Forum for the Future of Democracy 2011

‘The Interdependence of Democracy and Social Cohesion’

Opening session

Ms Lenia SAMUEL
Deputy Director General,
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
European Commission

It is a great pleasure to be here at the Council of Europe's Forum for the Future of Democracy on behalf of the European Commission. It is also agreat pleasure for me to see so many friends from Cyprus and the Council of Europe with whom I worked closely before I joined the Commission.

The Council of Europe and the European Union share an absolute and unwavering commitment to the values of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.The European Union has drawn gratefully on the work of the Council of Europe- for example, in defining human rights- and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so.
Indeed the Council of Europe played an essential role in developing the idea that the rights which ensure political democracy are not enough by themselves to create truly free societies and that they need to be buttressed by civil and human rights- rights which, in the words of Franklin Roosevelt enable people to enjoy freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Our discussions today take place at a particularly difficult time – we have all seen the impact of growing dissatisfaction among the citizens of the world with the state of politics, the economy and even with society itself.

The message is clear: things must change.

The promotion and implementation of civil rights is a key element to ensure democracy. But I also believe that we cannot achieve a fully democratic society unless we also promote equal access to economic and social rights.

Economic and social rights are too often taken for granted - and yet, even today, they are clearly at risk for many people bearing the brunt of the impact of the financial crisis.

If we take the EU as an example, unemployment remains stubbornly high and there are still unacceptable numbers of people living below the poverty line. And there is a feeling among many that the very cohesion of our societies is at stake.

However, this is by no means just a European challenge; it is a global one.

Coming from the European Commission, I would like to share with you some of the ways that we have been tackling these challenges.

The first thing to say is that the crisis has shown us just how important Europe's social model is - indeed, without it, the impact of the crisis would have been much worse.

This has been recognised in Europe 2020, our new strategy over the coming decade to transform the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy, which lays a strong emphasis on Europe's social dimension.

One of its key priorities is the fight against poverty and social exclusion. For the first time we have an EU wide target for poverty: Heads of State and Government have agreed to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty and social exclusion by 2020. But, to achieve this we will need concerted effort on the part of the EU, the Member States and stakeholders across Europe, including the social partners and the civil society.

Almost all Member States have now put forward specific national poverty reduction targets. And although they might not be as ambitious as one would have hoped, this will, I'm sure, lead to greater visibility and debate in the public arena as to what needs to be done to make a difference.

At EU-level, the Commission has put in place a European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion to support Member States' efforts. The Platform recognises that poverty and social exclusion has many causes, often interconnected and that if we are to tackle these issues successfully we need to adopt a holistic approach. Its success will also depend heavily on a partnership approach with the active involvement of a wide range of stakeholders.

Over the years we have also seen an increasing demand for social intervention. This has in turn led to a growing awareness of the need to explore new approaches, improve the cost-effectiveness of social policies and make better use of evaluation.

To support this, the Commission recently announced a European Initiative on Social Innovation, which will help testing and scaling up innovative solutions to address emerging social needs.

We are also planning a number of initiatives for next year, which focus on the key social challenges Europe is facing. In particular, we will be looking at child poverty and the transmission of disadvantage across generations, as well as action to promote the active inclusion of those furthest from the labour market and homelessness. This is all part of ensuring that everyone has access to the same opportunities; that everyone has the chance to develop their full potential – something that I think is part of a democratic society.

Nonetheless, it is clear that in these tough economic times with severe financial constraints things are going to be difficult. But, it is vital that we recognise that social spending is not just about taking corrective action. It is about investing in the future – it is about investing in our very society's cohesion.

At EU-level we have a number of financial instruments at our disposal to support our aims, including the European Social Fund.

Earlier this month, the Commission presented of proposal for the legislative package for cohesion policy for the period 2014-2020, which includes some important changes to the ESF, including a greater focus on social inclusion.

Social dialogue is also an expression of a fully functioning democracy. It allows change to be addressed and economic and social goals to be combined through consensus and avoiding conflict.

The involvement of social partners is all the more important to sustain possible economic and social reforms, and to ensure that economic development goes hand in hand with job creation and decent work – an important element in ensuring both economic and social cohesion.

The EU gives high priority to civil society and its organisations when it comes to supporting democracy building. This includes in our external assistance where we lay great emphasis on assisting civil society to develop greater cohesion in working on human rights, democratic political participation and representation and in developing equal participation of men and women in social, economic and political life.
We want to assist civil society in third countries to open up and to become an effective force for dialogue and positive change, through cooperation among local civil society organisations and local stakeholders – and this is where the social partners and an effective social dialogue can play a vital role.

The European Union and the Council of Europe have a long history of successful cooperation. We have worked together very closely in the framework of joint projects, many of which relate directly to the themes of the Forum for the Future of Democracy.

One good example is our cooperation in the framework of the Council of Europe Eastern Partnership Facility where one of the priorities is to support free and fair elections in the six target countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). Enhancing the capacity and efficiency of the electoral administration increases the confidence of voters in the system.
And in turn confidence building in institutions will lead to a better involvement of voters in electoral process, which is a pre-condition for full participation in public and political life.

I hope that this close and productive cooperation continues well into the future.

I look forward with great interest to the discussions over the next two days and to sharing our experiences in strengthening representation and participation as a vital means of promoting democracy across and indeed beyond Europe.

This is a time when we all need to work together in a positive and determined spirit to give new life to the democratic ideals in which we all believe.