31 January 2008--Invited to participate in the Informal Council of Employment and Social Policy ministers, the Social Platform acknowledged the progress that was made during the Portuguese Presidency leading to the adoption of a more balanced set of Flexicurity principles.

“Adopting such principles at EU level is not enough, the challenge now is to ensure that a genuine debate is organized within the Members states to build ownership of the principles and to evaluate the impact of the way these principles are implemented”, said Fintan Farrell, President of the Social Platform. “It is necessary to have a wide range of actors involved in this debate and social NGOs, be they service providers or advocacy organizations, have an essential role to play in this debate”.

The Social Platform in its contribution also stressed that to have a coherent follow up of the Flexicurity principles it is not enough to tackle the trends identified in the Slovenian Presidency paper (globalization, technological progress and demographic change), but that policy-makers need also to incorporate in their analysis trends such as, rising inequalities, increasing diversity in the European societies, migration, increased life expectancy, changing family patterns and an increasing role for the third sector.

The Social Platform also pointed out that while progress may have been made in recent years in relation to Jobs and Growth, this has not resulted in greater social cohesion. “Unless there is a greater link between the Jobs and Growth agenda and the Social Inclusion agenda neither of them will deliver their objectives fully,” said Fintan Farrell. Therefore the Social Platform called upon Employment ministers to insist that the Lisbon strategy addresses Growth, Jobs and Inclusion.

The debate focusing on the implementation of the European flexicurity principles is timely relevant in the context of the revision of the Lisbon guidelines and the mid-term review of the Social Agenda.

To download the full text of the Platform contribution to the Brdo Council, please click here

Note to editor:

The Platform delegation included Fintan Farrell (President, Social Platform - Director, European Anti-Poverty Network), Dirk Jarré (Vice-President, Social Platform - International Cooperation Officer, European Federation of Older Persons); Anne-Sophie Parent (Director, AGE, the European Older People’s Platform), Kirsti Kolthoff (President, European Women’s Lobby), Bettina Schwarzmayr (President, European Youth Forum), Mrs Purkart (Slovenian representative - SENT and board Member of CNVOS), Pierre Baussand (Policy Officer, Social Platform)

For more information, please contact Daniela Vincenti Mitchener at + 32(0)2 5113714 or +32 (0)497 412095