European Commission urges member states to focus on growth, social cohesion

The European Commission has called on Member States to prioritise social investment and to modernise their welfare states.

According to the Commission, this would mean better performing active inclusion strategies and a more efficient and more effective use of social budgets. The call features in a Communication on Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion just adopted by the Commission.

The communication also offers guidance to Member States on how best to use EU financial support, notably from the European Social Fund, to implement the outlined objectives. The Commission will closely monitor the performance of individual Member States' social protection systems through the European Semester and formulate, where necessary, Country Specific Recommendations.

"Social investment is key if we want to emerge from the crisis stronger, more cohesive and more competitive. Within existing budget constraints, Member States need to shift their focus to investment in human capital and social cohesion," László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Social Inclusion, said today.

"This can make a real difference if we want to make real progress towards the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. Social Investment today helps to prevent Member States having to pay much higher financial and social bills tomorrow."