European Commission unveils massive social package for EU citizens

Europe's social fabric is changing due to globalisation, its aging population and technological advances so the European Commission yesterday adopted a social package aimed at helping people adapt to these changes.

The package, framed in an umbrella communication entitled Renewed Social Agenda: Empowering And Enabling Europeans, brings together a wide range of EU policies and instruments while streamlining and modernising existing policy tools.

Addressing the Maltese media at the Commission's branch in Ta' Xbiex, Commission representative Tony Lockett said the "massive package" was aimed at creating more opportunities for EU citizens, improving access to quality services and demonstrating solidarity with those who were affected negatively by change.

"Values and relationships between generations are changing. Europeans face unprecedented opportunities, more choice and improved living conditions... At the same time, stark realities remain: Too many people are inactive or unemployed and too many young people leave school early, and, as a result, there are still too many people living in poverty and social isolation," the document reads.

"On top of this far-reaching set of societal changes, 2008 is witnessing a global economic slowdown, with increased competition for scarce resources including food and energy and continuing turbulence in the financial markets... Social policies need to keep pace with these changing realities."

The package complements the Lisbon Strategy and demonstrates a commitment to delivering results for citizens. It does so by supporting action in seven priority areas: children and youth; investing in people; mobility; longer and healthier lives; combating poverty and social exclusion; fighting discrimination and promoting gender equality; and creating opportunities, access and solidarity on the global scene.

As part of these issues, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive which provides for protection from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief beyond the workplace. (At present people are protected from discrimination outside the workplace only on grounds of gender and race or ethnic origin.)

The Commission also proposed a communication on school education to improve quality education in an attempt to "break the vicious cycle of childhood deprivation, unhealthy lifestyles, academic under-achievement and social exclusion of children," the umbrella document says.

The package also addresses the boosting of workers' rights through, for example, a directive improving the functioning of the European works councils representing workers in large companies that operate in more than one EU country.

Cross-border healthcare is also addressed by making medical care outside patient's home country easier to access.

Alongside proposals, the package offers data and analysis on Europe's Roma minority, the education of migrant children, challenges facing social services in Europe, the EU fund to support the people worst affected by globalisation, public well-being in the information society and European cooperation on schools.

The Commission's representative in Malta, Joanna Drake noted that this package had a wide social agenda that made it relevant to the public and encouraged them to give their feedback.

The package can be accessed through the site ec.europa.eu where a new portal tackling the social agenda has been launched at ec.europa.eu/social.