Esta es la versión HTML de un fichero adjunto a una solicitud de acceso a la información 'Marianne Thyssen's cabinet meetings with religious lobbyists'.



Briefing 337-2015 
Ref. Ares(2015)2362419 - 05/06/2015
Ref. Ares(2019)3387279 - 23/05/2019
Meeting with Mr. Jan De volder and Dr. Zucconi – Sant'Egidio, 15/06/2015 
 
Briefing file for Commissioner Thyssen 
Meeting with Mr Jan De Volder and Dr Zucconi,  
Community of Sant'Egidio 
Brussels, 15 June 2015 
 
Scene-setter  
The meeting has been requested by Mr Jan De Volder (Head of the Brussels Office of 
Sant'Egidio) and Dr Cesare Zucconi (Secretary-General of the Community of 
Sant'Egidio), following your visit to the Community of Sant'Egidio in Antwerp in spring 
2014. The objective is to discuss social exclusion and poverty, which are important 
issues for them. 
The Community of Sant'Egidio is an international movement committed to solidarity with 
the most defenceless of the poor. At local level, it provides after-school services for 
children from underprivileged neighbourhoods, language classes for adult migrants, 
soup kitchens for the homeless and visits to the elderly. 
Mr De Volder and Dr Zucconi will be accompanied by Ms 
 (Liaison Officer 
of their Brussels Office). 
 
Main topics on the agenda: 
1. 
Reducing poverty and social exclusion: policy 
2. 
Reducing poverty and social exclusion: financial instruments (ESF, FEAD) 
3. 
Socio-economic integration of migrants 
 

 
 
Speaking points 
Topic 1. Reducing Poverty and social exclusion: policy 
•  I am deeply concerned that, instead of moving towards our Europe 
2020 poverty target, we are drifting in the opposite direction. The 
population at risk of poverty or social exclusion has increased by 
more than 6 million since 2008, affecting one in four persons 
(24.5%). 
•  We have also seen increasing divergence between and within the 
Member States across the EU. Labour markets become 
increasingly polarised between high- and low-income jobs, 
triggering more and more inequality and poverty.  
•  Young adults, inactive or unemployed women, lone mothers, 
migrants, people with a migrant background and older working-
age adults outside the labour market are among those at a higher 
risk of persistent poverty. 
•  We believe that growth, jobs and rebalancing the economic and 
social agenda are necessary to give new impetus to the European 
project; driving a job-rich recovery with better access to decent 
jobs for all and fostering upwards social convergence is the 
highest priority for us. 
•  In fact, the European countries with the most effective social 
protection systems are also among the most successful and 
competitive in the world. This is also what drives the idea of 
inclusive growth in the Europe 2020 Strategy. 
•  This is why we continue to recommend labour market and social 
protection reforms as part of the EU’s economic policy 

 

 
 
coordination. This year the European Semester process has 
focused even more on challenges of the labour market and social 
protection. 
•  The policies that have been recommended to Member States 
broadly aim at:  
•  modernising the legislative framework so that labour markets 
are flexible enough to deal with today's changing working 
conditions; 
•  modernising labour market policies to activate and support 
unemployed people; 
•  shifting tax from labour to other bases, in particular for lower 
incomes; 
•  improving access to education and training systems and 
matching skills to labour market needs; 
•  making social protection systems more sustainable so that they 
continue to support, protect and enable people throughout their 
lives. 
•  Progress in reforms in these key areas would make labour 
markets in the Member States more resilient and social protection 
systems more adapted to protect against modern risks.  
•  Topic 2. Reducing Poverty and social exclusion: financial 
instruments 
2.1 The European Social Fund (ESF) 
•  We are all very well aware of the severe budgetary constraints 
many of our Member States are currently facing. That is why it 

 

 
 
is absolutely crucial to ensure the most efficient and effective 
use of the ESF. 
•  The ESF is the EU financial instrument to support the 
creation of more and better jobs and to build a more 
inclusive society in line with the Europe 2020 strategy. 
•  This is why the EU and its Member States have made support 
for the most disadvantaged people a key priority for the 
programming period 2014-2020. To this end, Member States 
are committed to dedicate at least 20 % of their budgets for 
2014-2020 ESF projects and measures to promote social 
inclusion, combat poverty and discrimination. The majority 
of the Member States has in fact exceeded this, allocating a 
quarter of their budgets on social inclusion measures.  
•  This is not only a reaction to increasing inequalities inside the 
EU, but also a recognition of the model on which the EU should 
build its future prosperity – allowing everyone to contribute and 
everyone to benefit. 
The ESF can support a wide range of measures in the field of 
social inclusion, including measures to strengthen the 
employability of those furthest from the labour market, to 
support the socio-economic integration of marginalised groups, 
such as Roma, to combat discrimination via awareness-raising 
and empowering activities with local communities, and to 
enhance access to affordable, sustainable and high quality 
services.  

 

 
 
The ESF can also support labour market inclusion of the 
homeless and provide a number of services to foster a 
progressive integration in the labour market and to support 
training of staff of homelessness organisations. 
•  Another important element is the framework for supporting 
social entrepreneurship, combining the European Social Fund, 
the European Regional Development Fund and new EU-level 
support instruments under the so-called EASI programme. This 
should help new social enterprises to get off the ground and 
grow, contributing not only to social cohesion and employment 
of society’s most vulnerable members, but also to addressing 
other challenges such as energy efficiency and population 
ageing. 
•  Using the ESF well is about working together. A lot of the 
necessary policies can only be developed and implemented at 
national regional and local level. Indeed, experience has taught 
us that very often the regional and local levels are those who 
can most efficiently deal with issues such as poverty and social 
exclusion because they are often closer to the people's needs. 
In fact I believe that a lot can be done to work through networks 
at regional and local level. 
•  I would also like to invite you to use the European Code of 
Conduct on Partnership. The Code aims to maximise the 
impact of EU funds on the ground by ensuring that 
implementation and evaluation of the European Structural and 
Investment Funds will involve all relevant partners including 

 

 
 
public authorities, social partners and bodies representing civil 
society at national, regional and local levels throughout the 
whole programme cycle.  
2.2. The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) 
•  Some people are so far from the labour market that they cannot 
benefit from the activation measures of the ESF. The FEAD, 
with a budget of EUR 3.8 billion, has been created for them. 
•  The FEAD thus covers a gap in EU cohesion policy, by helping 
the most vulnerable people through tangible aid. Via FEAD 
we support Member States to provide food, clothing and other 
essential items for personal use. FEAD can also finance 
activities to promote the social inclusion of the most 
deprived.  
•  I am pleased to say that we have now adopted all our 
programmes for the use of that Fund in Member States. The 
focus now is on selecting partners, initiating purchasing and 
distribution cycles, and putting appropriate procedures and 
control systems in place. 
•  The success of the Fund will depend greatly on these efforts by 
EU countries. The role of partner organisations will be crucial to 
ensure that the food or clothing reaches those most in need – 
that is, to ensure fairness. 

 

 
 
Topic 3. The Socio-economic integration of migrants 
•  Migrants throughout Europe find themselves at greater risk of 
poverty and social exclusion and are more likely to be employed in 
positions that underutilize their skills. They are less likely than the 
natives to progress professionally and socially.  
•  The three major challenges they face are discrimination (notably 
but not only on the labour market), education (which does not play 
its role of promoting social mobility) and recognition of diplomas or 
competences (which results in the waste of human capital).  
•  This Commission has set the issue of migration amongst its top 
priorities and last month adopted a European Agenda on 
Migration.  
•  This Agenda aims to address both the urgent challenges of the 
crisis in the Mediterranean and to provide a comprehensive 
response to the structural problems of migration in Europe.  
•  In this respect, it is very important to improve the framework for 
legal migration, as Europe is in a global competition to attract 
talent. Europe’s population is ageing, which augurs increasing 
difficulties due to labour and skill shortages. To this end, the 
Agenda sets the framework for concrete actions in the short and 
medium term. This includes a platform of dialogue on economic 
migration to include input from national administrations social 
partners and other stakeholders. 
•  At the same time, it is clear that we need to ensure that the 
integration policies in place are effective. The European Social 

 

 
 
Fund is providing up to €70 billion to finance social and 
employment support programmes. 20% of this amount - around 
€14 billion- is specifically earmarked to promoting social inclusion 
and reducing poverty. We will actively support Member States and 
other stakeholders involved in the implementation of these 
projects to ensure that they meet their objective.  
•  However, the success mainly depends on the close cooperation of 
national governments, local authorities and civil society. Indeed, 
your role is crucial in implementing and making this Agenda a 
success on the ground. 

 

 
 
Background 
1. Poverty and social exclusion 
What is the issue? 
•  The EU headline poverty and social exclusion target, set in 2010, is to have at 
least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2020, 
thus reducing poverty from 116.8 million people in 2008 (latest data available 
when the target was set) to 96.4 million in 2020.  
•  Latest data available shows that poverty and social exclusion has increased to 
almost 123 million.  
•  Member States' ambition levels in reducing poverty and social exclusion, as 
defined by their national targets which they have to set to achieve the Europe 
2020 target, are in many cases very low. This lack of ambition is due to the fact 
that Member States were allowed to set their targets on the basis of their relative 
starting positions and national circumstances. 
•  The freedom of Member States to depart from definitions agreed for use at EU 
level for their own national poverty targets has led to difficulty in evaluating the 
cumulative ambition of MS versus the 20 million target at the EU level. It has also 
led to some Member States not developing national integrated strategies for 
tackling poverty. 
•  EU Member States are facing both short-term and structural challenges that are 
threatening the sustainability and adequacy of their social models.  
•  Many Member States are experiencing increasing poverty, inequalities and long 
term labour market exclusion, though there are significant divergences across 
the EU. These challenges existed before the crisis, and have been further 
exacerbated. Most Member States are currently off-track towards reaching the 
2020 target to reduce poverty and social exclusion. 
•  Moreover, in the context of the crisis, many Member States are experiencing 
increased fiscal constraints. 
•  In addition, demographic pressures, namely an ageing population and a 
shrinking working age population, are leading to further pressure on public 
budgets and posing challenges to long-term financing of our social protection 
systems. 
What are we doing? 
•  In February 2013, the Commission adopted the Social Investment Package 
(SIP). It provides guidance to Member States on how to adapt their social models 
to the challenges above, with a view to achieving the smart, sustainable and 
inclusive growth objective of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 
•  The Package consists of a Communication setting out an integrated policy 
framework, actions to be taken by Member States and the Commission, and 
guidance on the use of EU funds to support reforms. It is accompanied by a 
Recommendation on Investing in Children, and seven Staff Working Documents 
providing specific guidance in various social policy fields. 
 

 

 
 
•  The package is organised around three principles: 
o  Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social protection systems 
o  Pursue activating and enabling policies, that are joined up as much as 
possible and adapted to people’s unique situations 
o  Pursue timely, preventative approaches to reduce the need for remedial 
intervention  
Implementation 
•  The European Semester process has pursued an integrated EU-level approach 
to steering and monitoring Member States’ reforms aimed at addressing poverty 
and exclusion as well as reforms in the economic and employment fields. The 
Country-Specific Recommendations have been especially useful in providing 
guidance, based on the specific Member States' contexts.   
•  The guidance of the Social Investment Package is informing the European 
Semester exercises by feeding into the Commission’s selection of priorities in the 
Annual Growth Survey and development of Country-Specific Recommendations.  
•  Commitment for improved cooperation and coordination of social policies, in the 
framework of the social Open Method of Coordination, has been strengthened. It 
has led to more structured and comparable monitoring of the social situation in 
MSs and across the EU through new instruments such as the Social Protection 
Performance Monitor. 
•  The European Social Fund, as well as other EU funding instruments such as the 
European Regional Development Fund, the Employment and Social Innovation 
programme, and the new European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived are vital 
financial instruments to support the reforms towards social investment. 
•  The focus is now on effective implementation of this guidance by the 
Commission and the Member States. In addition to mobilising its governance 
framework and funds, the Commission has committed itself to several specific 
initiatives to support Member States’ efforts, synthesised in an Implementation 
Roadmap.  
10 
 





 
 
families), avoid inactivity traps and ensure sufficient redistribution towards those in lower 
income. Yet, even if social protection reduces child poverty by 40% on average in the 
EU, its efficiency and effectiveness varies importantly across countries.  
Pillar 2: Children, and in particular the most disadvantaged, need also access to 
quality services
 that can have a crucial impact on their development. Among these, 
early childhood education and care ECEC) play an essential role in reducing inequality 
from the start. Unfortunately those children who would benefit the most from quality 
ECEC have generally lower access: for instance, in BG, EL, HU, IT, PT, SK, CZ, FR, PL, 
RO and ES on average only one out of two Roma children attends pre-school or 
kindergarten6.  
Social inequalities persist across the EU also in children's health outcomes. These 
inequalities are linked to their social, psychological and physical environment but also to 
the organisation of health systems, in particular health coverage and early prevention 
programmes. 11 % of the children at risk of poverty do not eat fresh fruit or vegetables 
once a day because the household cannot afford it, against 3 % for the rest of the 
population7.  
Children from disadvantaged families are overrepresented in the estimated 1 million 
children in alternative care across Europe. More can be done to ensure that poverty is 
not the only reason for removing a child from their family, through for instance the 
development of parenting support services. When alternative care is identified as the 
last resort solution, it is essential to ensure that children are placed in a supportive 
environment which is as close as possible to a family setting, and benefit from adequate 
help during their transition to adulthood.  
Pillar 3: Child participation in after-school activities and through the right to be heard 
are both important to break the cycle of disadvantage. Such activities can compensate 
for immaterial deprivation and lack of pedagogical stimulus by the parents. All children 
should benefit from extra-curricular activities such as sports and social clubs and cultural 
programmes. The right to be heard is crucial when it comes to involving children early 
on in social services and legal decisions that affect them.  
Cyclical challenges: addressing the crisis' consequences 
Key services and policies supporting children have been by budget cuts, through tighter 
eligibility and cuts or freezes in the level of benefits. There are signs that the most 
universal forms of child allowances are being abandoned or cut in a number of countries 
(UK, CY, EL), shifting support measures towards those most in need. In this context, it is 
essential to sustain investment in children and families and to continue assessing how 
policy reforms affect the most disadvantaged.  
                                                 
6 Commission Staff Working Document, "Progress towards the common European objectives in 
education and training-Indicators and benchmarks-2010/2011", SEC(2011)526 
7 Social Protection Committee (2012) 'Tackling child poverty and social exclusion, promoting 
child well-being', see table p. 27. Data are based on the 2009 EU SILC module on material 
deprivation.  
13 
 



 
 
to provide targeted investment and focused on EU policies on employment, structural 
reforms, skills and education, social inclusion and efficiency of public administrations. 
In order to increase the effectiveness of investments in the Member States in the area of 
inclusive growth of the Europe 2020 strategy, they must, in particular, comply before the 
adoption of the operational programmes (or, failing that, details of their action plans to 
the provisions on macroeconomic conditionality. This involves, for example, setting 
up a national strategic policy framework for poverty reduction,...) 
Minimum thresholds 
The ESF’s budget has increased substantially compared to the previous programming 
period (2007-2013). 
— For the first time, a minimum share for the ESF within the total allocation of 
cohesion policy
 has been set up. It accounts for a minimum of 23.1 % of the financial 
envelope for cohesion policy. In reality, the ESF share of the cohesion policy budget 
was 24.8 % or 86,4 billion euro. 
—  Earmarking of 20 % of the ESF on social inclusion was also significantly 
exceeded
 (25.5 % on the basis of the latest versions of the OP submitted to the 
European Commission).The scope of ESF intervention 
The 4 thematic objectives of the ESF are aimed at achieving the social objectives of the 
Europe 2020 strategy (employment, poverty reduction and early school leaving) namely: 
•  Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour 
mobility 
•  Promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination 
9  Within this thematic objective, there are 6 investment priorities (IP). 
— The IP on “active inclusion” is about integrated and progressive pathways to 
enhance employability of those furthest from the labour market. This aims firstly 
to strengthen the participation of disadvantaged people in society and empower 
them (e.g. via the learning of social skills, increasing self-confidence, language 
courses) and secondly to support activation measures towards the labour market  
(through guidance, education and vocational training, coaching and mentoring), 
together with the provision of social services (such as childcare services, for 
example). 
— The IP on increased access to services allows the financing of a broad scope 
of actions for the homeless such as: 
ƒ Integrated support including psychological assistance, counselling 
centres, multi-purpose centres, anti-eviction programmes; 
ƒ  Support for the training of the service providers working with homeless 
people, including volunteers; 
ƒ  The establishment and development of apprenticeships, vocational 
training and actions related to the social economy in order to facilitate the 
integration of homeless people in the labour market. 
— Under the IP on community-led local development, local action groups 
(including public and private organisations, local authorities, NGOs and 
15 
 

 
 
companies) prepare, lead and drive local strategies to develop the economic and 
social attractiveness of local territories. The ESF can complement activities 
implemented in the context of such local strategies and support capacity building 
of relevant actors. 
•  Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and 
lifelong learning 
•  Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and 
efficient public administration 
 
4) The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) 
The EU has provided food aid to its most needy citizens for over a quarter of a century. 
This began in 1987 with the Food Distribution programme for the Most Deprived 
Persons of the Community (MDP), which channelled food provisions free of charge 
through a number of organisations in direct contact with the targeted recipients.  
The newly established FEAD allows Member States to continue providing vital food aid, 
while making sure that people receiving assistance are also offered support in view of 
their social reintegration or providing social inclusion measures.  
The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) supports actions carried out by 
EU countries to provide material assistance to the most deprived. This includes food, 
clothing and other essential goods for personal use such as shoes, soap and shampoo. 
Material assistance needs to go hand in hand with social inclusion measures, such as 
guidance and support to help people out of poverty. 
National authorities may also support measures non-material assistance for the most 
deprived people, helping them to better integrate into society. 
How does the FEAD work? 
The new Fund offers considerable flexibility to Member States in terms of procuring 
and distributing assistance for the most deprived
. They can plan their programmes 
for 2014-20 on the basis of their national situations and needs and their institutional set 
up.  
There are two types of operational programmes under the FEAD:  
- The food and/or basic material assistance programme (OP I) supports the 
distribution of food and goods to the most deprived.  
- The social inclusion operational programme (OP II) on the other hand finances the 
provision of social inclusion measures to the most deprived.  
While most of the EU Member States (24) will implement an OP I, 4 MS have decided to 
implement an OP II. 
The European Commission approves the national programmes for 2014-20, and 
national authorities then decide on the delivery of the assistance through partner 
organisations, which are public or non-governmental bodies. Partner organisations are 
selected by Member States on the basis of objective and transparent criteria.  
16 
 

 
 
What are the resources available? 
In real terms, over EUR 3,8  billion are earmarked for the FEAD for the 2014-2020 
period. In addition, EU countries must co-finance at least 15 % of the costs of their 
national programmes. 
How does the FEAD complement the European Social Fund (ESF)? 
The FEAD will help the most deprived people in taking their first steps out of poverty and 
social exclusion. It will help to meet their most basic needs, a precondition to enable 
them to find a job or training, particularly those financed by the ESF. 
 
ESF/FEAD allocation by Member State (in million EUR — current prices) 
Ms 
ESF
 
FEAD
 
 
Belgium 
1.028.719.649
73.821.504
 
BG 
1.521.627.776
104.815.264
 
CZ 
3.430.003.238
23.329.849
 
DK 
206.615.841
3.944.660
 
From 
7.495.616.321
78.893.211
 
EE 
586.977.010
8.002.026
 
IE 
542.436.561
22.766.327
 
EL 
3.690.994.021
280.972.531
 
ES 
7.589.569.137
563.410.224
 
FR 
6.026.907.278
499.281.315
 
HR 
1.516.033.073
36.628.990
 
It 
10.468.389.895
670.592.285
 
CY 
128.988.887
3.944.660
 
LV 
638.555.428
41.024.469
 
LT 
1.127.284.104
77.202.641
 
LU 
20.056.223
3.944.660
 
HU 
4.712.139.925
93.882.921
 
MT 
105.893.448
3.944.660
17 
 


 
 
 
 
NL 
507.318.228
3.944.660
 
 
At 
442.087.353
18.032.733
 
 
PL 
13.192.164.238
473.359.260
 
 
PT 
7.543.112.269
176.946.201
 
 
RO 
4.774.035.918
441.013.044
 
 
If 
716.924.970
20.512.235
 
 
SK 
2.167.595.080
55.112.543
 
 
FI 
515.357.139
22.540.916
 
 
SE 
774.349.654
7.889.321
 
 
UK 
4.942.593.693
3.944.660
 
 
Total 
86.412.346.357
3.813.697.770
 
 
 
 
Contacts: 
 (EMPL D1) 
 (EMPL D2) 
 (EMPL E1) 
 (EMPL E1) 
 
Coordination: 
 (EMPL 01) 
18 
 
Electronically signed on 23/05/2019 15:54 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563