Report from the second forum on social services of general interest in Europe

This forum, organised in partnership with the European Commission, was the occasion for the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union to recall three main points:

Social services of general interest are of interest to all Europeans:

Social services of general interest – be they childcare, assistance to the elderly, help in finding a job, social housing or training for adults – are services of particular importance for maintaining social cohesion between European citizens.
As such, they are one of the pillars of the European social model and everyone should have guaranteed access to them.

All the 27 Member States of the European Union were represented at this second forum, along with the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Associations, local authorities and, in a more general manner, civil society, which plays an indispensable role in the European social model, were also represented.

The specificity of social services of general interest at European level:

The French Presidency reiterated that the Member States agreed to annex a protocol on services of general interest to the Lisbon Treaty. This protocol recalls "the essential role" and "the large power of discretion" of national, regional and local authorities. It also underlines the necessity to guarantee  high-quality services, and to ensure that there is universal access to social services of general interest. 

Social services of general interest can also benefit from public financing, provided that this financing offsets expenses resulting from their activities of general interest.

Advancing social services of general interest:

The Presidency emphasised that progress still needed to be made in clarifying the legal framework applicable to social services of general interest and in the establishment of a European framework for the quality of social services of general interest. This was a requirement shared by all the Member States and an area in which exchanges of best practices would be very useful.

At the end of the forum, the different elements that may constitute a roadmap will be sent by the Presidency to the Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The Presidency proposed that the forum on social services of general interest be institutionalised and that one would be held every two years, so that the debates could be continued. This was accepted by the European Commission. These biennial forums will echo the report on the social services of general interest that the European Commission has also committed to produce at the same intervals.

Second forum on social services of general interest in Europe    (Announcement)
 

• Updated: 18.12.2008

• Back to the top