The Peer Reviews in Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008
Newsletter 2008-1
Publication date : 2008-07-01
Access to employment
is a key requirement for people to be able to avoid the risk of poverty and
social exclusion and social partners are of central importance in this respect.
This Peer Review presents initiatives taken by the Austrian social partners to
help integrate four disadvantaged groups in particular (young people, older
people, those not working because of industrial injuries or illnesses and
people with disabilities more generally), into work. Pension reforms have
been implemented or are underway in most Member States, many adding to the
complexity of pension arrangements while giving individuals more choice over
the schemes they opt for. This Peer Review was arranged to gain a deeper
understanding of how the demand and supply of information has changed since
reforms to pension systems in Member States have been introduced. It covers
three main points: information regarding changes to pension systems,
information on pension rights and information on choices in pensions. This Peer Review
focuses on the potential contribution of the social economy to creating jobs
for disadvantaged groups while at the same time providing much needed services.
The aim is not only to enable Member States to exchange views and experience on
this but also to make public authorities at all levels aware of the
possibilities which development of the social economy offers. Given the dynamic
developments in the pharmaceutical markets, it is a significant challenge for
Member States to ensure the common values and objectives for health systems in
the EU. This exchange of experiences and views between Member States, together
with stakeholders, helps them identify ways in which cost containment measures
can be improved. Spain has
experienced a substantial increase in immigration from outside the EU in recent
years, adding significantly to both the population and the labour force. The
Peer Review will present details of the Support Fund, established in 2005 as
part of a broader strategy to integrate migrants into society and maximise
their contribution to the economy. Member States are
giving increasing importance to assessing the likely social effects of policies
which they plan to introduce. Slovakia is currently developing a unified
assessment methodology. This Peer Review will provide an opportunity for an
exchange of experience on social impact assessment. A widespread aim
across the EU is to increase the employment rate of women. This requires that
women are able to continue their working careers after having children. The
Peer Review provides an opportunity for Germany to present the action being
taken to help women do this and relay their
experience. The Peer Review will focus on ways
of introducing market mechanisms into the provision of social services to give
consumers more choice over the services they receive, to link supply more
closely to demand and to encourage competition between providers with the aim
of increasing quality and curbing costs. Although the schemes vary between
countries, they have sufficient features in common that Member States can learn
from the experience of their implementation elsewhere. http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/peer-reviews/2008Austria –
24-25 April: Initiatives by the social partners for improving the labour market
access of disadvantaged groups
Poland – 27-28 May: Public information on pension systems
Belgium – 12-13 June: The social economy from the perspective of active
inclusion
Germany – 30 June-1 July: Cost containment in the pharmaceutical sector
while ensuring fair access
Spain – 20-21 October: Support Fund for the Reception, Integration and
Education of Immigrants
Slovakia – 6-7 November: Social impact assessment
Germany – 17-18 November: Return of women to the labour market
Denmark – 5 December: Combining choice, quality and
equity in social services
