Peer Review programme 2011

Newsletter 2011-1

Publication date : 2011-06-24

France, 31 March-1 April 2011 - Building the tools to fight in-work poverty

While it is commonly agreed that having a job represents the best safeguard against poverty and exclusion, it is no guarantee. In 2007, 8% of Europe’s working population were living under the poverty threshold.

In June 2009, France launched a new measure to fight in-work poverty – “Revenu de Solidarité Active” or RSA. RSA is an income supplement for people in employment whose income falls below an acceptable threshold with respect to their family situation. It aims to ensure there is an incentive to (re)enter the labour market, less poverty, and that better social support is available.

The focus of this Peer Review was the French RSA but it was also an opportunity to learn more about how other Member States tackle in-work poverty.

The Netherlands, 12-13 April 2011 - Balancing the security and affordability of funded pension schemes

 In the Netherlands, supplementary pension schemes are available in addition to the publicly funded minimum income scheme. The way these schemes operate means their value depends on the performance of financial markets and the financial crisis highlighted that protective measures needed to be re-evaluated in order that the schemes are sustainable and do not pose too many risks for employers or pensioners.

The Dutch government commissioned three studies to scrutinise the investment policies of pension funds, the sustainability of the occupational pension system and the financial supervision framework. The question of how to balance security and affordability of funded pension schemes especially in connection with the Dutch experience and research is the focus of this Peer Review.

Ireland, 16-17 June 2011 - The setting of national poverty targets

One of the main targets in the Europe 2020 Strategy is to lift 20 million people out of poverty or the risk of poverty and reduce those living below the poverty line by 25%. As part of achieving this target Member States are asked to set national targets based on appropriate indicators.

This Peer Review, which will be held in Ireland, provides, among other things, the context for examining the process by which different countries choose the components of their indicators, how these relate to EU indicators, and the logistics of monitoring and integrating them with other policies. The overall aim is to improve understanding of the multiple causes of poverty, improve techniques for identifying those who are most at-risk and finding more effective ways to combat poverty, which is particularly of concern in the context of tight constraints on public finances as a result of the crisis. In addition to supporting national level reform, this Peer Review will assist with on-going work at EU level on poverty indicators and targets.

France, 6-7 October 2011 - Building a coordinated strategy for parenting support

France has established various services to support parents on a voluntary, free-of-charge basis which aim to help parents deal with new kinds of family structure (single parent families, “blended families”, etc.) and to support children more generally and in line with EU2020 Strategy and poverty targets.

France’s Audit Commission reported that the coordination of services could be more efficient. A committee has since been set up to benchmark best practice in other countries.

The Peer Review supports these endeavours, providing the opportunity for participants to share expertise and innovative practices and obtain feedback. Ideas for increasing the cost effectiveness of the measure, is another important objective in a context of tightening constraints on public spending resulting from the economic crisis.

Sweden, 20-21 October 2011 - Closing the gap - in search for ways to deal with expanding care needs and limited resources

Countries across Europe are confronted with the challenge of how to reconcile increasing needs to provide care for an ageing population without a corresponding increase in resources; in fact the recession compounded this problem.

A Swedish report investigated the logistics of maintaining a high-level of health care for the elderly. It suggested governments reduce demand through increasing years of healthy life and improve the cost-effectiveness of service delivery, both of which require exploiting technical and medical developments, such as by developing mobile services so that older people do not need to travel to receive care.

This Peer Review aims to stimulate debate and generate ideas which will help develop a strategy to assist the process of reconciling demand for care and constraints on resources.

Germany, 3-4 November 2011 - Effects of life courses on women’s pensions

Two studies carried out in Germany inform this Peer Review on the effects of life courses on women’s pensions. The first assesses the nature of the pension gender gap in Germany –its scale and relationship with different career patterns. The second looks at how family-related time-outs relate to the gender differences in final pensions.

The Peer Review will offer an opportunity to share the experiences in different countries. For example, to investigate the size of pension gender gap and to what extent this is a symptom of typically different career patterns for men and women. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to share best practice as regards policies to deal with the issue, particularly in light of the financial crisis, the ensuing downturn and its impact on equity.

Belgium, 17-18 November 2011 - Developing effective ex ante social impact assessment with a focus on methodology, tools and data sources

Ex ante social impact assessment is a process of weighing up the potential impacts of a policy on social indicators (such as poverty and social exclusion) before it is implemented. This is important as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy and in light of the economic crisis and necessary policy responses - especially fiscal consolidation measures which risk aggravating the social consequences of the crisis and make assessments of policy decisions vital.

An EU-funded study highlighted the need to develop better tools for measuring the quantitative implications of policies. Belgium made social impact assessment a priority in 2010 and seeks to further develop the methodology, tools and data for ex ante social impact assessment through the Peer Review.

Portugal, 29-30 November 2011 - Improving the efficiency of social protection

In Portugal, the recent crisis highlighted the need to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of social protection provision. A number of measures were introduced including but not limited to, a redefinition of the means-tested eligibility criteria for access to social support to ensure consistency in the allocation of non-contributory benefits (namely social assistance, child benefits, and unemployment benefits), more help to those needing to acquire new skills or qualifications with conditionalities, and enforcement measures to fight fraud and improve supervision of the system more generally.

The Peer Review will provide the opportunity for all participants to gather expertise on measures to improve efficiency of social protection strategies and to evaluate the measures Portugal has implemented.