|
The European Commission: from
analysis to action
A growing concern in the 1990s
Social cohesion has become a growing concern
in the partnership between the European Union, Latin America and
the Caribbean. On 23 October 1995, the Commission, announced a
number of ways in which it wanted to strengthen the EU-LAC
partnership in the period from 1996 to 2000 – ( COM
(1995) 495).
The need for action to tackle poverty and social exclusion was
identified as a major priority for development cooperation with
Latin America.
Following the first EU-LAC Summit in Rio de
Janeiro in 1999, the Commission again highlighted the
persistence of social inequalities and the need for action in
this region “with the most unequal distribution of income” ( COM
(2000) 670).
With its LAC partners, the European Union has
chosen social cohesion as a priority theme for the EU-LAC summit
held in Guadalajara (Mexico) in 2004. Both parties were clearly
determined to transform their shared concern into specific
commitments and to fight effectively against the poverty,
inequality and exclusion that afflict both regions. This
approach was confirmed at the Vienna summit (2006).
A priority for moral, economic and political reasons
For two decades, Latin America and the Caribbean were
preoccupied with macro-economic adjustments and democratisation
but the political changes observable in certain countries show
that the need to achieve greater social cohesion is now firmly
established as a political priority on both sides of the
Atlantic. Tackling social inequality and creating a more
inclusive society is now a moral, economic and political
priority:
- Morally speaking, misery and exclusion are contrary to
basic values of human dignity and human rights.
- Economically, social inequalities prevent whole sections
of society from contributing to growth through consumption,
savings and investment. Numerous studies have shown the
negative relationship between inequality and growth.
- Lastly, politically, inequalities and exclusion weaken
democracy and threaten peace and stability.
Coordinated action with the
Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
On 16 May 2002, the European Commission signed
a memorandum of understanding with the IADB, to serve as a legal
basis for joint initiatives. It identifies social justice and
poverty as the central issue. Accordingly, social cohesion has
been chosen as the first theme for cooperation. On 5 and 6 June
2003 the biggest lender (the IADB) and the biggest donor (the
European Commission) organised a joint seminar on social
cohesion in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The event
provided valuable insights into the problem and produced ideas
on how governments and the international community might set
about taking up the new challenge.
A Joint Commitment at the
Guadalajara Summit (May 2004)
On 7 April 2004, The European Commission issued a Communication
on “Commission’s objectives in the framework of the relations
between the European Union and Latin America, in view of the 3rd
Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union
and Latin America and the Caribbean to be held in Guadalajara
(Mexico) on 28 May 2004. See:
COM(2004) 220    
In that Communication, Social Cohesion appears as the first
priority of the European Commission for the 3rd EU-LAC Summit.
In the Guadalajara Summit declaration, the
Heads of States affirmed that:”
We stress that poverty, exclusion and inequality are an
affront to human dignity, and that they weaken democracy and
threaten peace and stability. We reiterate our commitment to
attain the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and underline
our determination to build fairer societies by strengthening
social cohesion, especially bearing in mind the principle of
global common responsibility.”
More:
/world/lac-guadal/declar/01_decl_polit_final_en.pdf
EUROSociAL : The European Commission cooperation Programme in the field of Social Cohesion
To show that it is serious about this new focus on social
cohesion, the European Commission, when it was programming the
EU financial contribution to regional cooperation with Latin
America, made provision for a bi-regional programme worth €30
million for social-cohesion measures in 2004. The programme has
been launched at Guadalajara in May 2004. It includes a dialogue
and the pooling of experience in framing and carrying out
policies designed to reduce social inequality.
The programme aims to increase public
authorities’ capacity to formulate coherent policies to tackle
social inequalities by identifying the people most affected by
it. The programme is funding a large number of measures, such
as:
training for the administrations
in Latin-American countries and exchanges with administrations
in EU Member States;
organisation of seminars;
dissemination activities for
Governments in the region;
measures to promote dialogue
amongst Latin American Governments, and between them and EU
Member States’ Governments.
International organisations active in this
field are also involved in the programme: UNDP, IDB, ILO.
More information on EUROsociAL on the Europeaid
website:
After its first networks’ meeting held in June
2006 in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), EUROsociAL organized a
second international networks’ meeting in Antigua (Guatemala) on
25-28 June 2007. The objective was to promote an open and
participate debate in relation to the accumulated experience and
the cooperation possibilities that public administrations in
Latina America and Europe can follow to advance in the promotion
of social cohesion. At this occasion, the meeting focused on the
issues of “Equality, State and Citizenship”. Since its launch,
the programme has worked with more than 300 public institutions
of both regions, mobilizing more than 1.500 persons.
Organisation of a High Level Conference on Social
Cohesion on 27-28 March 2006 in Brussels, in the run-up to the
Vienna Summit (May 2006)
A high-level conference organised by the European Commission
was held in Brussels on 27 and 28 March to discuss efforts to
combat social inequality, poverty and exclusion in Latin America,
the Caribbean and the European Union. The Commission and ministers
from both sides of the Atlantic debated social cohesion policies
and exchange their experience on the subject. More than 200
representatives of civil society, business, trade unions,
international organisations and universities attended the event.
For more information:
Creation of a Working Group on
Social Cohesion on 8 May 2006
On May 8, 2006, the European Commission (EC),
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), and
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) met in Washington DC
to discuss collaboration and coordination with a view to
fostering social cohesion in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hosted by the IDB, the meeting established a Working Group on
social cohesion between the four institutions.
The participants at the meeting reaffirmed
the need for increased social cohesion in the region to bolster
sustainable development and growth. They agreed that the
objective of the Working Group will be to identify promising
approaches in the area of social cohesion, review policies and
operational experience, and examine potential sources of synergy.
The participants also agreed that while individual definitions
of social cohesion may vary, the broad approach suggested
reflects priorities for all four institutions.
Activities: The Working Group, thus,
will foster coordination among the institutions for the
promotion of social cohesion in the region. It is intended as a
platform to exchange knowledge and experience, share social
analyses and methodologies, including possible indicators, and
assess, on a pilot basis, the relevance and effectiveness of
programs and projects in promoting social cohesion.
Dissemination and communication: The
Working Group may organize or sponsor workshops or seminars and
assist in the preparation of possible high-level meetings on
social cohesion as an objective of development in the region.
Other methods of outreach, including possible links to social
cohesion issues on the participating institutions’ web sites,
may be considered.
Organization: The Working Group is
scheduled to meet twice a year, supplemented by virtual
discussion as needed. It will have an annually rotating chair:
in 2006, the IDB, followed by the WB and the EC in 2007 and
2008, respectively.
The Working Group met in Washington DC in the fall of 2006
and on 22 of June 2007. Here the conclusions of the last meeting
are available (Conclusions:
Working Group on Social Cohesion)
A priority reaffirmed at the Vienna Summit (May 2006).
The Heads of State of both regions declared:
“We underscore that social cohesion, which constitutes the
foundation of more inclusive societies, remains a shared goal
and key priority of our bi-regional strategic partnership. The
promotion of social cohesion is intended to build more inclusive
societies by giving everyone the chance to have access to
fundamental rights and employment, to enjoy the benefits of
economic growth with equity and social justice and thereby play
a full role in society. We will continue to give social cohesion
a high priority in our bi-regional cooperation and assistance
programmes such as EurosociAL and will also continue to promote
exchanges of experiences between our countries and regions”.
Last updated: July 2007
|
