Communication from the Council – Objectives in the fight against poverty and social exclusion
Date: 2001-03-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, action programme, cooperation policy, marginalisation, poverty, social partners

C 82/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

13.3.2001

OBJECTIVES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION

(2001/C 82/02)

I. INTRODUCTORY NOTE

factors such as housing, education, health, information and
communications, mobility, security and justice, leisure and
culture should also be acknowledged.

1. Political guidelines laid down by the European Council

It is necessary, therefore, to mainstream the objective of
fighting poverty and social exclusion into relevant strands
of policy, at both national and community level.

the European Councils in Lisbon and in Feira,

At
the
the European Union took a major
Member States of
initiative by making the fight against poverty and social
exclusion one of the central elements in the modernisation
of
the European social model. The Heads of State or
Government agreed on the need to take steps to make a
decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by setting
suitable objectives to be agreed by the Council by the end
of the year. They also agreed that policies for combating
social exclusion should be based on an open method of
coordination combining national action plans and a
programme presented by the Commission to encourage
cooperation in this field.

strategy of

the Union to achieve its

The European Councils in Lisbon and in Feira made the
promotion of social cohesion an essential element in the
global
strategic
the next decade of becoming the most
objective for
competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the
world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more
and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It also set a
goal for full employment in Europe in an emerging new
society which is more adapted to the personal choices of
women and men.

This initiative follows from the inclusion,
through the
Amsterdam Treaty, of the fight against exclusion in the
provisions relating to the Union’s social policy (Articles
136 and 137 of the Treaty).

2. Multidimensional approach

and

social

Poverty
and
exclusion
multidimensional forms which require the mobilisation of
a wide range of policies under
strategy.
Alongside employment policy,
social protection has a
pre-eminent role to play, while the importance of other

that overall

complex

take

Employment is the best safeguard against social exclusion.
In order to promote quality employment it is necessary to
develop employability,
in particular through policies to
promote the acquisition of skills and lifelong learning. The
implementation of the objectives to which the European
European
Union
has
employment
vital
contribution to the fight against exclusion. Economic
growth and social cohesion are mutually reinforcing. It is a
precondition for better economic performance that we
create a society with greater social cohesion and less
exclusion.

committed
strategy will,

therefore, make

itself within

the

a

Social protection systems also play a key role.
In this
context,
the national
social assistance and minimum
income schemes are important
in social
instruments
in the context of an active
protection policy. It is vital,
welfare state, to create modern systems of social protection
which
employment. Retirement
to
pensions and access to health care also play an important
role in the fight against social exclusion.

promote

access

and

communication

reducing social

The new knowledge-based society offers great possibilities
exclusion, both by creating the
for
economic conditions for greater prosperity and by opening
up new ways of participating in society. The emergence of
new information
technologies
constitutes an exceptional opportunity, provided that the
risk of creating an ever-widening gap between those who
have access to the new knowledge and those who do not
is avoided. The Lisbon Council directed that exclusion
from the information society should be prevented and
it was necessary to pay special attention to the
that
needs of people with disabilities. The implementation of
the Commission’s action plan (cid:145)E-Europe 2002 (cid:151) an
information society for
Feira
all(cid:146),
European Council, should contribute to the achievement of
this objective.

approved by the

In line with the conclusions of
the Lisbon European
Council, setting appropriate objectives should also involve

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 82/5

promoting a better understanding of
social exclusion,
inclusion in Member
mainstreaming the promotion of
States’ employment, education and training, health and
housing policies, and developing priority actions in favour
of specific target groups (for example, minorities, children,
the elderly and disabled), with Member States choosing
among
to their particular
situations.

according

actions

those

4.

Implementation of
conclusions

the Lisbon European Council’s

The Council, having regard to the guidelines defined by the
Lisbon and Feira European Councils, proposes to the Nice
European Council:

(cid:151) the following objectives, detailed in Point II:

3. Arrangements for implementation

(cid:151) to facilitate participation in employment and access
by all to the resources, rights, goods and services,

Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty respectively give to the
Community the task of promoting equality between men
and women and of ensuring that all its activities aim to
eliminate inequalities and promote equality between men
and women.
is therefore necessary to ensure that a
concern for gender equality is mainstreamed in all action
to be taken to achieve the stated objectives, in particular
by assessing the implications for both men and women at
the different stages of the planning of, decision-making on,
and monitoring of that action.

It

national,

The implementation of this approach must take account of
the principle of subsidiarity. Combating social exclusion is
first and foremost the responsibility of Member States and
their
in
cooperation with the full range of the bodies concerned, in
particular the social partners and NGOs. Furthermore, the
nature of the response depends particularly on the nature
of national social protection systems and social policies.

authorities,

regional

local

and

level. Policies

Applying the open method of coordination to the fight
against social exclusion, in line with the principles defined
in the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council, will
allow for both coherence and diversity of action at
national
the objective of
fighting social exclusion and poverty can vary in nature,
and in their implications for Member States and their
target groups. Differences in approach between Member
result
States
in
solutions
individual
and
circumstances.

in dealing with these problems will

in pursuit of

reflecting

priorities

their

The open method of coordination will combine national
action plans with a Community support programme. In
this context, it would be desirable for the Member States to
present
their national action plans by June 2001. The
Social Protection Committee will play a key role in
following up this initiative. On employment matters, it will
work closely with the Employment Committee.

(cid:151) to prevent the risks of exclusion,

(cid:151) to help the most vulnerable,

(cid:151) to mobilise all relevant bodies;

(cid:151) the following arrangements to pursue these objectives:

The Member States:

will pursue the objectives of fighting social exclusion
and poverty,

underline the importance of mainstreaming equality
between men and women in all actions aimed at
achieving those objectives,

are invited to develop their priorities within the
framework of those overall objectives and to present a
national action plan by June 2001 covering a period of
two years,

in order to make it possible to monitor the policies set
out here, are also invited to develop, at national level,
indicators and monitoring mechanisms capable of
measuring progress in regard to each of the objectives
elaborated in their national action plans.

The Commission:

with a view to a joint report, is invited to present, on
the basis of the national action plans to be prepared by
the Member States, a summary report identifying good
practice and innovative approaches of common interest
to the Member States.

C 82/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

13.3.2001

The Member States and the Commission:

1.2. Facilitating access
services for all

to resources,

rights, goods and

are invited to undertake cooperation at European level
in order to bring about a better understanding of the
problem of exclusion, to promote exchanges of good
practice and to seek to develop common approaches
and compatibility in regard to indicators; the action
programme proposed by the Commission will support
that cooperation.

(a)

to organise social protection systems in such a way
that they help, in particular:

(cid:151) to guarantee that everyone has

the resources
necessary to live in accordance with human
dignity,

II. OBJECTIVES

(cid:151) to overcome obstacles to employment by ensuring
results
in
promoting

employment
and

take-up of
income

by

that
the
increased
employability;

1.

To facilitate participation in employment and access
by all to resources, rights, goods and services

(b) to implement policies which aim to provide access for
all to decent and sanitary housing, as well as the basic
services necessary to live normally having regard to
local circumstances (electricity, water, heating, etc.);

1.1. Facilitating participation in employment

(c)

to put in place policies which aim to provide access
for all
to healthcare appropriate to their situation,
including situations of dependency;

In the context of the European employment strategy, and
the implementation of the guidelines in particular:

(a)

to promote access to stable and quality employment
for all women and men who are capable of working,
in particular:

(cid:151) by putting in place,

those in the most
for
vulnerable groups in society, pathways towards
employment and by mobilising training policies
to that end,

(cid:151) by

developing

policies

to

promote

reconciliation of work and family life,
the issue of child- and dependant care,

the
including

(d) to develop,

for

the benefit of people at

risk of
exclusion, services and accompanying measures which
will allow them effective access to education, justice
and other public and private services, such as culture,
sport and leisure.

2.

To prevent the risks of exclusion

(a) To exploit fully the potential of the knowledge-based
society and of new information and communication
technologies and ensure that no-one is excluded,
taking particular account of the needs of people with
disabilities.

(cid:151) by using the opportunities for integration and
employment provided by the social economy;

(b) To put in place policies which seek to prevent life
crises which can lead to situations of social exclusion,
such as
indebtedness, exclusion from school and
becoming homeless.

(b) to prevent the exclusion of people from the world of
work by improving employability,
through human
resource management, organisation of work and
lifelong learning.

(c) To implement action to preserve family solidarity in

all its forms.

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 82/7

3.

To help the most vulnerable

(b) To mainstream the fight against exclusion into overall

policy, in particular:

risk of

(a) To promote the social integration of women and men
at
for example
facing persistent poverty,
because they have a disability or belong to a group
experiencing particular integration problems.

(b) To move towards the elimination of social exclusion
among children and give them every opportunity for
social integration.

(c) To develop comprehensive actions in favour of areas

marked by exclusion.

These objectives may be pursued by incorporating them
in all the other objectives and/or through specific policies
or actions.

4.

To mobilise all relevant bodies

(a) To promote, according to national practice,

the
participation and self-expression of people suffering
exclusion, in particular in regard to their situation and
the policies and measures affecting them.

(cid:151) by mobilising the public authorities at national,
according to their

regional
and local
respective areas of competence,

level,

(cid:151) by

developing
procedures and structures,

appropriate

coordination

(cid:151) by adapting administrative and social services to
the needs of people suffering exclusion and
ensuring that front-line staff are sensitive to these
needs.

(c) To promote dialogue and partnership between all

relevant bodies, public and private, for example:

(cid:151) by involving the social partners, NGOs and social
service providers, according to their respective
areas of competence,
the
various forms of exclusion,

in the fight against

(cid:151) by encouraging the social responsibility and active
engagement of all citizens in the fight against
social exclusion,

(cid:151) by fostering the social responsibility of business.