WRITTEN QUESTION E-0663/01

by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 March 2001)

Subject: Lisbon European Council and information networks

The 2000 Lisbon European Council invited the Council to strengthen cooperation between Member States by exchanging experiences and best practice on the basis of improved information networks which are the basic tools in this field [social protection]. What specific steps have been taken in this regard and how is progress being monitored?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2001)

The information networks referred to in the question relate to the co-operative exchange between Member States on social protection issues which has been ongoing since the mid-1990s. This exchange had become more structured and focused since the Commission's Communication of 14 July 1999 entitled A Concerted Strategy for Social Protection(1). Following this, in December 1999, the Council supported the Commission's proposal for stronger mechanisms to strengthen this co-operation and the High Level Working Party on Social Protection was established on an interim basis(2). The Social Protection Committee (SPC) was formally created by Council Decision 2000/436/EC(3) of 29 June 2000 to replace the Working Party. When the Treaty modifications agreed at the Nice European Council come into force, the Committee will have a legal base in the EU Treaty (new article 144).

In order to develop appropriate, commonly agreed indicators in the field of social protection, and while recognising that there is considerable diversity in Member States' approaches in this regard, the Social Protection Committee has recently created an indicators sub-group to work in this field.

The focus of this policy co-operation since March 2000 has been determined by the mandate of the Lisbon European Council which sought to concentrate work on two policy areas, i.e. the fight against poverty and social exclusion and the provision of safe and sustainable pensions. The Nice European Council of December 2000 gave renewed mandates for the continuation of work in both areas.

In relation to pensions, the Lisbon European Council requested a study on the long-term evolution of social protection, giving particular attention to the sustainability of pension systems. There was good co-operation on this and a progress report was submitted to the Nice European Council. On the basis of a questionnaire designed by the SPC, national reports which set out the Member States' approaches to pension reform were submitted during February 2001. These will form the basis for a study to be presented to the Göteborg European Council in June 2001.

In relation to the fight against poverty and social exclusion, the Lisbon European Council committed Member States to making a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty. The Nice European Council agreed a set of appropriate objectives to form the basis for a major policy focus in this regard. On the basis of these objectives, Member States will submit before 1 June 2001 National Action Plans which set out their policies to fight

poverty and social exclusion during the two year period from mid-2001 to mid-2003. At present Member States are in the process of preparing these and a series of national seminars to inaugurate the process that is being held.

(1) COM(1999) 347 final.

(2) Council Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on the strengthening of co-operation for modernising and improving social protection (OJ C 8, 12.1.2000).

(3) OJ L 172, 12.7.2000.