Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Generalitat De Catalunya)
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EU local and regional authorities contributing to the Mid-term review of Europe 2020
Assessment of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative
Over two years after its launch, the Committee of the Regions will take stock of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative at a conference to be held on 29 May 2013 in Brussels. This conference will be the fourth in a series of CoR events and monitoring initiatives surrounding the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014. More news on this conference can be found on the CoR website1.
By participating in this survey, you will:
- ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference; - contribute to the fourth CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013; - contribute to the CoR's consultative activity in this field over the coming months; - contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.
IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IN ANY EU LANGUAGE, USING THE SPACES PROVIDED, AND RETURN IT IN TEXT FORMAT TO: [email protected]
by 22 April 2013
For more information on this survey and for details on how to join the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to: http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/
The questionnaire is available on this website in all official languages of the EU
1 http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/europe2020/Pages/eu-platform-against-poverty.aspx
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Contributor information2
Name of sender: ...... Contact details: Pl. Pau Vila 1. (address, telephone, email) Departament de Benestar Social i Família (Govern On behalf of: de Catalunya) (Department for Social Welfare and (name of local or regional authority) Family Affairs of the Government of Catalonia). City/Town/Municipality Region County/Province Type of organisation Association of local and/or regional authorities Other (please specify) Country: Catalonia (Spain)
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Yes No Monitoring Platform:
Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level
BOX 1 – European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: basic information
This is the first time ever that the objective of reducing poverty has been identified as a quantitative target under an EU strategy. The aim of the Europe 2020 flagship initiative, the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, is "to ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion in order to raise awareness and recognise the fundamental rights of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, enabling them to live in dignity and take an active part in society" 3. In particular, it outlines actions to help Member States reach the EU target of reducing poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by the year 20204. Although the average at-risk-of-poverty-and-social-exclusion rate in the EU has remained relatively stable in recent years, it varies significantly among different age groups and between the Member States. It has significantly increased in a number of countries over the last three to four years 5: while the rate is under 20% in certain Member States such as Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg, it recently increased to 47% in Bulgaria, 40% in Latvia and 31% in Greece (2011). Furthermore, considerable differences exist between different regions in the Member States6.
Today, the inhabitants of around one fifth of the EU's regions are particularly exposed to risks of
2 Privacy Statement: The follow-up to your contribution requires that your personal data (name, contact details, etc.) be processed in a file. All the answers to the questions are voluntary. Your replies will be kept for a period of 5 years after the receipt of your questionnaire. Should you require any further information or wish to exercise your rights under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 (e.g. to access, rectify or delete your data), please contact the data controller at [email protected]. If necessary, you may also contact the CoR Data Protection Officer ([email protected]). You have the right of recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor at any time (www.edps.europa.eu). Please note that the questionnaire with your contribution and your contact details will be published online. Your questionnaire may be transmitted to CoR rapporteurs and other EU institutions for information. Should you not agree to this, please inform us accordingly 3 EUROPE 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, COM(2010) 2020 final, Brussels, 3.3.2010 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:2020:FIN:EN:PDF p. 19 4 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=961 5 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/refreshTableAction.do?tab=table&plugin=0&pcode=t2020_50&language=en 6 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graph&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00103&toolbox=type
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 3 - poverty and social exclusion.
The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion feeds into the Europe 2020 objective of inclusive growth along with the Agenda for New Skills and Jobs flagship initiative. It will also help to achieve the other objectives of smart growth (alongside the Youth on the Move flagship initiative). In particular, it contributes to the objective of achieving the Europe 2020 headline target to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and social exclusion.
The main objectives and lines of action of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are highlighted in Box 2 below.
EU regional and local governments are responsible for about one fifth of total government expenditure for social protection and services and therefore play an important role in helping to achieve the objectives of the flagship initiative7.
You can find more information on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, as seen from the local and regional authorities' viewpoint, on the European Commission's Europe 2020 portal8 and in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy. Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities9. General information on Europe 2020 can be found on the strategy's official website10 and on the website of DG Employment.11.
1) What are the main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of (i) preventing child poverty (ii) providing decent housing conditions and (iii) combating the social exclusion of vulnerable groups?
The main challenge is to curb and reduce the high rate of poverty in Catalonia. The current rate is 27% according to the AROPE poverty indicator. This is based on structural, chronic poverty, and especially on emerging poverty, arising from the economic and financial crisis, which produces a high rate of unemployment with a consequent impoverishment of the quality of life.
The poverty or risk of poverty faced by a significant percentage of Catalan families directly affects the situation of children. The most significant challenges are to ensure adequate food, adequate housing, as well as all the educational, health and leisure factors that enable them to enjoy a proper physical, psychological and social development. This aspect is in danger when we see that a significant number of Catalan families do not have any sort of recognised income.
As regards the most vulnerable groups, the overall challenge is to ensure that the minimum requirements needed to ensure a decent existence are covered.
7 http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/europe2020/Pages/eu-platform-against-poverty.aspx 8 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=961&langId=en 9 The Handbook can be downloaded from http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/SiteCollectionDocuments/Europe%202020%20Handbook%20for%20Local%20and %20Regional%20Authorities.pdf 10 http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/europe-2020-in-a-nutshell/flagship-initiatives/index_en.htm 11 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=961&langId=en
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 4 - 2) Please briefly describe what type of policy programmes/actions are being implemented in your city/region in the policy areas covered by the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, highlighting their specific contribution to the above targets (see Box 1).
During 2012, the Department for Social Welfare and Family Affairs of the Government of Catalonia allocated more than 150 million euros to combating poverty in programmes such as emergency aid; a call for direct aid to entities through the social sector; the maintenance of social services concerning social problems and the risk of exclusion; volunteering; supplements to low pensions; guarantee funds for unpaid alimony and compensation; benefits for basic needs; local social exclusion plans; benefits for young people in care; flats for young people linked to job-finding programmes; benefits for minors at risk; childhood prevention programmes; programmes for open centres; aid to families with dependent children in vulnerable situations, etc.
From April 2011 to February 2012, a set of measures and actions were drafted to combat poverty and promote social inclusion, which also laid down the corresponding indicators for triggering action. This set of measures and actions was developed in conjunction with the various federations and associations that were most prominent in combating poverty in Catalonia, the Federation and the Association of Municipalities of Catalonia, professional social workers and social educators, and the five Catalan Government departments involved in combating poverty. The Documento de propuestas para la lucha contra la pobreza y para la inclusión Social en Cataluña (list of proposals for combating poverty and promoting social inclusion in Catalonia) has the status of a government agreement. Among its key proposals are:
. For eradicating child poverty:
1. Define and develop a catalogue of specific support and compensatory services, benefits and resources for single-parent, large and newly-arrived families who are in vulnerable situations. 2. Boost the number of training areas and discussion groups for parents to improve their parenting skills (positive parenting). 3. Use educational leisure spaces to meet the basic needs of children and adolescents who are suffering, or at the risk of suffering from social exclusion. 4. Improve the instruments for detecting and assessing situations of risk and helplessness. 5. Develop social and educational care measures for situations of risk for children and adolescents as provided for in the Law on rights and opportunities in childhood and adolescence. 6. Improve prevention and protection as regards child abuse. 7. Provide help for the most economically disadvantaged families: transport, school meals and access to educational leisure activities and fun.
. As regards promoting the active inclusion in society and the labour market of the most vulnerable groups, the most important actions have been:
1. Promoting measures that allow the alternation of training and work in ways that enhance job prospects for the unemployed, especially young people who have left school early. 2. Promoting more flexible programmes in the field of active employment policies. 3. Improving the employability of young people in care or under tutelage by the Government of Catalonia because this is a particularly vulnerable group. 4. Promoting digital literacy programmes.
. To ensure decent housing:
1. Establish new channels of communication between the courts and basic social services in eviction proceedings. The aim is to act before eviction occurs and to find alternatives and solutions for families.
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 5 - 2. Facilitate the use of the emergency financial allowance. 3. Optimise the supply of social inclusion housing so as to reach persons requiring special attention. 4. Mobilise the stock of public-sector housing for rent, so that people at social risk may access it as soon as possible.
. And to end discrimination and improve the social integration of people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, immigrants and other vulnerable groups the most important measures to take are:
1. Bring in the third sector as a key player in serving the most vulnerable groups (people suffering from disabilities, mental health problems, long-term unemployment without benefits, unshared family responsibilities, etc.). 2. Promote access to housing for young people in care or under tutelage by the Government of Catalonia. 3. Alleviate the social isolation of older people through community work. 4. Prevent and detect cases of abuse of the elderly.
3) Are any of the policy programmes/actions described in the above question carried out in partnership with different tiers of government and/or with other stakeholders (regional or local NGOs, representatives of the social partners, the business sector or service providers). If yes, please state (a) the administrative levels involved (b) the practical arrangements taken to manage such joint action (c) who the main partners were and (d) how you worked with them (work organisation and time).
Yes. The measures and actions to be taken, which are inspired by the “Document de bases del Pacte de Lluita contra la pobresa i per la inclusió social”, are the result not only of a consensus among the various partners in Catalan civil society, but also of the joint and coordinated involvement of 5 departments of the Government of Catalonia, and many benefit from the collaboration of local public authorities and civil society entities.
4) Ensuring effective access to and participation in cultural activities for all is an essential part of promoting an inclusive society. In what way can participation in cultural and creative activities be instrumental for helping people and communities overcome poverty and social exclusion? Please refer to specific examples and existing initiatives.
1. Prioritise the access of children and young people at risk of exclusion to activities and cultural resources and active leisure (sports, entertainment, etc.), facilitating their mobility and access to ICTs.
2. Enable the children of families who are or risk suffering from social exclusion to access educational resources during their leisure time (scholarships for recreation centres, excursions, holiday activities, support for the operation of recreation centres.
Example: "Apropa Cultura" (Bringing Culture Nearer) is the result of the four years of experience with "Auditorio Apropa" and aims to extend the offer to other scenic arts of interest to social groups. It provides services to people suffering from: disability, mental illness, social exclusion and isolation, poverty, vulnerability, risk factors, gender and family violence, substance abuse and other addictions, or HIV/AIDS; prisoners; juvenile delinquents; the elderly; victims of poor working conditions, unemployment or homelessness; and recent immigrants. Support is also provided for: entities for sensory disabilities; special work centres; associations for the chronically ill or for the parents and relatives of sufferers from syndromes or diseases; and homes for the elderly.
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 6 - www.apropacultura.cat
How is the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion relevant to your city or region?
BOX 2 - European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: main objectives and actions
The specific objectives of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are12 13: to support the eradication of child poverty. Over 20 million children are at risk of poverty in Europe today. This risk rises to 25% for children who live in large families and is over 30% in the case of children who live in single parent families; to promote the active inclusion in society and on the labour market of the most vulnerable groups since unemployment is the principal cause of poverty among the working-age population. The risk of poverty for the unemployed is more than five times greater than in the case of people in employment; to provide decent housing for everyone. Homelessness and housing exclusion represent one of the most extreme forms of poverty and have increased in recent years. Fuel poverty, which risks depriving households not only of heating or air conditioning but also hot water, light and other essential domestic necessities, is another example of severe deprivation; to overcome discrimination and increase the social integration of people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, immigrants and other vulnerable groups. For example, older people face a higher risk of poverty compared to the overall population; moreover, in some countries older people are at particular risk of material deprivation; to tackle financial exclusion and over-indebtedness which arise from a lack of access to basic banking services, a situation which has been aggravated by the recent crisis. It can also be an obstacle to finding a job and thus lead to persistent marginalisation and poverty;
to promote the integration of Roma. Certain ethnic minorities, of whom Roma are the largest group, and migrant people in general, are disproportionately affected by multiple deprivation. The specific actions and tools at EU level are structured as follows14 15:
improved access to work, social security, essential services (healthcare, housing, etc.) and education; better use of EU funds to support social inclusion and combat discrimination; social innovation to identify smart solutions in post-crisis Europe, especially in terms of more effective and efficient social support; new partnerships such as those between the public and the private sector; enhanced policy coordination among the Member States; provision of food to the most deprived people, as well as clothing and other essential goods to
12 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=751&langId=en 13 COM(2010) 758 final "The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: A European framework for social and territorial cohesion". P. 4-5 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0758:FIN:EN:PDF 14 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=961 15 COM(2010) 758 final "The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: A European framework for social and territorial cohesion". P. 5- http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0758:FIN:EN:PDF
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 7 - homeless people and materially-deprived children16.
5) Which of the objectives and lines of action of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (listed in Box 2) are most relevant for the current situation in your region/city? To what extent have they encouraged you to set more ambitious policy goals at regional/local level? Please explain your answer.
The eradication of child poverty, promoting active inclusion in the labour market, providing decent housing and tackling financial exclusion and over-indebtedness are problems that affect large swathes of Catalan society. We can therefore say that most of our goals are aligned with the objectives of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion.
As stated above in point 2) the lines of action are clear and concrete. Work is currently advancing on setting up a new framework such as the Pacto para la lucha contra la pobreza de Catalunya (Catalan anti-poverty pact). This is being drafted through cooperation between the different departments of the Government of Catalonia which deal with poverty, municipalities, professional organisations and the most significant institutions of Catalonia in the field of poverty.
BOX 3 – Social Investment Package17 18:
The Social Investment Package (SIP) aims to give guidance to Member States on more efficient and effective social policies in response to the significant challenges they currently face such as financial distress, increasing poverty and social exclusion, unemployment, especially among young people. These are combined with the challenge of ageing societies and smaller working age populations, which test the sustainability and adequacy of national social systems.
The Social Investment Package includes a Commission recommendation against child poverty, calling for an integrated approach to child-friendly social investment. Investing in children and young people is especially effective in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and social exclusion and improving people's opportunities later in life.
The Social Investment Package is an integrated policy framework which takes account of the social, economic and budgetary divergences between Member States. It focuses on:
1. Ensuring that social protection systems respond to people's needs at critical moments throughout their lives. More needs to be done to reduce the risk of social breakdown and so avoid higher social spending in the future.
2. Simplified and better targeted social policies, to provide adequate and sustainable social protection systems. Some countries have better social outcomes than others despite having similar or lower budgets, demonstrating that there is room for more efficient social policy spending.
3. Upgrading active inclusion strategies in the Member States. Affordable quality childcare and education, prevention of early school leaving, training and job-search assistance,
16 http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/andor/headlines/news/2012/10/20121024_en.htm 17 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=751&langId=en 18 COM(2010) 758 final "The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: A European framework for social and territorial cohesion". P. 4-5 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0758:FIN:EN:PDF
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 8 - housing support and accessible health care are all policy areas with a strong social investment dimension.
6) How relevant is the new Social Investment Package adopted by the European Commission on 13 February 2013 (Box 3) for your local/regional policies? Has it encouraged or helped you to set more ambitious policy goals at regional/local level? Please explain your answer.
The job of the Catalan Government's Department for Social Welfare and Family Affairs is to take account of social services policy, combat poverty, promote social inclusion, protect and promote care for children and the most vulnerable, manage public-sector healthcare facilities and formulate policies for social inclusion.
The Social Investment Package and the way it is implemented during the six-month European presidency represent both a challenge and an opportunity to maintain the quality and sustainability of the Catalan and European welfare model.
Special attention will be paid to the Package proposals that have a legislative character and to the policy recommendations connected with this Package that will be included in the specific recommendations for Spain, which should be incorporated into the National Reform Programme for 2013.
7) What are the strong and weak points of the EU's policies addressing poverty and social exclusion? Were they sufficient in view of the challenges you are facing in this area? If not, would you recommend making any specific changes to the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion flagship initiative after the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014, especially with regard to local and regional authority involvement?
The financial support for EU policies to combat poverty and social exclusion is great, but it could be greater bearing in mind the size of the problem, the relative resources used in other areas of EU activity and the overall EU budget. One example of this is the EUR 2.5bn for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, with only 15% of the budget coming from the Member States.
In addition, there is some disparity between EU countries as regards the percentage of the population living in poverty and/or a state of social exclusion, a difference which also occurs between regions in the same country and within the same locality. Because of these differences it is advisable for funds to be managed closer to the problem, at regional and local level. Given that responsibility for social policy lies with the regions (in the case of Spain), the management of these funds at regional level seems more than justified.
For the distribution of funds, use of the AROPE indicator is considered more appropriate.
Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?
8) To help meet the headline targets and objectives (see Boxes 1 and 2), your country has set its own country targets, which you can find at http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/targets_en.pdf19. To what extent are the targets set by your country appropriate to your local situation? Please explain.
Spain has set a national goal of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion to 1.4-1.5 million by 2020. With the population of Catalonia standing at 7.5 million, this would mean in proportional terms a target for Catalonia of 240,000.
Such proportionality takes no account at all of regional circumstances. Given that 27% of the Catalan
19 Please note that some Member States have not set targets in the field of poverty eradication
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 9 - population is currently at risk of poverty (according to the AROPE indicator), the reduction target for 2020 is far from providing a significant and useful remedy for the situation.
The interim assessment of the Europe 2020 strategy should therefore review objectives and adapt them to the present European economic and social landscape, forecasts for the future and national, regional and local realities.
9) Does your country's 2012 (current) National Reform Programme20 (NRP) for Europe 2020 adequately respond to your regional/local needs in the policy areas covered by the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (see Box 1)? If not, would you suggest any changes in your country's NRP for 2013?
The National Reform Programme of Spain for 2012 does not include specific measures to combat poverty and meet the target of reducing the population at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion by 1.5 million persons for 2020. This absence is reflected in the Council Recommendation on the National Reform Programme of Spain, which highlights the increase in poverty, especially among children, with an increase in the number of people at risk by 1.1 million in 2012. It also emphasises the poverty rate among temporary workers compared to permanent workers. As regards the recommendation to take specific measures to combat poverty, increase the effectiveness of support for children and improve the employability of vulnerable groups, the Assessment Report on the National Reform Programme for 2012 has detected no progress.
The next National Reform Programme for 2013 should therefore include specific measures to combat poverty, with special emphasis on providing support for children and improving the employability of vulnerable groups, as recommended by the Council with respect to the Programme for 2012, and define the role to be played by the various authorities responsible for framing and implementing such measures, together with the financial resources to be allocated to them.
10) Do you have the opportunity to contribute to the drafting of your NRP, or your National Job Plan, in the policy areas covered by the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, even if this takes place indirectly through the organisations that represent cities and regions in your country? If yes, please state how in brief.
When the National Reform Programme was being drafted, the Spanish Government consulted the Catalan Government as a whole. In response to this consultation, a document was sent out containing plans and actions to combat poverty and social exclusion, which included the draft pact for combating poverty in Catalonia. Despite this consultation, we had no active role in drafting the document.
Policy and funding issues
11) What sources of funding are used to finance your actions under the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (as provided under question 2)? In particular: what is the role of the EU Structural Funds in funding actions relating to the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion?
Actions under the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion are financed mainly by our own As for European funding, the Youth Support Area for Young People In Care and Under Tutelage (ASJTET), a unit of the Department for Social Welfare and Family Affairs responsible for providing access to resources and services for young people (16-21 years) in care, under tutelage or in social difficulties who request such,
20 All available here: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/making-it-happen/country-specific- recommendations/index_en.htm
CDR2957-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD .../... - 10 - received money from the European Social Fund for 2010 and corresponding to the Operational Programme for Catalonia for the period 2007-2013. This same operational programme also includes measures to promote employment, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups (disabled people, etc.), which are managed and implemented by the Department for Enterprise and Employment of the Government of Catalonia and also receive funding from the European Social Fund.
The lack of concrete measures by the state directly affects the performance of the regional/local authorities in combating poverty, since it does not provide sufficient resources to achieve this goal and regional and local governments have to set aside some of their own resources to fill this gap.
With the implementation of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020, it is hoped that EU funding will come from the European Social Fund, which provides 20% of budget for social inclusion in the more developed regions, and the Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived.
12) Have any of the goals pursued in fighting poverty and social exclusion been jeopardised due to fiscal consolidation policies and subsequent financial difficulties?
The fight against poverty and social exclusion is essential to ensure fairness and move towards a more just and united society providing equal opportunities for all people which, in turn, is a necessary factor for an economic recovery. That is why the Europe 2020 strategy and the ECAT 2020, the roadmap of the Government of Catalonia for reviving the economy and redirecting the productive sector towards a smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive economic model, defines integrated economic growth as a priority.
With the crisis and rise in unemployment, inequality and poverty have increased significantly and unemployment is now the main cause of poverty among people of working age.
In order to combat the effects of the crisis on people’s welfare and combat the increase in poverty, the Government of Catalonia wants to push the Pacto para la lucha contra la pobreza de Catalunya. This pact would require a wide-ranging agreement between all social, civil and political institutions to work together on the basis of experience and the work done so far and carry out a detailed and consensual assessment of the situation. The pact is now well underway. The target for reducing the population at risk of poverty and social exclusion is set at 25% by 2020.
As can be seen, the aim of the Catalan Government is to place special emphasis on combating poverty. However, if resources remain the same or are reduced, the targets set will be more challenging and difficult to achieve.
13) Were you directly or indirectly involved in the preparation of the forthcoming Partnership Agreement which is to be signed between your national government and the European Commission for the management of the Structural Funds under the Common Strategic Framework 2014-2020? If yes, please explain how in brief.
In accordance with current Spanish law and the corresponding social responsibilities of the Government of Catalonia, the Spanish Government asked for input regarding the targets to be included in the proposed regulations on the CSF structural funds and the territorial challenges involved.
Collaboration was also sought over determining the ex ante conditions and how to fulfil them in areas subject to the approval of the Partnership Agreement.
The Partnership Agreement is still being drafted and has not yet been submitted to the Commission. It is hoped that after it has been approved collaboration will continue between the central government and the Catalan Government on the development of operational programmes.
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14) How should poverty issues be addressed in the forthcoming Partnership Agreement mentioned in the above question?
The Partnership Agreement should include measures and initiatives specially designed to reduce the number of people suffering from poverty or social exclusion.
Bearing in mind that the Proposal for a Regulation on the European Social Fund for the period 2014-2020 already provides for the allocation of a percentage of funds to social inclusion policies and the new Proposal for a Regulation on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, it is hoped that the new National Reform Programme of Spain for 2013 will also include the fight against poverty among its objectives and that this will be incorporated in the next Partnership Agreement to be negotiated with the European Commission.
In addition, the Agreement should reflect an allocation of resources that ensures the implementation of policies to combat poverty and social inclusion effectively and includes proximity criteria.
15) Please add any further comments you wish to make on the issues covered in this questionnaire......
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