Reply to Recommendation | Doc. 13810 | 09 June 2015

Social exclusion – a danger for Europe’s democracies

Author(s): Committee of Ministers

Origin - Adopted at the 1229th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (3 June 2015). 2015 - Third part-session

Reply to Recommendation: Recommendation 2058 (2014)

1. The Committee of Ministers has carefully examined Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 2058 (2014) on “Social exclusion – a danger for Europe’s democracies” and has forwarded it, together with the resolution mentioned therein, to the relevant committees and bodies for information and comments. [(1) The European Committee for Social Cohesion, Human Dignity and Equality (CDDECS), the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG), the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) and the Governmental Committee of the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social Security.]

2. In the current political and economic context, fighting social exclusion has become more crucial than ever. To this end, the Committee concurs with the Assembly on the importance of guaranteeing social and economic rights and calls on all those member States who have not yet done so to consider ratifying the European Social Charter (revised), as well as its Additional Protocol Providing for a System of Collective Complaints. In this respect, Article 30 of the European Social Charter (revised) is of particular significance as States Parties undertake to give effect to the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion by adopting measures aimed at preventing and removing obstacles to access to fundamental social rights, in particular employment, housing, training, education, culture and social and medical assistance. The Committee also wishes to draw attention to the ongoing “Turin Process” aimed at improving the implementation of fundamental social and economic rights in Europe, the proposals of which it recently examined for the first time.

3. With regard to paragraph 3 of the recommendation, the Committee of Ministers agrees with the Assembly on the importance of working towards eradicating both social and political exclusion. The Committee of Ministers expects concrete results of CDDECS work on social cohesion, in accordance with its terms of reference. It would also inform the Assembly that at the 125th Session of the Committee of Ministers (Brussels, 19 May 2015), the Ministers adopted a triennial Action Plan (2015-2017) to combat extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism, of which one of the transversal actions aims at “Building inclusive societies”. In the same context, the CDDECS organised a roundtable discussion during its plenary meeting in May 2015 on social inclusion.

4. In response to paragraph 4 of the recommendation, the Assembly is informed that in the light of a comprehensive study on, inter alia, the necessity and feasibility of preparing a reference text on democracy, it has been decided that at present such a text is not required. The Committee of Ministers has however given instructions for a compendium of the most relevant Council of Europe texts in the area of democracy to be prepared for programmatic purposes. The Committee would also inform the Assembly that following its report submitted on simplifying the procedures and promoting the visibility of the Twelve Principles of Good Democratic Governance at Local Level, [(2) Cf Appendix III to document CM(2015)20.] the CDDG and its Secretariat has been entrusted to put the “soft measures” identified in the report fully into practice. With regard to “medium type” measures, the CDDG was invited to prepare specific, detailed proposals supported by figures with the aim of simplifying the procedure for the award of the European Label of Excellence in Governance (ELoGE).