EU policy developments in the field of social inclusion
In 2000, EU leaders established the Social Inclusion Process to make a decisive impact on eradicating poverty by 2010. The EU's Lisbon strategy is being reformed at the moment and it is foreseen that the heads of states and governments will decide upon the outline of the new strategy which will lead up to the year 2020, during the 2010 Spring European Council meeting. The Lisbon Strategy aims to foster feedback between economic, employment and social policies.Through this strategy, the European Union coordinates and encourages Member State actions to combat poverty and social exclusion, and to reform their social protection systems on the basis of policy exchanges and mutual learning. As part of the Social Inclusion processes, the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) provides the framework of political coordination and cooperation in the fields of Social Protection and Social Inclusion. Within the OMC, EU Member States agree to identify and promote their most effective policies in these fields with the aim of learning from each others' experiences.
One instrument to support an exchange of best practices between EU member states are peer reviews . Peer reviews enable an open discussion on social protection and social inclusion policies in the different EU Member States and aim to induce mutual learning processes. Peer Reviews take place in the form of expert workshops where primarily government specialists from selected participating countries exchange best practices in policy formulation and reform.
As part of the OMC process, the EU Member States produce National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion (National Strategic Reports) on a regular basis, covering the three main strands of the OMC (social inclusion, pensions and healthcare and long-term care). The reports for the period 2008-2010 were submitted to the European Commission in September 2008.
The Lisbon strategy and the Open Method of Coordination had been reinforced by the EU Heads of State and Governments in spring 2007, when they stressed that "the common social objectives of Member States should be better taken into account within the Lisbon agenda".
In July 2008, the European Commission put forward a comprehensive package of initiatives, the renewed European Social Agenda, bringing together various policies, with the aim to foster employment creation, education and skills development, fight discrimination, combating poverty and social exclusion, support mobility and enable Europeans to live longer, healthier lives. Legislative proposals for draft directives under way are for example on anti-discrimination to fill the gaps of the existing legal framework and to protect against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation outside the field of employment (Anti-Discrimination Directive). Another draft directive refers to Cross-border healthcare to facilitate patients' access to healthcare in other European countries. To tackle poverty and improve access to employment for the most disadvantaged people - including people with disabilities and mental health problems - the European Commission adopted an integrated strategy for active inclusion in October 2008, entailing the provision of an adequate level of income support, inclusive labour markets and a better access to quality services. The new approach proposes to deepen the OMC in this area through the adoption, monitoring and evaluation of a set of common principles in order to contribute to the identification of the best policy responses to the common social challenges that the Member States are facing.
Inclusion of vulnerable groups is one of the priorities of the European Social Protection and Social Inclusion Process. In this context, EU Member States have committed themselves to develop integrated and coordinated responses to the multiple disadvantages and the need of particular groups. People with disabilities and/or with mental health problems within European societies face a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion compared to the general population; the problems this group experiences are translated into homelessness, unemployment, low education, and subsequently, their further exclusion from society. The European Union has a three-fold approach to overcoming discrimination and increasing the inclusion of people with disabilities - increasing access to mainstream services and opportunities, enforcing legislation to overcome discrimination and, where necessary, developing targeted approaches to respond to the specific needs of this group.
The Year 2010 has been designated as European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The key objectives are to raise public awareness about these issues and renew the political commitment of the EU and its Member States to combat poverty and social exclusion. The EY 2010 aims to challenge stereotypes and collective perceptions of poverty to ensure everyone can play a full and active role in society.
