1. EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DG Employment and Social Affairs
Jerome Vignon
Director Social Protection & Social Inclusion
The importance of socio-economic research to policy making Bruxelles 12 November 2004

2. Contents The context to and nature of policy making
Challenges to Social Policy according to HLG on Future of Social policy in the enlarged Europe
OMC: New EU governance increases the need for support from socio-economic research
Need for figures & quantification of the arguments
Complex nature of policymaking sets need for interdisciplinary approaches and cross-fertilisation
ERA – Developing a European Area for research a priority for policy makers seeking scientific support
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3. Context of EU social policy making
Mid-term review of Lisbon Strategy
Developing the Social Agenda
Within the context of streamlining
Using all instruments but OMC in particular
Finding ways to enhance MS ability to deliver
Securing potential synergies between economic, employment, social and health policies
Gain support from COM, MS & Population

4. Challenges to Social Policy according to HLG on Future of Social policy
Managing change related to:
Enlargement
Demographic Ageing
Globalisation
Governance issues

5. Framework: the Lisbon Strategy
Long term objectives of Lisbon remain valid
OMC fits well with an enlarged Europe
Necessary to update Lisbon strategy
New economic situation
Compensate drop in WAP
Combine with Stability & Growth Pact

6. Five Major Policy Orientations
Focusing the Employment Strategy
Reforming social protection systems
Fostering social inclusion
Allowing couples to have the number of children they desire
Developing an EU immigration policy

7. Five Messages
Improve contribution of social policy to growth, competitiveness & social cohesion
Extend the working life at both ends
Invest in children and young people
Create a new demographic dynamism
Promote good governance in social affairs

8. HLG Conclusion HLG call for: A New Inter-generational Pact
Echoed at 3-4 Nov EU Summit

9. OMC increases the need for support from socio-economic research
Open - yet committing - Coordination
Common Broad Objectives - NAPs & verifiable targets fitted to problems & capacities of each MS
Common Indicators & Bench-marking
Systematic Monitoring & Peer-review
Output & performance oriented
Open to all stakeholders incl. regional and local government and social partners and NGOs
Involves evidence based policies and accountability
Better Governance ultimate aim: Using Europe to improve not just policy performance but policy process

10. Need for quantification
Decision makers need to base initiatives on hard facts and to document results
Ex ante: document appropriateness of proposals
Impact assessment (economic, administrative, environmental, for equal opportunities etc.)
Ex post: document outcomes
Evaluation (Monitoring, explaining outcomes: identify reasons for success/failure)
Ex ante II: Evidence-based policy correction

11. Need for interdisciplinary approaches and cross-fertilisation
Policy making is a inter-disciplinary activity
Social sciences to engage with the challenge of creating good synergies between political democracy, state activity and market dynamics
Comprehensive, holistic policies need input from several disciplines
Success depends not just on aggregation of disciplines, but very much on cross-fertilisation between the social, human and natural sciences

12. ERA – a priority for policy makers seeking scientific support
National orientation makes it difficult to access social science excellence at EU level thus constraining quality of policy making
Potential quality & relevance of social science hampered by lack of work at EU-25 level
Rich diversity of Europe provides a powerful laboratory for social science test & development
ERA much needed to bring scientific support to EU policy and European potentials to science

13. Staying Informed http://europa.eu.int
Access to the Commission services pages:
EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs)
ECFIN (Economic and Financial Affairs)
index_en.htm
Access to EU legislation
Access to rulings of the Court of Justice
Access to European Parliament, Council etc.