Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a programme of Community action to encourage cooperation between Member States to combat social exclusion
Date: 2000-06-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU action, European social policy, cooperation policy, marginalisation

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Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a programme
of Community action to encourage cooperation between Member States to combat social
exclusion

(2000/C 337 E/17)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 368 final (cid:16) 2000/0157(COD)

(Submitted by the Commission on 16 June 2000)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 137, paragraph 2,
subparagraphs 2 and 3 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty,

Whereas:

(1) Pursuant to Article 2 of the Treaty, the Community shall
have as one of its tasks to promote the raising of the
standard of
the
Community.

living and quality of

life throughout

(2) Pursuant to Article 136 of the Treaty, the Community and
the Member States, having in mind fundamental social
in the European Social
rights such as those set out
Charter signed at Turin on 18 October 1961 and in the
the Fundamental Social
1989 Community Charter of
Rights of Workers,
shall have as an objective the
combating of exclusion.

(3) The European Parliament,

the Economic and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions have all
urged the Community to strengthen its contribution to
in Member States to prevent and to combat
efforts
social exclusion.

(4) The Commission communication of 1 March 2000,
;Building an inclusive Europe= (1), described the challenge
of social exclusion and the existing policy responses in
Member States and at Community level, and proposed
on this basis to give a new impetus to the EU cooperation
to combat social exclusion.

(5) The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000
incorporated the promotion of social inclusion as intrinsic

for

to the overall strategy of the Union to achieve its strategic
goal
the next decade of becoming the most
competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in
the world, capable of sustainable economic growth, with
more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

(6) The Lisbon European Council further acknowledged that
the new knowledge-based society offers both the potential
for reducing social exclusion by creating the economic
conditions for greater prosperity through higher levels
of growth and employment and by opening up new
ways of participating in society and the risk of an ever-
widening gap between those who have access to the new
knowledge, and those who are excluded ? and that
policies should be directed towards avoiding this risk
and maximising this new potential.

(7) The European Council

further agreed that policies for
combating social exclusion should be based on an open
method of coordination combining national action plans
and a Commission initiative for cooperation.

a multiannual

action programme

(8) This Commission initiative which consists in a proposal
for
designed to
encourage cooperation between Member States should
aim at
improving knowledge, developing exchanges of
information and best practices, and evaluating experiences
in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of
policies to combat exclusion.

(9) Many non-governmental organisations at

the European
level have experience and expertise in fighting social
exclusion, as well as acting at European level as the
advocates of people who are exposed to social exclusion;
they can therefore make an important contribution to
understanding the diverse forms and effects of social
exclusion and to ensuring that the design, implementation
and follow-up of
the
experience of people exposed to social exclusion.

the programme take account of

(10) In compliance with Article 2 of Council Decision
1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the
implementing powers
procedures
conferred on the Commission (2), measures
the
implementation of this Decision should be adopted by
use of the advisory procedure provided for in Article 3
of that Decision.

the exercise of

for

for

(1) COM(2000) 79 final.

(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

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(11) It is necessary, in order to reinforce the added value of
Community action, that the Commission, in cooperation
with the Member States, should ensure, at all levels, the
coherence and complementarity of actions implemented
this Decision and other relevant
in the framework of
Community
in
and
policies,
particular those under the European Social Fund.

instruments

actions,

hereinafter referred to as ;the programme=, is adopted for the
period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2005.

Article 2

Principles

(12) The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA
for greater cooperation in the
Agreement) provides
social
field between the European Community and its
Member States, on the one hand, and the countries of
the European Free Trade Association participating in the
European Economic Area (EFTA/EEA), on the other;
provision should be made to open up this programme
to participation by the candidate countries of central
and eastern Europe,
in accordance with the conditions
established in the Europe Agreements, in their additional
respective
protocols
funded by
Association Councils,
additional
the
procedures to be agreed with those countries, as well as
in
to Turkey,
accordance with the procedures to be agreed with that
country.

the
to Cyprus and Malta,

and in the decisions of

accordance with

appropriations

appropriations

funded by

additional

in

(13) A financial reference amount, within the meaning of point
33 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999
between the European Parliament, the Council and the
Commission is included in this decision.

(14) Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty respectively set as a task of
the Community the promotion of equality between men
and women and provide that
its activities the
Community shall aim to eliminate inequalities and to
promote equality between men and women; gender is a
crucial cross-cutting issue which interacts to an important
extent with the effects and causes of exclusion.

in all

(15) It is essential to monitor and evaluate the implementation
of the programme to ensure that it achieves its objectives.

the proposed action concerning

(16) In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality as defined in Article 5 of the Treaty, the
objectives of
the
contribution of
the Community to combating social
exclusion cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member
States for reasons including the need for multilateral part-
nerships, the transnational exchange of information and
the Community-wide dissemination of good practice; this
Decision does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve
those objectives,

This programme shall be part of an open method of
1.
coordination between Member
social
exclusion, and shall be combined with national action plans.

to combat

States

The programme and the national action plans shall
2.
contribute to a better understanding of social exclusion, the
mainstreaming of
the combating of exclusion in Member
States and Community policies and measures, and the devel-
opment of priority actions chosen by Member States
in
accordance with their particular situation.

3.
The overall aim of the programme shall be to encourage
cooperation which enables the Union and the Member States to
make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social
exclusion as measured by targets agreed by the Council.

In designing,

4.
implementing and following up the
activities under the programme account will be taken of the
experience in the Member States at all relevant levels and of
people exposed to poverty and social exclusion, as well as of
social partners, non-governmental and voluntary organisations
and other actors of the society involved in the fight against
poverty and social exclusion.

Article 3

Objectives

The programme shall support cooperation which enables the
Union and the Member States to enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of policies to combat social exclusion by:

? improving the understanding of social exclusion;

? organising policy cooperation and mutual learning in the

context of the national action plans; and,

? developing the capacity of actors to address social exclusion
effectively, in particular through networking at EU level.

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment of the programme

A programme of Community action to encourage cooperation
between Member States in order to combat social exclusion,

Article 4

Community actions

1. With a view to achieving the objectives set out in Article
3, the following actions may be implemented within a trans-
national framework:

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? analysis of characteristics, causes, processes and trends in
social exclusion,
including the collection of comparable
statistics, the development of common methodologies and
thematic studies;

? policy cooperation and exchange of information and best
practices on the basis of the development of quantitative
and qualitative indicators and benchmarks and through
periodic monitoring, evaluation and peer review;

? promotion of dialogue involving the various stakeholders
and support
to networking at European level between
non-governmental organisations active in the fight against
poverty and social exclusion.

Arrangements for the implementation of the Community

2.
actions described in paragraph 1 are set out in annex.

Article 5

Implementation

1.

The Commission shall:

? ensure the implementation of
covered by this programme;

the Community actions

? have a regular exchange of views with representatives of
non-governmental organisations and the social partners at
implementation and
European level on the design,
follow-up of the programme and on related policy orien-
tations. The Commission shall inform the Committee estab-
lished under Article 7 of their opinions;

? promote active partnership and dialogue between all the
partners involved in the programme to encourage an inte-
grated and coordinated approach to the fight against social
exclusion.

The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,

2.
shall take the necessary steps to:

? promote the involvement

in the programme of all

the

parties concerned;

? ensure the dissemination of

the results of

the actions

undertaken within the framework of this programme;

? provide appropriate information, publicity and follow-up
with regard to actions supported by this programme.

Article 6

Financing

The financial reference amount

1.
for implementing the
programme for the period referred to in Article 1 shall be
EUR 70 million.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the
financial

authority within the

limits of

the

2.
budgetary
perspective.

Article 7

Committee

The Commission shall be assisted by an advisory
1.
committee composed of
the representatives of the Member
States and chaired by the representative of the Commission
(hereinafter referred to as ;the Committee=).

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, the advisory
procedure laid down in Article 3 of Council Decision
1999/468/EC shall apply, in respect of Article 7, paragraph 3
and Article 8.

The representative of the Commission shall in particular

3.
consult the Committee on:

? the general guidelines

for

the implementation of

the

programme;

? the annual budgets and the distribution of funding between

measures;

? the annual plan of work for the implementation of the
programme’s actions, and the Commission proposals for
selection criteria for financial support;

To ensure the consistency and complementarity of this
4.
programme with other measures referred to in Article 8, the
Commission shall keep the Committee regularly informed
about other Community action contributing to combating
social exclusion. Where appropriate,
the Commission shall
establish regular and structured cooperation between this
Committee and the monitoring committees established for
other relevant policies, instruments and actions.

Article 8

Consistency and complementarity

The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member
1.
States, ensure overall consistency with other Community
policies, instruments and actions, in particular by establishing
appropriate mechanisms to coordinate the activities of
this
programme with relevant
relating to research,
employment, non-discrimination, equality between women
and men, social protection, education,
training and youth
policy, health and in the field of the Community’s external
relations.

activities

The Member States shall make all possible efforts to
2.
ensure consistency and complementarity between activities
under
this programme and those carried out at national,
regional and local levels.

3.
The Commission and the Member States shall ensure
consistency and complementarity between action undertaken
under
the
structural
the Community initiative
EQUAL.

this programme and Community action under

in particular

funds,

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Article 9

Participation of the EFTA/EEA countries, the associated
countries of central and eastern Europe, Cyprus, Malta
and Turkey

This programme shall be open to the participation of:

? the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions

established in the EEA Agreement;

? the associated central and eastern European countries in
accordance with the conditions established in the Europe
Agreements,
in their additional protocols and in the
decisions of the respective Association Councils;

? Cyprus, Malta and Turkey,

funded by additional appro-
priations in accordance with procedures to be agreed
with each country.

Article 10

Monitoring and evaluation

1.
The Commission shall regularly monitor this programme
in cooperation with the Member States in accordance with the
procedure set out in Article 7.

The programme shall be evaluated by the Commission by
2.
the end of the third year and at the end of the programme
with the assistance of independent experts. This evaluation will
assess the relevance and effectiveness of actions implemented
with regard to the objectives referred to in Article 3. It will also
examine the impact of
the programme as a whole. The
evaluation will also examine the complementarity between
action under this programme and that pursued under other
relevant Community policies, instruments and actions.

The Commission

3.
European
Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee
and the Committee of
the Regions a final report on the
implementation of the programme by 31 December 2006.

submit

shall

the

to

Article 11

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publi-
cation in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

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INDICATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME

ANNEX

1. Action strands

With a view to achieving the objectives set out in Article 3 and implement the Community actions set out in Article
4 the following measures may be implemented within a transnational framework:

Strand 1: Analysis of characteristics, processes, causes and trends in social exclusion

The importance of this strand is linked to the conclusion of the Lisbon European Council to develop national action
plans and a new open method of coordination to combat social exclusion and the need in this context to identify
appropriate quantitative and qualitative indicators and benchmarks which will make it possible to promote periodic
monitoring, evaluation and peer review. This requires special cooperation efforts to improve statistics, methodologies
and understanding of social exclusion as well as of policies which can help to prevent and combat exclusion.
Particular effort is proposed with regard to statistical work in cooperation with national statistical offices.

In order to promote this, the following measures may be supported:

1.1. Studies and meetings on the development of common methodologies to measure poverty and social exclusion,

their extent, characteristics, processes, causes and trends;

1.2. The collection and dissemination of comparable statistics in Member States and at Community level. This
measure should support cooperation between national statistical offices and the Commission and improve
the statistical reference sources at Community level and their contribution to the analysis of poverty and
social exclusion;

1.3. The development of thematic studies to contribute to the understanding of social exclusion, to address common
issues in connection with policy developments in Member States, including emerging issues in relation to the
knowledge based society.

Strand 2: Policy cooperation and exchange of information and best practices

In order to promote policy cooperation and mutual learning in the context of the national action plan, the following
transnational activities may be supported:

2.1. Transnational exchange actions aimed at transferring information and good practices and developing peer
review in the context of the national action plans, by means of policy meetings/workshops/seminars on
benchmarks or on policies and practices, or other forms of exchange such as joint development of strategies
and common dissemination of information, etc., organised at the initiative of European organisations of Member
States and/or of other key actors with the active involvement of Member States.

2.2. Expert work and specific studies in connection with the development of indicators and benchmarks, including in

relation to the knowledge-based society.

2.3. Annual EU Report on social exclusion, which would present the state of play on the different national action
plans as well as actions conducted at European level in the main policies and fields where the fight against
poverty and social exclusion is at stake.

Keeping in mind that social exclusion is a multidimensional phenomenon, particular attention shall be paid to
relevant policy developments on social protection, employment, education and training, health and housing policies.

Strand 3: Participation of the various stakeholders and support to networking at EU level

In order to actively involve public authorities as well as the social partners and the civil society, the following
measures may be supported:

3.1. Core funding for relevant key European networks involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.

3.2. An annual EU Round Table Conference on social exclusion. The conference would be organised in close

collaboration with the EU Presidency.

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2. General considerations

The programme shall take into account the results of preparatory actions and activities under other Community
policies, instruments and actions.

implementing and following up the activities under the programme account will be taken of the
In designing,
experience of people exposed to poverty and social exclusion, as well as social partners, non-governmental organi-
sations and other actors of the society involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. In all its activities,
the programme will respect the principle of gender mainstreaming. The programme activities can be adapted or
supplemented in accordance with the procedure established under Article 7, on the basis of an annual review.

The implementation of the programme may require technical and administrative assistance to the mutual benefit of
the Commission and of the beneficiaries and/or support expenditure.

3. Method of presenting applications for support

Strand 1: This strand will be mainly implemented through calls for tenders. For cooperation with national statistical
offices the Eurostat procedures will apply.

Strand 2: Actions 2.1 will be mainly implemented in response to annual calls for proposals (some policy meetings/
seminars might be organised directly by the Commission). Proposals will have to involve actors from at least four
Member States and may be submitted to the Commission by European organisations and by Member States (or by
organisations with the involvement of Member States). Actions 2.2 and 2.3 will require specific call for tenders.

Strand 3: Under action 3.1 support may be provided to European networks satisfying criteria established by the
Commission in consultation with the Committee in accordance with Article 7. Action 3.2 may be supported in
response to requests for subsidies from Member States.

4. Carrying out the actions

The actions to be taken may be funded by service contracts following calls for tender or by subsidies for joint
financing with other sources. In the latter case, the level of financial assistance by the Commission may not exceed,
as a general rule, 80 % of the expenditure actually incurred by the recipient.

In carrying out the programme, the Commission may require addition resources, including recourse to experts. These
requirements will be decided in the context of the Commission’s ongoing assessment of resource allocation.

In carrying out the programme the Commission may have recourse to technical and/or administrative assistance, to
the mutual benefit of the Commission and of the beneficiaries, related to identification, preparation, management,
monitoring, audit and control.

The Commission may also undertake information, publication and dissemination actions. It may also undertake
evaluation studies and organise seminars, colloquia or other meetings of experts.

The Commission will prepare annual work plans setting out the priorities and actions to be undertaken. Moreover, it
will also specify the arrangements and criteria to be applied in selecting and financing actions under this programme.
In so doing, it will seek the opinion of the Committee mentioned in Article 7.

Actions undertaken will fully respect the principles of data protection.