MISSOC Network Meeting in Dublin, Ireland 15 and 16 May Minutes

Transcription

1 MISSOC Network Meeting in Dublin, Ireland 15 and 16 May 2013 Minutes 1 Opening of the MISSOC Meeting Mr. Rob Cornelissen (European Commission, EC) welcomed the participants. He presented the new MISSOC Correspondents from Cyprus (Mrs. Maria Chrysostomou), Estonia (Mrs. Kristiina Rääk), Finland (Mrs. Minna Liuttu), Germany (Mr. Benjamin Lau), Poland (Mrs. Grażyna Sypniewska) and the UK (Mr. Gethin Hughes). He also presented the new participants from Estonia (Mrs. Edith Kallaste), Luxembourg (Mrs. Michèle Bastian), Malta (Mrs. Maria Carmela Buttigieg) and Slovenia (Mr. Andraz Rangus) who were not (yet) officially nominated as MISSOC Correspondents. Moreover, Mr. Cornelissen introduced the new member of the MISSOC Secretariat, Mrs. Julia Kant (Core expert), as well as Mr. Valdis Zagorskis from the EC. Finally, he welcomed the four representatives of the ASISP network (Mrs. Sabine Horstmann, Mr. Steven Segaert, Mrs. Sara Burke and Mrs. Mairead Considine). The minutes of the Nicosia Network Meeting as well as the agenda of the Dublin Network Meeting were approved without further comments. State of affairs in the MISSOC Project Mr. Michael Coucheir gave an overview of the state of affairs in the MISSOC project. After having mentioned some issues related to management and coordination, Mr. Coucheir talked about the activities undertaken in recent months as regards the various work packages (notably Tables, Guides, reports, website and communication). He also drew Correspondents attention to some good practices as regards the update of the Tables. Presentation of an elaborated outline of the MISSOC Analysis 2013/1 Prof. Lhernould presented the draft MISSOC Analysis 2013/1 on means-testing in the MISSOC countries. After having described the background and the definition of means tests, Prof. Lhernould gave a brief overview of their objectives and of the challenges associated with them. He also explained the methodology and the structure of the report. He then went on to present the means taken into consideration in means tests, and tried to identify common trends through a double analysis per risk and per country. He also addressed the issue of the impact of exceeding the means ceilings on the benefits. He concluded by drawing some conclusions, highlighting among other things the overall lack of popularity and the diversity of means testing in Europe. The Correspondent from Ireland gave an overview of the situation in her country regarding meanstested benefits and raised the question on the limits applied to what people can have in order to be granted a means-tested benefit and on in-work means-tested benefits. The Correspondent from Austria sought clarification regarding the definition of means tests applied, in particular on whether it includes only means-tested benefits aimed at alleviating poverty or also other (e.g. disability) benefits. Also the Dutch Correspondent hinted at the difference between categorical and general assistance.

2 The Correspondent from Slovakia underlined the diversity which exists regarding the threshold of the poverty line among the MISSOC countries and suggested that the report should also include this diversity. Referring to the EC Recommendation of 2008 on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market, the Lithuanian Correspondent stressed the importance of the concepts of absolute and relative poverty in the evaluation of the adequate income. The Lithuanian Correspondent suggested also to include in the report a reference to minimum wages. The Italian Correspondent informed the audience about the introduction in her country of a new concept (ISEE, Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator). She also mentioned the efforts undertaken in Italy in order to avoid the overlapping of benefits, to reduce the administrative costs as well as the inclusion in the calculation formula of foreign income. Prof. Lhernould will take into account all those comments when finalising the document in the coming weeks. Round Table on recent developments in health care On the basis of the positive responses from the previous Network Meetings, the format of the Round Table discussions was repeated, this time dealing with recent developments in health care. Countries with short interventions were: Luxembourg, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom and Hungary. One of the representatives of the ASISP network, Mr. Steven Segaert, presented some reflexions on evolutions in the field of health care, notably in connection with the economic crisis, Prof. John Ditch facilitated the discussions, and drew some overall conclusions. Information from the EC: EC policy context Mr. Cornelissen gave a presentation on the Social Investment Package (SIP), which is a new integrated policy framework approved by the EC on 20 February 2013 with the ambitious targets of the Europe 2020 strategy as background. In the aftermath of the crisis all Member States face common challenges that threaten the sustainability of their welfare systems. Unemployment (in particular youth unemployment), poverty and social exclusion levels have reached record heights compared to Increased ageing and dependency ratios as well as fiscal constraints constitute other important challenges. To address these challenges, the SIP urges Member States to ensure sustainable and adequate social protection by spending more efficiently and effectively. In this regard, administration, benefits and services should be simplified and monitoring should be improved in order to reduce fraud. Secondly, SIP underscores the importance of investing in people throughout their lives. Child care, education, training, job-search assistance and active ageing should be at the core of such investment to enable people to participate in society and develop their full economic potential to prevent negative impacts on human capital, GDP and prosperity as a whole. The third main message of the SIP is that Member States should ensure that social protection systems respond to people s needs. People s current and future capacities have to be strengthened to help them confronting all types of risks. Policies with a focus on prevention and investing in people's skills and capacities give considerable savings later. The earlier this investment starts, the higher the return will be. Therefore, SIP strongly recommends 2

3 to invest in children and to break the circle of disadvantage. Failure to do so will impede the children later on in life from realising their full socio-economic potential and generate higher costs to the Member States welfare system. The SIP will be implemented through a variety of ways. The first way of implementation mentioned by Mr. Cornelissen is policy guidance to the Member States, notably through the European Semester, the Social Open Method of Coordination and the SPC as a vehicle for cooperative exchange between Member States and EC. A second method consists of financial support through several channels, including the allocation of ¼ of cohesion policy funding to human capital and social investment in the period Finally, the SIP will be implemented through specific follow-up initiatives, among which the Proposal for Directive on access to basic bank accounts and the forthcoming EC Recommendation on Roma inclusion. As a complementary initiative, Mr. Cornelissen referred to the Youth Employment Initiative. The Slovakian Correspondent pointed out that the Slovakian youth unemployment figure indicated on a slide would solely be a market number not necessarily reflecting the reality since many young people are in a trainee programme. Presentation of ASISP and future work within the social policy network Mr. Zagorskis informed the participants that DG EMPL s Directorate D is running three different networks, namely MISSOC, ASISP and the Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion. He briefly introduced ASISP, the network of independent experts on social protection, mainly focusing on pensions, health and long-term care. Members of ASISP had been invited to participate at the MISSOC meeting in order to facilitate the mutual awareness, experience exchange and synergies in their future work. He explained that the decision had been taken by the EC to bring these three networks closer together by creating a joint social policy network. However, Mr. Zagorskis emphasised that it was highly unlikely that MISSOC would undergo substantial changes in the way it is organised and coordinated now, as it will probably remain operationally separate from the independent experts. DG EMPL aims to have the new network in place by the beginning of Subsequently, Sabine Horstmann presented in more detail the work ASISP, which is coordinated by GVG on behalf of the EC (DG EMPL D/3). The network operates since 2008 and currently encompasses the EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the enlargement countries. The main output of the network has been the annual national country reports along with a synthesis of major developments. The country reports will be replaced from 2013 onwards by a country document which will be updated twice a year. Other outputs include brief assessments of National Reform Programmes and National Social Reports. The ASISP network gathers once a year. The Slovak Correspondent addressed Mrs. Horstmann with the question as to how ASISP ensures the independence of its experts. The answer was that, of course, a 100% independency cannot be absolutely guaranteed, but that the experts are chosen for their knowledge and expertise in the field, as is the case with all EC networks made up by non-governmental experts. Correspondents from Hungary, France, Luxemburg and Romania raised doubts regarding the feasibility and desirability of merging networks which differ substantially in composition, scope and working procedures. MISSOC is a network of government representatives and its work is legal and descriptive in nature, whereas ASISP functions with independent experts which have an analytical task. 3

4 A number of Correspondents who are also SPC members pointed out that they were not aware of the fact that information produced in the framework of SPC was assessed by ASISP and not exclusively by the EC. The suggestion was made to formally introduce ASISP and its activities to the SPC. Mr. Zagorskis answered to the questions by pointing out that bringing together the networks does not mean that the EC ignores their very different characters and that it also intends to safeguard those as much as possible. He also said that it has become clear that there is added value in the coordination of these networks without merging the pools of civil servants and non-governmental experts. Furthermore, Mr. Zagorskis said that there is no interference with the functions of the EC or the SPC when non-governmental experts analyse National Reform Programmes and SPC questionnaires. Their work contributes to enabling the EC to fulfil the tasks conferred upon them by the treaties, especially in a context of limited human resources. However, he ensured that, at the end of the day, it is always the EC assessing the different types of information (descriptive, analytical and normative). Mr. Zagorskis took the point seriously that the SPC members were apparently not aware of ASISP and its functions. This will be addressed and the suggestion by the Hungarian Correspondent to introduce ASISP at an SPC meeting is very valuable. Council of Europe Mr. Bopp gave an update of recent developments at the Council of Europe. He indicated that the updating process of the 2012 MISSCEO comparative tables has been completed and that the 2013 update is underway. He also referred to the organisational changes at the Council of Europe, as a result of which the social security field, including MISSCEO, is now part of the Department of the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social Security. Mr. Bopp also raised the issue of the cumulative effects of several measures taken in the framework of pension scheme reforms and the ensuing violations of the European Social Charter. Social agenda of the Irish presidency and outlook to the Lithuanian presidency Mr. Paul Cunningham informed about the social agenda of the Irish presidency. The activities evolve around four different ministries with each their own agenda for EPSCO. The Youth Employment Package is considered as the flagship of the Irish presidency. It was formally adopted on 22 April The goal is to provide a job opportunity, continued education, an apprenticeship or traineeship to young people under 25 within 4 months after becoming unemployed or graduating. Another vital point on the Irish social agenda concerns the negotiations that should lead to the adoption of the Supplementary Pension Rights Directive. Mr. Cunningham explained that good progress is being made on the negotiating content, but that there are issues with regard to the legal basis. Furthermore, the Social Investment Package and the European Aid to the Most Deprived stay central during the Irish presidency. Additional agenda points highlighted by Mr. Cunningham concern the European Semester, health and safety/workers rights (such as exposure to health threatening chemicals at work and the EC proposal on measures facilitating the exercise of mobile workers' rights) and gender equality (e.g. women on company boards or as decision makers in the media). The Lithuanian Correspondent asked whether the European Aid to the Most Deprived would still be implemented during the Irish presidency term. Mr. Cunningham replied that negotiations went very well but there is a delay in the process now so implementation might well occur under Lithuanian presidency. 4

5 Afterwards, Mrs. Kristina Vyšniauskaitė-Radinskienė presented a brief outlook to the social agenda of the Lithuanian presidency in the second semester of After having presented the overarching priorities, she addressed the priorities in the social field, which include better job opportunities (focusing on youth), better protection of (migrant) workers, strengthening of the social dimension and de facto gender equality and anti-discrimination. Mrs. Vyšniauskaitė-Radinskienė concluded by giving an overview of the planned presidency meetings and conferences. Reform of employment activation services in Ireland (+ plenary discussion) Mr. McKeon gave a presentation on the reform of employment activation services in Ireland, essentially consisting in the adoption of an activation-based approach to welfare/employment services. After having explained the need and the inspiration for the reform, he commented on the creation of the National Employment and Entitlement Service (NEES), endorsed in the Government document Pathways to work. The (ongoing) reform encompasses a new service model tailored to the individual needs/profile of the client. As part of the new approach payment of benefit is linked to participation in activation programmes. Building links with employers is another key part of the new model, which also provides for a new service (Intreo), which is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Mr. McKeon pointed out that the authorities are on track to complete the programme by the end of 2014, and presented the progress made in achieving the targets. The subsequent discussion was moderated by Prof. Ditch, who began by presenting some considerations from a UK perspective. It was followed by a lively discussion in which several Correspondents participated. Questions concerned, among others, the assessment of bona fides on the part of beneficiaries and the activation of specific groups (disabled and long-term unemployed). To the question as to what Ireland would do if there were no financial restraints, Mr. McKeon replied that the problems for Ireland are not so much domestic fiscal constraints but rather austerity measures of Ireland s trading partners. The Irish Correspondent also commented on the organisational challenges with regard to the training of staff connected with the reform process. Ways of presenting the MISSOC information The communication expert of the MISSOC Secretariat, Mr. Harald Hauben, presented the activities undertaken and planned as regards website and communication. He referred to the usability improvements that were implemented on the website in general and the Comparative Tables database in particular. Mr. Hauben also drew attention to the variety of efforts undertaken to further promote MISSOC, including by the creation of mutual links with MISSCEO and ISSA and through the tress project. The MISSOC E-newsletter itself also served as a promotion means and a link to the subscription form was placed on the EC website. Mr. Hauben then went on to present some visitor statistics regarding the MISSOC website as well as the next steps in the further development of the MISSOC website and communication actions. Among these is the use of info graphics to increase the attractiveness of the website. Mr. Hauben concluded by inviting the MISSOC Correspondents to contribute to the promotion of the MISSOC initiative. In particular, he called upon the Correspondents to facilitate the inclusion of a link to the MISSOC website on their national ministries websites - an idea which was welcomed by a number of Correspondents. 5

6 Then, Mrs. Monika Federowicz presented the developments relating to the MISSOC Guides. These will be restructured and simplified with a view to increasing their usability and user-friendliness. She explained the overhaul process, which consists of three phases, implemented by a contractor: assessment of user needs, development of a template and launch of a pilot project. The project is currently in the second phase, and the contractor should finalise the template by the end of May. June will see the start of the pilot exercise, on the basis of the Irish Guide. This pilot will be presented to and discussed with the MISSOC Correspondents at the Vilnius Network Meeting, and the feedback thus obtained will be taken into account in the final version of the template. Afterwards, a new contractor will be identified to convert the existing Guides to the new format a process which is expected to be finalised mid Further to a comment from the Irish Correspondents, Mrs. Federowicz indicated that they would be presented with the opportunity to check the draft Irish pilot Guide before its presentation in Vilnius. In reply to concerns from other Correspondents, notably as regards the accuracy of the eventual Guides as revised by the contractor, Mrs. Federowicz said that all revised country Guides will be subject to verification by national Correspondents before their publication. Mr. Jan Spooren added that the overhaul would not entail substantial extra work for Correspondents because they already provided the content through the current Guides. Mr. Spooren also said that it would be important for the EC to make sure that in addition to communication experts, also people with content knowledge would be involved in the transformation of the current Guides to the new template. Review of the Guidelines for completing Table VI on Old age First, Mr. Coucheir gave a brief presentation, in which he recalled the objective of the review exercise, commented on the subject matter and structure of Table VI and highlighted some issues for discussion (relating among other thing to the concepts of full pension, credited periods and minimum pension ). Then, three working groups were formed in order to discuss the Guidelines for Table VI. The conclusions drawn from these working groups were fed back by the moderators in the afternoon, and will be taken into account by the Secretariat in a proposal for revision, to be discussed at the Lithuanian Network Meeting. Presentation of the background, topic and methodology of the MISSOC Analysis 2013/2 on external aspects of social security Mr. Cornelissen first commented on the background of the topic, referring to a commitment made by the EC in the Communication on the External Dimension of Social Security Coordination [COM(2012) 153]. In order to keep that commitment, the EC will rely on the input from the MISSOC Correspondents, in the form of replies to a questionnaire, which will feed in the EC website and be used as a basis for the development by the Secretariat of the second 2013 MISSOC Analysis. Mr. Cornelissen stressed that this is a one-off initiative, which is mainly intended to obtain increased transparency regarding the existence and content of bilateral agreements on social security with third countries, and to enforce the implementation of the principle of equal treatment as regards the payment of pensions in third countries. Afterwards, Prof. Lhernould went on to present the questions and the planning for the elaboration of the corresponding MISSOC Analysis 2013/2 report. 6

7 Both the task consisting of the provision of information and the questions themselves were approved by Correspondents. As it became clear that some Correspondents would need to pass on the questions to colleagues from the international departments of their ministries, Mr. Coucheir added that the questionnaire will be accompanied by an introductory part explaining its rationale, thus facilitating the use of the questionnaire within national administrations. Dutch and Luxembourg Correspondents raised questions as to whether MISSOC would be the most appropriate instance to deal with this request, to which Mr. Cornelissen replied that the task consists essentially of a description of national social security legislation and that this falls indeed in the remit of MISSOC. To the question raised by the Danish Correspondent on whether the MISSOC Correspondents will be in charge of updating the list of agreements, Mr. Cornelissen replied that this will be dealt with in the report. Referring to a question raised by the German Correspondent, Mr. Cornelissen underlined that the objective of the questionnaire was not linked to any attempt of the EC to conclude agreements with third countries at EU level rather than at the level of Member States. The 2012 Communication made a case for strengthening cooperation on social security coordination with third countries between Member states. Transparency pursued by the questionnaire is the most basic form of strengthening such cooperation. Correspondents from France and Ireland were positive to the idea of adding a question asking to provide the address of the website where the list of agreements can be accessed. The Greek Correspondent proposed to include an additional question about possible problems in the implementation of the bilateral agreement with the third country in question. Mr. Cornelissen replied that such information could indeed be useful for other Member states, but that it might not be appropriate to include the reply to this additional specific question on the website of the EC. Deadlines for MISSOC activities in the coming period Mr. Coucheir indicated the deadlines for MISSOC activities until the next Network Meeting: End May 2013 o Final approval for the January 2013 update of remaining countries Early June 2013 o Minutes of Dublin Network Meeting and questionnaire for MISSOC Analysis 2013/2 sent to Correspondents o Presentations available on the internal section of the missoc.org website o Submission of completed and reviewed draft of MISSOC Analysis/1 to EC 18 June 2013 o Actualisation files for the July 2013 update of the Tables and the Guides sent to Correspondents End June 2013 o Publication of the January 2013 update on the missoc.org website 22 July 2013 o Completed actualisation files (Tables and Guides) for July 2013 update as well as the filled-in questionnaire for the MISSOC Analysis 2013/2 to be sent to the Secretariat by Correspondents Early July 2013 o Info Letter 2013/2 sent to Correspondents 7

8 August 2013 o Finalisation, translation and publication of the MISSOC Analysis/1 September 2013 o Official invitations sent to Correspondents by the Lithuanian presidency End September 2013 o All final approvals for Tables and Guides received from Correspondents by the Secretariat o Distribution of E-newsletter 2013/2 Beginning of October 2013 o Agenda and supporting documents for the Network Meeting sent to Correspondents October 2013 o MISSOC Network Meeting in Vilnius. In relation to the update of the Guides, Mr. Coucheir also informed the Correspondents of the decision taken by the EC to have the updated Guides prepared in the three MISSOC working languages only. Information on the next MISSOC Network Meeting Mrs. Kristina Vyšniauskaitė-Radinskienė, the National Correspondent from Lithuania, informed the participants that the next meeting will be held in Vilnius, on 17 and 18 October There will be a welcome dinner on 16 October and a social programme on 19 October. Closing remarks Mr. Cornelissen thanked the Irish Presidency and the organisers as well as the interpreters and the MISSOC Secretariat for the smooth organisation and implementation of the Network Meeting, and he thanked the participants for their active contributions. *** 8