Ref. Ares(2020)3647727 - 10/07/2020
Minutes of the High-Level Exchange on
Social Services Impact of COVID-19
29th April 2020
The objectives of the conference were:
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To send a high level political signal that the Commission is taking these issues seriously;
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To be in listening mode and to have an informal exchange;
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To conclude with a commitment to follow-up with concrete actions.
Opening remarks by the European Commission
Vice-President Šuica (moderator)
Opened the meeting referring to the additional risk that COVID brings for persons in vulnerable
situations such as older persons and persons with disabilities. She highlighted the difficult situation
faced by those providing social services to these persons, including work and emotional pressure.
She expressed her condolences for the victims of COVID, including many older persons and persons
with disabilities. She conveyed her gratitude for the work of social service care providers.
She invited the participants to share their concerns and suggestions and thanked participants for
having reached out to the Commission to provide insights on the situation. The issues are diverse
and concern the portfolios of all present Commissioners.
As a procedural note about the meeting, she explained that participants may refer to the call in their
communication but not attribute statements to any speakers.
Presentation of recent measures by the European Commission
Commissioner Schmit
Welcomed also the exchange of views in these special circumstances. He highlighted that the most
vulnerable persons deserve attention and support. He also expressed his compassion for those that
passed away.
He expressed expectations for effective national social protection systems that would work as safety
net and refer to the European Pillar of Social Rights and the guidance it provides. He highlighted that
COVID has exposed the vulnerability of the system and referred to low level of investments in the
past.
He highlighted some of the key actions undertaken by the Commission in the COVID response
showing the long-term commitment to social inclusion, referring to CRII and CRII+ and the
possibilities provided by EU Funds in terms of flexibility and availability of financial support and
liquidity with up to 100% co-financing. He stressed the role that FEAD has to support the most
deprived.
Looking to the future, he indicated that the next generation of EU Funds would continue to support
social infrastructures and social services.
He ended referring to the Long Term Care activities that will be pursued and to a report being
developed with the SPC that will describe common challenges and suggest possible improvements.
Commissioner Kyriakides
Welcomed this exchange recognising the big impact that COVID is having on vulnerable groups. She
referred to the work carried out with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
(ECDC) to provide guidance to protect those most vulnerable from risk of infection. She emphasized
that the European Commission is working closely with the ECDC to closely monitor and address the
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Minutes of the High-Level Exchange on
Social Services Impact of COVID-19
29th April 2020
COVID-19 pandemic in EU countries . She thanked the NGOs for sharing information today that will
be used by ECDC for its work and highlighted the importance of working together with other
Commissioners
Commissioner Dalli
She indicated that, despite progress on equality, COVID exposed and exacerbated inequalities and
indicated her commitment to work to combat them. In this work, it is essential to listen to
stakeholders to avoid in the responses discrimination of person with disabilities and older persons
who have been hit harder by COVID. In addition, she recognised the difficult working conditions of
social service providers. She acknowledged that the EU implementation of the UN Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities was put to the test and welcomed the WHO-UN Special Raporteur
recommendations referring to the importance of Member States to follow them. She indicated that
recommendations received from NGOs had also been shared by the Commission with Member
States authorities responsible for disabilities and highlighted that the dialogues with NGOs are
essential to ensure that no one is left behind.
Opening remarks by EASPD
Luk Zelderloo
Recognised that despite being truly European they had difficulties to promote the EU these last days
among their sector who kept asking: “Where is Europe?”. He explained the importance of the social
services sector, its diversity and the different groups of person they serve namely vulnerable persons,
older people, person with disabilities, children, homeless persons, etc. He claimed they felt left alone
during COVID. He said that the social sector needs the Commission’s support, despite “being late but not
too late” in its response. The goal is to avoid that these situations happen again: person dying alone,
families collapsing, and persons in care need not being cleaned. The sector is in communication with the
Commission. They ask for better access to Commission’s support programs, for direct support with new
emergency funds, for the creation of a special task force to look in the future lives of these persons after
COVID. . He urged implementation of support instruments and exchange ideas on long-term effects of
the crisis. After thanking the Commissioners for their availability, he summarised his objectives: to
achieve a common understanding of challenge, to pave the way for new mechanism for support of the
sector and to tackle long term effects of COVID.
Presentation of State of Play and sector input
Alfonso Montero, CEO, European Social Network referred to the international obligations of the
social sector. He indicated the variety of nature of the services providers, including public or
outsourced to private organisations, often non-for profit. He referred to the impact of the
closure of the schools had on vulnerable children, the increase risk for victims of domestic
violence. He highlighted that, while working remotely is encouraged, social services often have
to be provided face to face and that the lack of protective equipment increased the risk of
getting sick. He regretted the disproportionate number of deaths in residential institutions,
reflecting the inadequacy of investments in social care and the lack of recognition as essential
service. He ended referring to the Commission responses to COVID and called for social services
to be included so that Member States in their responses better coordinate and get easier access
to aid.
Jiri Horecky, President European Ageing Network, representing Social services Europe,
introduced the situation of social services and referred to the increase of jobs in the sector event
during the economic crisis. He highlighted the growing demand of social services, for older
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Minutes of the High-Level Exchange on
Social Services Impact of COVID-19
29th April 2020
persons, persons with disabilities, children residential care, in home services, ambulance
education, etc. and referred to the European Pillar of Social Rights principles supported by the
sector.
Freek Spinnewijn, Director Feantsa and President Social Services Europe stressed the
impossibility for homeless persons to follow COVID guidance in particular to stay at home and
isolate. They have to be in often-overcrowded shelters and are difficult to reach and more
vulnerable due to preexisting health conditions. He shared the concern that social services were
already under difficult conditions, run by volunteers, underfunded and facing an increasing
number of users and now working under difficult conditions. He highlighted the additional
demands resulting from COVID that have to be addressed with less available services and even
without protective equipment. He called for social services not to be overlooked in the COVID
responses and to address, in addition to persons with disabilities and older persons, the victims
of domestic violence and homeless persons.
Heather Roy, Secretary General Eurodiaconia started by referring to the challenging working
conditions of the social sector under COVID namely, lack of protective equipment, lack of tests
and vaccines, and highlighted the additional challenges faced in residential care. She shared the
concerns for the wellbeing of staff, who is scarce, working long hours and who will ask for leave
after the crisis while there will be a need to recover from the psychological effects of the high
morbidity faced. She complaint about insufficient funding of the sector, difficulties to find
replacements, and the negative impact of the suspension of contracts. Even the solution to
move to online services faces the challenge of financing IT equipment. She also referred to the
risks for social enterprises and the social economy.
Thomas Bignal, Policy Advisor EASPD proposed to support social services, to set up a taskforce
for actions. While he welcomed actions at EU level, he stated they need to be complemented
with guidance and recommendations to MS in line with European Pillar of Social Rights. He
insisted on the need to address funding issues, staff issues and the need of staff to be taken into
account (for example financing protective equipment and tests). He called to use instruments
such as the European Semester and CSR to address COVID, to improve the coverage of social
services in CRII and create an emergency fund. The idea is to cover the unmet additional costs of
social services with a quick and flexible action that could cover protective equipment, tests and
vaccines and support additional services such as respire services.
In summary, he insisted asking support for social services by adapting existing measures to cover
the sector and setting up a new fund.
Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary-General, AGE Platform, focused her intervention on the
situation of nursing homes that was not optimal from the beginning. She called on every level of
governance to play a role and asked for exchange of knowledge and exchanges. She highlighted
the dramatic situation of all people, in particular those in need of care in nursing homes but also
old people at home. She asked to improve the situation of older people and to pay attention not
only to emergency care, which has not been able to cope, but also to pay attention to second
line actors to prevent COVID impact and who are working without protection equipment, risking
their lives to care for others. She recommended to address Long Term Care as part of the single
market, given the mobility of workers, develop guidelines for residential care and also for home
care, for example on hygienic conditions. In the medium stage, the aim is to anticipate the
second wave, avoid same situation in few months, for example by making better use of IT
solutions to function better. In the longer term, she recommended that solutions for COVID and
climate change are addressed together.
Yannis Vardakastanis, President, European Disability Forum, highlighted the heavy impact of
COVID on persons with disabilities and those with chronic diseases and their families. He
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Minutes of the High-Level Exchange on
Social Services Impact of COVID-19
29th April 2020
indicated that in many Member States they had been forgotten and neglected. He referred to
persons with disabilities dying in institutions and at home. He insisted on the situation of person
in institutions of all ages and covering all aspects of life. Before the crisis, the focus was to avoid
discrimination, social exclusion and poverty, now they have seen increase in medical
discrimination. While he appreciated the letter of the three Commissioners to Member States
addressing these persons, more needs to be done. He recommended the participation of the
Commissioners responsible for this area in the preparation of the COVID responses. He asked
the Commission to call for a meeting in Council with the participation of civil society to talk
about the future, the reconstruction of the EU for all without invisibility or neglect.
Michael De Gols, Vice-Chair of the Social Affairs Board, European Centre of Employers and
Enterprises providing Public Service, undelined the diversity of their members and the role of
the services in preventing the impact of COVID. He referred to the relevant principles of the
European Pillar of Social Rights and the need for a global approach for the continuity of the
companies. Since the start of COVID, they fear the continuity after crisis, the lack of protection
material like masks, staff shortages, difficulties to find qualified workers and difficulties to get
investments. He referred to the role of MFF and exposed their shortages of social
infrastructures. He highlighted the special situation of SMEs who need different approach
compared to large companies. He called for flexibility and indicated that they will face
organisational challenges – compensating rest after long working hours, preventing illness of
staff in future, higher demand for postponed medical interventions. He ended referring to the
role of the social economy to pay attention to inequalities.
Jan-Willem Goudriaan, Secretary General, European Public Service Union thanked the
recognition of workers delivering social services in difficult situations, and referred to all workers
in front line, from cleaners to doctors, at home and residential care. He conveyed five points: 1-
health and safety of workers are of utmost importance and are the employer’s responsibility.
They are not sufficiently prepared and this should be addressed in the Commission responses. 2-
Social services are under pressure, staff is getting infected, there is lack of staff. 3- they are
underfunded and already under pressure before and asked for support call for emergency
funding. 4- called for the involvement of social services in collective bargain and in the
development of the sector. 5 – recalled that social services are part of social protection and
called for quality services with support and Unions involvement.
Discussion: What role for the EU
During the discussion, participants highlighted the situation of vulnerable persons, in particular those
living in institutions, and asked the Commission to act and engage with Member States.
Again, the provision of a new additional emergency fund for the social sector was requested, as well as
the visibility of measures for the social sector in the Commission responses together with guidance in a
comprehensive policy response. The NGOs also requested that Commissioners in charge of social
portfolios would be added to the EC COVID-19 task force.
Participants offered the participation of their sectors in the preparation of actions and recalled ethical
issues.
Concluding remarks and next steps
Commissioner Schmit thanked the speakers and recognised that NGOs are doing tremendous
work contributing to the EU response and having a key role in tackling crisis. On the request for
Europe to be more visible, he explained that the Commission reacted very rapidly to make funds
available in a flexible manner but that it is a decision of Member States how to use the money.
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Minutes of the High-Level Exchange on
Social Services Impact of COVID-19
29th April 2020
He indicated being very sensitive to the issue of homelessness, and will work to address the
vulnerability of this population. He explained that the Semester already addresses
recommendations on social services including on investments. He referred to the OSH for
guidance for return to work.
Commissioners Kyriakides thanked the participants for their advice and remarked that the
pandemic is not yet over and that guidance for lifting confinement should cater for the most
vulnerable including children, elderly in care, persons with disabilities and those in psychiatric
facilities. She referred to the joint procurement for protective equipment and indicated that she
will refer to ministers of health about the need to address those providers of social care.
Commissioner Dalli thanked the participants for sharing their knowledge and referred to the
letter sent with the three Commissioners to ministers, highlighting the need for access to
information by persons with disabilities. She showed her concern on the use of age or disability
as a criteria to access medical treatment and indicated the intention to follow up with Member
States. She underlined the additional impact on women who are more often carers and their
conditions of work, including in the informal economy, referring to the Gender EqualityStrategy.
She concluded, referring to the European Disability Strategy where this new COVID reality will be
considered with input of the participants.
Vice-President Šuica thanked all participants and shared the intention to follow up on the
recommendations received.
She indicated that several instruments and solutions are needed to
address all the issues and shared her intention to talk to the Commission President about it. She
summarised that in the short term issuing guidance, and in the medium term the mobilisation of
resources could be considered and acknowledged the need to address long-term care in the long
term, learning from the crisis. She encouraged continuing exchanges also at technical level.
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