Commission staff working document accompanying the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe - Summary of the impact assessment {COM(2008) 412 final} {SEC(2008) 2156}
Date: 2008-07-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European social policy, economic and social cohesion, education policy, employment policy, free movement of persons, globalisation, health policy, impact study, migration policy, young person

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 2.7.2008 
SEC(2008) 2157 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

accompanying the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Renewed social agenda: 
Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe 

SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

{COM(2008) 412 final} 
{SEC(2008) 2156} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
IMPACT ASSESSMENT SUMMARY 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  its  Communication  A  citizens’  agenda:  Delivering  results  for  Europe1,  the  Commission 
pointed out that the European Union needed to analyse the radical changes under way in our 
societies and develop sustainable responses at all levels if it wanted to tackle the challenges 
facing  Europe’s  economies  and  societies.  On  that  basis,  the  Commission  undertook  a 
comprehensive  stocktaking  of  Europe’s  social  reality2  to  ascertain  the  major  changes  under 
way in employment, family structure, lifestyles and traditional support structures and which 
reflect the growing pressures of demographic changes. 

Building on the results of this wide-ranging consultation, the crucial question that now needs 
answering  is  whether  the  existing  approaches  provide  adequate  responses  to  the  new 
challenges.  The  Communication  on  Opportunities,  Access  and  Solidarity:  Towards  a  new 
social  vision  for  21st  century  Europe3  sets  the  Commission’s  initial  response  to  the  new 
challenges  emerging  from  the  results  of  the  consultation  on  Europe’s  social  reality.  The 
November Communication on the new social vision also indicates that the Commission will 
prepare a renewed social agenda for mid-2008 - which is the subject of this impact assessment 
- to help deliver concrete results for European citizens. 

Given the essentially political nature of this initiative, this impact assessment is proportionate 
to the purpose set. As such, it does not claim to quantify the impacts precisely, but confines 
itself to a general qualitative analysis of the likely impacts. This impact assessment also takes 
account of the comments of the Commission's Impact Assessment Board.  

2. 

BACKGROUND 

One  of  the  starting  points  for  the  renewed  social  agenda  is  the  social  agenda  for  2005-10 
adopted by the Commission in 20054. The Commission has now implemented all the actions 
planned  under  the  social  agenda  2005-10.  Furthermore,  a  public  consultation  on  Europe’s 
social  reality  was  launched  in  February  2007.  Building  on  the  initial  results  of  the 
consultation, a Communication Opportunities, Access and Solidarity: Towards a New Social 
Vision  for  21st  Century  Europe  adopted  in  November  2007  sets  out  a  range  of  possible 
responses  to  the  societal  challenges  at  work  in  the  European  Union.  Building  on  this 
consultation,  the  Commission  announced  that  it  would  prepare  a  renewed  social  agenda  for 
mid-2008. On the basis of approximately 150 contributions received by mid-March 2008, the 
Commission published a summary report5. The Commission also listened to the views of the 

1 
2 

3 
4 
5 

COM(2006) 211. 
"Europe's social reality, A consultation document from the Bureau of European Policy Advisers" 
available at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens_agenda/social_reality_stocktaking/docs/background_document_en.pdf 
COM(2007) 726. 
COM(2005) 33. 
See http://ec.europa.eu/citizens_agenda/social_reality_stocktaking/index_en.htm#, SEC(2008) 1896, or 
a short version in Annex 2 of the impact assessment report. 

EN 

2 

   EN 

                                                 
other  European  Institutions  and  bodies  and  of  the  relevant  stakeholders,  including  on  the 
occasion of the Social Agenda Forum organised on 5-6 May 20086. 

3. 

PROBLEM DEFINITION 

In  the  November  2007  Social  Vision  Communication,  the  Commission  provided  a  first 
overview  of  the  social  realities  on  the  basis  of  the  ongoing  Social  Reality  Stocktaking.  It 
noted  that  European  societies  are  undergoing  fast-moving,  profound  changes  in  both  the 
economic  and  social  spheres.  These  changes  are driven  by  powerful  external  forces  such  as 
globalisation and climate change, as well as by internal forces such as demographic and social 
developments. As a result: 

•  Young people are not getting the best start in life: despite the fact that young people in the 
EU  currently  enjoy  a  wealth  of  opportunities,  today's  young  generation  were  in  a 
particularly fragile situation. In 2005, 19% of children were at risk of poverty in the EU, 
against  16%  for  the  total  EU  population.  Too  too  many  young  people  are  not  able  to 
develop  their  full  potential  and  to  successfully  enter  the  job  market  and  leave  school 
without a formal qualification. Youth unemployment remains a serious problem. 

•  Citizens  are  not  equipped  with  the  skills  needed  for  fulfilling  careers  in  the  knowledge 
society: although the EU is well placed to take advantage of globalisation, the benefits of 
globalisation are not equally shared and globalisation creates apprehension. The EU needs 
to support its citizens by equipping them with tools that can help them adapt to changing 
realities and to show solidarity with those who are affected negatively in order to ensure 
that the most vulnerable are kept on board. 

•  The  EU  has  not  risen  up  to  the  demographic  and  health  challenge:  as  a  result  of  better 
health and working conditions, a growing proportion of Europeans now enjoy longer and 
healtier  lives,  and  longer  and  more  active  retirement.  In  spite  of  migration  from  third 
countries,  the  total  population  of  the  EU  will  fall  slightly  and  become  much  older.  As  a 
result, ensuring the sustainability of pensions is a crucial challenge for the future of social 
protection systems. 

•  Social exclusion persists in many parts of European societies: Life chances are not equally 
distributed  in  today's  societies.  Effective,  equal  access  to  employment,  lifelong  learning, 
social and healthcare services varies markedly across the EU, with a significant proportion 
of the EU population facing severe difficulties in achieving a decent living and finding a 
job.  In  2004,  around  100  million  Europeans  earned  less  than  the  EU  median  income  of 
around €8 000 per year. 

•  Continued discrimination on gender and non-gender grounds: Europe has made significant 
progress  over  the  years  in  the  field  of  gender  equality.  Nonetheless,  marked  inequalities 
still  exist  on  the  labour  market,  in  reconciling  work  and  private  life,  in  social  protection 
and social exclusion, in health, entrepreneurship, political and economic decision-making, 
and  in  science  and  technology.  Furthermore,  protection  provided  against  discrimination 
outside  the  field  of  employment  on  grounds  of  disability,  age,  sexual  orientation  and 
religion or belief varies across the Member States. 

6 

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/social_agenda/ec_conference_en.html 

EN 

3 

   EN 

                                                 
•  The EU needs to better promote the social dimension of globalisation: the ILO reports that 
despite growth in the economy and jobs, many people in the world, in particular women, 
do not have access to appropriate jobs and working conditions. An estimated 487 million 
workers — or 16.4 percent of all workers — still do not earn enough to lift themselves and 
their families above the US$1 per person, per day poverty line. The EU should continue to 
take  decisive  action  to  shape  the  international  agenda  so  that  it  reflects  our  interests  and 
values, including as part of the "Decent Work Agenda". 

•  EU  policies  and  instruments  need  to  be  mobilised  to  respond  to  the  new  social  realities: 
Many policies other than employment and social policies, such as environmental, macro-
economic, internal market, educational or research policies, have a major social impact. In 
response to the new social realities which are multi-faceted and complex, the question is to 
know whether there is scope for more joined-up cross-cutting action at EU level bringing 
together  between  all  relevant  policies  and  wether  the  tools  at  the  disposal  of  EU  for 
supporting and complementing the activities of the Member States should be revisited. 

4. 

OBJECTIVES 

In  response  to  the  problem  definition,  the  EU  should  aim  to  improve  the  well-being  and 
quality  of  life  of  European  citizens,  while  respecting  the  principle  of  subsidiarity  and 
proportianality through: 

•  Improving the life chances of young people; 

•  Promoting new skills for new jobs, fulflling careers and better employment; 

•  Fostering longer and healthier lives; 

•  Combating poverty and social exclusion; 

•  Taking gender equality and equal opportunities further; 

•  Shaping the international agenda to promote European values; 

•  Ensuring the appropriate policy mix and increasing the effectiveness of EU instruments 

The above-mentioned objectives are fully consistent with, and in support of other EU policies 
and strategies, and in particular with Renewed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, the EU 
Sustainable Development Strategy and the Single Market. 

5. 

MAIN POLICY OPTIONS 

Under the EC Treaty, EU Member States bear the main responsibility for the policy changes 
needed  to  respond  to  the  new  social  realities  and  to  meet  the  corresponding  objectives  in 
section  4.  The  fundamental  question  is  therefore  to  know  whether  the  EU  should  continue 
support  and  supplement  the  activities  of  the  Member  States,  and  if  so  how.  The  impact 
assessment considers three options: 

EN 

4 

   EN 

•  Option  1:  'no  change  in  approach  –  no  change  in  policy':  this  mean  continuing  with  the 
implementation  of  the  Community  acquis  and  considering  that  the  Community  acquis 
already adequately responds to the new social realities and that there would be no need for 
i)  new  (or  review  of)  European  legislation,  ii)  review  of  the  existing  instruments  at  EU 
level, iii) more joined-up work between EU policies. 

•  Option  2:  'no  change  in  approach  –  change  in  policy';  As  in  option  1,  the  Commission 
would keep implementing the existing Community acquis. However, by contrast to option 
1, option 2 would mean considering that existing Community acquis does not adequately 
respond the emerging social realities and presenting a revised Social Agenda (comprising 
legislative  and  non-legislative  initiatives)  to  take  account  of  the  new  social  realities 
focused  on  the  employment,  social  affairs  and  equal  opportunities.  New  actions  in  other 
policy  areas  (for  example,  education,  health,  information  society  and  internal  market) 
which have a social impact would also be taken, although independently from the revised 
Social Agenda.  

•  Option 3: 'change in approach - change in policy': as in options 1 and 2, the Commission 
would keep implementing the existing Community acquis. However, by contrast to option 
2, option 3 would mean considering that the cross-cutting nature of the problems emerging 
from  the  new  social  realities  requires  the  mobilisation  of  all  relevant  EU  policies  in  a 
holistic  way  going  beyond  employment,  social  affairs  and  equal  opportunities  and 
extending  to  health,  education,  information  society,  internal  market,  macroeconomic 
policies,  environment  and  external  policies.  Option  3  would  mean  presenting  a  renewed 
Social Agenda bringing together all relevant policies and capitalising on the so untapped 
potential between them based on three pillars: Opportunities, Access and Solidarity. 

6. 

COMPARISON OF OPTIONS 

Under  Option  1,  the  current  Community  acquis  and  policies  would  be  maintained  in  their 
present  form,  while  taking  account  of  the  new  social  realities  would  be  left  mainly  to  the 
Member States. Failure to adapt EU policies to new social realities is likely to have a negative 
impact  across  the  four  dimensions  (economic,  social,  environmental,  and  political)  in  the 
medium  and  long  term.  The  EU  would  no  longer  play  its  role  as  a  catalyst  for  change  and 
would  fail  to  take  account  of  evolving  issues.  From  an  EU-governance  point  of  view,  the 
Commission  would  fail  to  demonstrate  its  commitment  to  improving  the  well-being  of 
European  citizens,  in  spite  of  their  expectations.  This  could  seriously  undermine  the 
legitimacy of the EU. 

Under  Option  2,  the  Commission  would  present  a  revised  social  agenda  limited  to  the 
employment, social and equal opportunities fields. The analysis of the economic, social and 
environmental dimensions has shown that the overall impact would be positive. Although the 
EU would be seen to address to the concerns of EU citizens, the overall impact of EU action 
is  likely  to  be  limited,  because  of  its  lack  of  comprehensiveness  (failure  to  mobilise  other 
policies in response to the new social realities) and responsiveness (failure to take account of 
all citizens’ expectations).  

Under Option 3, the EU would mobilise all its relevant policies to respond to the new social 
realities. This will enable synergies between EU policies. Furthermore, EU action would be 
highly  comprehensive  (it  would  go  beyond  the  employment,  social  affairs  and  equal 
opportunities fields), responsive and consistent. It would not create a new process at EU level. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

Rather,  it  would  support the existing proocesses, including the renewed Lisbon Strategy for 
"Growth and Jobs".  

It  would  support  Member  States'  activities  and  respect  the  principle  of  subsidiarity  and 
proportionality.  Lastly,  the  analysis  of  impacts  clearly  shows  that  a  review  of  existing  tools 
would maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of EU action.  

In conclusion, Option 3 (‘A renewed social agenda for opportunities, access and solidarity’) is 
the preferred option. 

7. 

VALUE ADDED AND SUBSIDIARITY 

Member States have the main responsibility for the policy changes needed to respond to the 
new social realities. However, the consultation on Europe's social reality has confirmed that 
the  confidence  of  citizens  in  the  European  project  depends  on  credible  social  policies  at 
European level. EU action should remain conditional upon proven added value, in line with 
the subsidiarity and proportionality requirements.  

But this does not preclude a more pro-active role at EU level to catalyse change and to steer, 
support  and  accompany  necessary  reforms.  As  part  of  the  renewed  Social  Agenda,  the 
Commission  intends  to  present  concrete  new  initiatives  either  at  the  same  time  as  the 
Communication  or  to  be  adopted  at  a  later  date.  Where  appropriate,  the  Commission  will 
carry out impact assessments of the specific initiatives in accordance with the Commission’s 
impact assessment guidelines7. The individual impact assessments will deal with the aspects 
related to subsidiarity and value added in more detail.  

EU value added primarily consists in: 

•  Setting policy frameworks for action; 

•  Upholding Europe's values and ensuring a level-playing field; 

•  Sharing experiences and good practices; 

•  Supporting action at local, regional and national level; 

•  Raising awareness and building a strong knowledge base. 

8. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The renewed social agenda for 'opportunities, access and solidarity' does not create a separate 
process. It supports and is closely linked with on–going processes such as the Lisbon Strategy 
for  'Growth  and  Jobs',  the  'Sustainable  Development  Strategy',  the  Single  Market,  and  the 
processes  of  open  method  of  coordination  in  the  fields  of  social  protection  and  social 
inclusion,  of  education  and  of  youth.  Separate  monitoring,  reporting  and  evaluation 
mechanisms exist for all these processes. This should continue to be the case without adding 
an extra reporting mechanism for the implementation of the renewed social agenda. 

7 

SEC(2005) 791 

EN 

6 

   EN 

                                                 
The  the  renewed  social  agenda  is  backed  up  by  a  number  of  legislative  and  non-legislative 
initiatives,  often  with  their  own  impact  assessments  and  monitoring  and  evaluation 
mechanisms.  As  a  result,  there  will  no  additional  process  to  monitor  and  evaluate  the 
individual initiatives, although coherence between them will be ensured.  

The Commission will present a report on the implementation of the Renewed Social Agenda 
in 2010. This report should include an evaluation of the implementation of the new horizontal 
social  clause  in  the  Lisbon  Treaty.  On  that  basis,  the  Commission  will  present  a 
Communication  on  the  review  of  the  renewed  social  agenda  for  'opportunities,  access  and 
solidarity'. 

EN 

7 

   EN