WRITTEN QUESTION E-0663/01 by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Lisbon European Council and information networks.
Date: 2001-03-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Council, European social policy, exchange of information, information network, marginalisation, social security

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/63

According to the draft action programme, a Committee is to be established to assist the Commission, and
it will be regularly informed about progress.

In addition, the activities of the Social Protection Committee have largely the same objective as the action
programme, and a close link with this Committee has been foreseen during the implementation of the
action programme by the Commission and the Member States.

(2001/C 340 E/072)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0663/01

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

Subject: Lisbon European Council and information networks

(6 March 2001)

The 2000 Lisbon European Council invited (cid:145)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].(cid:146) 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 (cid:145)information networks(cid:146) 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(cid:146)s Communication of 14 July 1999 entitled
(cid:145)A Concerted Strategy for Social Protection(cid:146) (1). Following this, in December 1999, the Council supported
the Commission(cid:146)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(cid:146) 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(cid:146) approaches to
pension reform were submitted during February 2001. These will form the basis for a study to be
presented to the G(cid:246)teborg 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 (cid:145)decisive impact on the eradication of poverty(cid:146). The Nice European Council
agreed a set of (cid:145)appropriate objectives(cid:146) 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-

C 340 E/64

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

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.

(2001/C 340 E/073)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0664/01

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

Subject: Lisbon European Council and the promotion of inclusion

(8 March 2001)

The 2000 Lisbon European Council
invited (cid:145)the Council and the Commission to mainstream the
promotion of inclusion in Member States(cid:146) employment, education and training, health and housing
policies.(cid:146) What specific steps have been taken in this regard and what action has been taken at Community
level by action under the Structural Funds?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

With the assistance of the Social Protection Committee, the Council already:

(cid:129) adopted in October 2000 objectives for combating poverty and social exclusion which were
subsequently endorsed by the Nice European Council; on the basis of those objectives, the Member
States were invited to submit by June 2001 national action plans covering a two-year period;

(cid:129) adopted in October 2000 conclusions on structural indicators for employment and social cohesion,
and invited the Social Protection Committee and the Employment Committee to press ahead in the
future in a concerted manner with their work on this subject;

(cid:129) adopted in November 2000 a progress report on the future evolution of social protection (pensions),
which was subsequently submitted to the Nice European Council, and in March 2001 a preliminary
study on the long-term viability of pensions, which was subsequently submitted to the Stockholm
European Council; a more comprehensive report on the sustainability of pensions will be presented to
the Gothenburg European Council in June 2001.

During 2001, work will be initiated on the remaining priority areas of modernising and improving social
protection which were identified in the Council conclusions of 17 December 1999, namely:

(cid:129) to make work pay and to provide secure income, and

(cid:129) to ensure high-quality and sustainable health care.

As regards the Structural Funds, the Regulation on the Economic and Social Fund provides for supporting
and complementing the activities of Member States directed towards developing the labour market and
human resources in the fields mentioned in Article 2(1)(a) to (e). These concrete measures are to be defined
by each Member State in accordance with its priorities and in cooperation with the Commission, within
their respective Community Support Framework and Operational Programmes and/or Single Programming
Documents.

In general terms, the European Council, at its Lisbon meeting on 23 and 24 March 2000, referred to the
position it had consistently taken, emphasising that people are Europe(cid:146)s main asset and should be the focal
point of the Union(cid:146)s policies. On the same occasion it also stated that investing in people and developing
an active and dynamic welfare state would be crucial both to Europe(cid:146)s place in the knowledge economy
and for ensuring that the emergence of this new economy did not compound the existing social problems