Social Investment Package, (Eurodiaconia briefings here), from the Social Platform and Social Services Europe both of which are now online. Both documents welcome the general approach of the package of documents and propose recommendations on its implementation, including offering civil society organisations as partners.
The Social Platform position outlines the network’s understanding of social investment, the positive elements of the package and points of concern. The Social Services Europe response presents recommendations including in the areas of EU Funds, the European Semester process, employment in the social service sector and social innovation.
However, some concerns are raised by the networks and Heather Roy, as President of the Social Platform, mentioned some at the EU conference on the SIP in her speech. There should have been more focus on social rights, conditionality of benefits risks discrimination and should be addressed very carefully, it must be made clear that employment is not the only way to participate in society and when talking of public expenditure it should be about better not less spending.
Irish minister Joan Burton called for full employment to be the goal of economic policy and that the SIP provided the method and the motive for a shift in thinking in policy. Lázló Andor, Commissioner for social affairs, employment and inclusion stressed the importance of the social investment approach for reducing disparities, stating that “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, and that “Investing in people is the best investment we can make”. Many participants stressed the importance of building coalitions to ensure the approach was understood by national governments and used by those fighting to uphold their welfare states. |
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European Commission publishes social investment brochure |
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The European Commission, specifically DG Employment, have published a brochure explaining the social investment approach to recovery during this time of economic and financial crisis. The brochure explains the Commission's guidance to Member States to modernise their welfare systems, as well as outlining the integrated approach found in the Social Investment Package (published in February). The document also shows where the money would come from at the EU level. In a forward written by the Commissioner for Employment, Inclusion, and Social Affairs László Andor, he states that "[the EU] can restore and maintain prosperity in Europe if we invest in our human capital, from cradle to old age."
To download a copy of the brochure in English or to request a printed copy in English, French, or German, please click here. |
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People in Diaconia meeting report |
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2 May 2013
The full report from the annual People in Diaconia network meeting which took place on 9-10 April in Brussels is now available to download.
Please click here to read the report |
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Thursday, June 20, 2013
