EU Policy Areas

Social inclusion

The 1993 Maastricht Treaty gave the EU the role of promoting economic and social cohesion. In June 1997 the UK government acceded to the social provisions of Maastricht. In the same year the Amsterdam Treaty introduced the fight against social exclusion among the social policy provisions. Then the European Council of Lisbon in March 2000 recognised that the extent of poverty and social exclusion was unacceptable. Building a more inclusive European Union was thus considered as an essential element in achieving the Union's ten-year strategic goal of sustained economic growth, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

It also agreed that Member States’ policies for combating social exclusion should be based on an open method of coordination combining common objectives, National Action Plans and a programme presented by the Commission to encourage cooperation in this field.

In February 2005, the European Commission unveiled its priorities in the area of employment and social affairs for the second half of the decade. The so-called Social Policy Agenda complements the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy by promoting the social dimension of economic growth.

The Agenda has a two-pronged strategy: firstly it emphasises its role in strengthening citizen’s confidence which the Commission sees as being essential for managing the changes and economic growth brought about by globalisation. Secondly, it presents a number of policy measures under the headings of: employment; and equal opportunities and inclusion.

Links:
- http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/index_en.htm