News

On October 15, Michel Servoz, Director-General of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion met with our members for a fruitful exchange on topics of mutual interest, looking ahead to the new European Commission taking office within a few weeks. The key theme of the meeting was the Europe 2020 Strategy and its mid-term review. Social Platform members formulated their concerns and questions around the governance of the strategy, the poverty and employment targets, different youth initiatives, the Social Investment Package (SIP) and the involvement of civil society in the Strategy.

Concerning the governance of Europe 2020, Michel Servoz referred back to the declaration of Commission President-elect Juncker to better use social impact assessments and social indicators, as this should lead to any decision taken within the context of the European Semester benefiting. Regarding the social targets of the strategy, he pointed out how, beyond the Semester, a long-term approach is needed as the related problems will not be solved by a “quick fix”. Discussing the SIP, the Director-General expressed his intention to continue its implementation.