The Annual Growth Survey for 2012 was presented by the European Commission in November 2011 – its main message is that member states are not doing enough to achieve the targets they committed to under the Europe 2020 strategy.

A key part of the strategy is the National Reform Programme which each country’s government must produce each year, telling what measures are being taken to achieve the targets. These reports must be prepared in consultation with all interested stakeholders, which of course includes the NGO community. However, assessments about the inclusion in the first set of NRPs was disappointing, and many governments consult very selectively and restrict the more open aspects to information-giving, without much or any opportunity to let the proposals expressed find their way into the finished document.

What actions are CEDAG members taking to have their views considered in the National Reform Programmes?

On the 9th and 10th January 2012, CEDAG participated in the kick-off meeting in Brussels launching the project Promoting employers’ social services organisations in social dialogue (PESSIS) which will run for 9 months until September 2012.

The project, funded by the European Programme Industrial relations and Social dialogue, is supported by a broad partnership of European and national organisations representing social and health services providers.

CEDAG is among the European partners including  Caritas Europa, Eurodiaconia, the European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR), European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), SOLIDAR, Workability Europe and the European Federation of public services union (EPSU).

The main aim of this initiative is to remedy to the lack of qualitative and quantitative data on labour issues in the sector from the perspective of employers and to promote a culture of social dialogue.