Fighting social exclusion and strengthening social cohesion in Europe

Doc. 8290

23 December 1998

Fighting social exclusion and strengthening social cohesion in Europe

Recommendation 1355 (1998)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 652^nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (15 December 1998)

As the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe has made social cohesion in Europe one of the Organisation’s priorities, the Committee of Ministers is sparing no effort to determine the most effective means of responding to the socio-economic challenges of the world today. It accordingly welcomes the Parliamentary Assembly’s adoption of Recommendation 1355 (1998) on fighting social exclusion and strengthening social cohesion in Europe which was brought, in February 1998, to the attention of the governments of the member States.

The Committee of Ministers wishes to assure the Assembly that it has considered the text very carefully. It believes that Recommendation 1355 (1998) can provide inspiration for social policies in Europe and be adequately put into effect through the Council of Europe intergovernmental sector’s future action in the social field. In order to create a dynamic, global, multidisciplinary and multi-partner process, the Committee of Ministers in June 1998 created the European Committee for Social Cohesion (CDCS) whose terms of reference require it to put proposals for a social cohesion strategy and a medium-term programme of activities to the Committee of Ministers. The CDCS is also responsible for co-ordinating, guiding and stimulating co-operation among member States with a view to strengthening social cohesion in Europe and promoting the social standards laid down in the Council of Europe’s various standard-setting texts, including the European Social Charter and the revised Charter, the European Code of Social Security and the revised Code. The CDCS’s programme of activities will have to include regular exchanges of views, information and good practice as regards social cohesion issues. It is also expected that the various observers to the CDCS, drawn from the Parliamentary Assembly, the CLRAE, certain Council of Europe steering committees and partial agreements, and the two sides of industry, together with representatives of associations working particularly with the victims of exclusion, will enrich the Committee’s debates and activities with their experience, expertise and comments.

In order to have as full a picture as possible of social questions in Europe, a unit with a specialist remit to observe, compare and tackle problems of social cohesion in all the Council's member States will shortly be set up within the Secretariat in accordance with the Action Plan of the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government. The unit will engage in research and in programme development. It will be the operational arm of the CDCS: this represents an important methodological innovation in the intergovernmental sector. In addition the unit will conduct projects with input from outside experts, mainly using extrabudgetary funds.

In this connection it is worth pointing out that the Social Development Fund, which at present has 32 member States, decided on 27 November 1998 to invest approximately 10 million French francs, over a period of two years, in projects conducted by the specialised unit which fit the Fund's priority objectives and rules. The Fund has thus responded very concretely to the call from the Second Summit to "participate actively in the Council of Europe's action for social cohesion". Other outside contributions are expected.

Among current activities, the Committee of Ministers wishes to mention the Council of Europe’s Campaign on Global Interdependence and Solidarity: Europe against Poverty and Social Exclusion. The Campaign was launched publicly under the media-attractive title “European Campaign for Global Solidarity. Europe in the World - the World in Europe. For solidarity and human dignity” in Lisbon on 10 September 1998 during Council of Europe Day at EXPO 98. The Secretariat has been instructed to make use of Recommendation 1355 (1998) in the Campaign and to ensure the close involvement of members of the Parliamentary Assembly.

With regard to the project “Human Dignity and Social Exclusion”, which will come to an end on 31 December 1998 and which is frequently mentioned in Recommendation 1355 (1998), the Committee of Ministers wishes to assure the Assembly that the project is a source for the Global Solidarity Campaign, which is, in a sense, a larger-scale extension of the project. Furthermore, the European Committee for Social Cohesion (CDCS) is to use the results of the project in elaborating the social cohesion strategy. It was also given at its first meeting (3-5 November 1998), Assembly Recommendation 1355 (1998) and it took it into account when planning its future activities.