Not-for-profit social & healthcare service providers
Position Papers & Statements
Position Paper: COVID-19 and Social Services: What role for EU?
June 24, 2020
Social Services provide essential care and support to millions of people in Europe, helping older persons, persons with disabilities, children and young people at risk, people at risk of poverty, homeless persons, migrants, people suffering from domestic violence, and many others to live better, healthier, longer and more active lives.
This position paper calls for more recognition, urgent action for, and more resilience in Social Services by the EU.
Third country Social and care service professionals: Unlocking the job creation potential of social services a study realised for Social Services Europe
January 21, 2020
The inflows of migrants and asylum seekers to Europe in the last years has become one of the hottest topics on the EU agenda in terms of Member State responsibility-sharing between and within EU countries. This situation evidences the need to shift from short-term, crisis management mode to a long-term, sustainable asylum and migration policy, enabling more safe and legal pathways, effective integration, inclusion processes, and access to the labour market.
The foreign component in the European labour market over the years has become increasingly more important for national economies. This is because migrants are key players in the European labour market and they perform multiple roles: they fill important niches both in fast-growing and declining sectors of the economy; contribute to labour market flexibility; boost the working-age population; contribute with their skills to the technological progress of receiving countries; and they play an important role by offsetting the effects of negative demographic trends, such as workforce ageing and general depopulation. Employment is often considered to be the single most important indicator for migrant integration, yet it remains an underdeveloped area for fostering migrants’ full participation. The employment rate of non-EU immigrants has dropped by 3 percentage points over the past decade, while rising by 3 points among natives and EU-born migrants. Furthermore, there is a relevant difference in working conditions, indicating much worse conditions for migrant workers than for native-born workers.
2 BothSocial Services Europe (SSE) commissioned Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale (IRS) to produce a European study on national and/or local level interventions on ways to unlock the potential of third-country nationals1 to address staff shortages and to meet the increasing demand of social services in Europe.
Improving work-life balance through enabling social services - Policy recommendations
February 19, 2019
Principle 9 of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) states that “Parents and people with caring responsibilities have the right to suitable leave, flexible working arrangements and access to care services. (…)”. In view of addressing the challenges faced by parents and carers, the European Commission has launched in April 2017 a proposal for a Directive on work-life balance. The proposal is complemented by the European Commission Communication “An initiative to support work-balance for working parents and carers”, which outlines a set of non-legislative actions to improve the quality, affordability and access to childcare and long-term care.
Whereas the Directive proposal would strengthen legislation on leave and flexible working arrangements across Europe, it remains weaker on access to care. Social Services Europe understands this as partly due to a lack of research done on the relationship between access to care services and work-life balance.
To counter this, Social Services Europe launched a research project aiming to provide greater clarity on the relationship between access to care services and work-life balance and employment, and female employment in particular. The research provides further evidence on the need for the European Union to be more proactive in improving access to quality care services. This is one of the single biggest factors to improve work-life balance in Europe, whilst also boosting job creation, inclusive growth, social cohesion, gender equality and human rights.
SSE's suggested amendments to Invest EU
August 17, 2018
Our Initial Remarks on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (July 2018) welcome the general orientation of the European Commission’s proposals, including on the InvestEU proposal. The remarks also highlight five positive proposals and four areas with room for improvement.
These remarks form the basis of our proposed amendments to the European Commission InvestEU proposal.
SSE's suggested amendments to the European Social Fund (ESF+)
August 17, 2018
Our Initial Remarks on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (July 2018) welcome the general orientation of the European Commission’s proposals, including on the ESF+ proposal. The remarks also highlight five positive proposals and four areas with room for improvement.
These remarks form the basis of our proposed amendments to the European Commission ESF+ proposal and the European Parliament Draft Report on the ESF+ proposal.
Common Provisions Regulation: SSE's suggested amendments
August 17, 2018
As highlighted in our paper “Enabling Social Services through the Multi-Annual Financial Framework post-2020: A European Imperative” (March 2018), the EU budget plays a key role in funding both innovation and continuity in quality social service provision. As a result of such investment, the EU Budget contributes to improving the quality of life of all people in Europe; thus leading to a more stable, inclusive, productive and resilient European Union.
Our Initial Remarks on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (July 2018) welcome the general orientation of the European Commission’s proposals, including in the Proposal laying down common provisions for ERDF, ESF+, CF and others. The Remarks also highlight 5 positive proposals and 4 areas with room for improvement.
These Remarks form the basis of our proposed amendments to the European Commission’s CPR proposals.
Remarks to the MFF proposals
July 14, 2018
The EU budget plays a key role in funding both innovation and continuity in quality social service provision. As a result of such investment, the EU Budget contributes to improving the quality of life of all people in Europe; thus leading to a more stable, inclusive, productive and resilient European Union.
Having analysed the proposed texts, Social Services Europe welcomes the general orientation of the European Commission’s proposals for a Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 reflecting on their most valuable aspects and the areas where there's room for improvement.
Follow the link below to access the full text.
Towards the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights - The role of Social Services.
May 05, 2018
The European Pillar of Social Rights can be a solid basis for a more social Europe. We believe it has the potential to improve social protection systems across Europe. If the 20 principles of the Pillar are respected at European level and in the Member States, it will improve the well-being of vulnerable groups in particular. The Commission should therefore promote the Pillar in all EU Member States and not only in the euro-zone countries.
We want the European Pillar of Social Rights to be a success and we are keen to contribute to its implementation to improve the quality of life for EU citizens and help to restore trust in the EU as a citizens’ project. This paper presents SSE’s view on the latest Commission proposal of the European Pillar of Social Rights and proposes an implementation partnership between the Commission and Social Services Europe.
Enabling social services through the Multiannual Financial Framework post-2020: a European Imperative
March 06, 2018
Social Services Europe advocates for the accessibility, affordability and availability of quality social and health services all across Europe. This requires ensuring the appropriate organisation, funding and delivery of these services, particularly in an improving yet uncertain economic and social context.
As such, we released a position paper regarding the consultations of the European Commission on the new Multiannual Financial Framework that you can read bellow.
Setting up an European Social Dialogue
February 11, 2014
This briefing document explains the background to social dialogue at European level and the value of working at European level social dialogue, which is seen as a way of promoting a new organization of work, so modernising the relationship between management and labour.
Social Services Europe: Response to the Social Investment Package
June 23, 2013
In response to the recently published Social Investment Package (SIP) by the European Commission, Social Services Europe -of which EASPD is a member- has issued a policy paper indicating their opinion on the proposed package.
Social Services Europe initial position on the Proposal for a Directive on Public Procurement (COM)2011/896)
March 31, 2012
Social Services Europe supports the approach of the Commission as highlighted above but would like to suggest some changes to the proposal that would strengthen the declared aim of the revision to better meet “common societal goals” as well as “ensuring the best possible conditions for the provision of high quality social services”.