As the European Union prepares its new budget, many organisations (Inclusion Europe among them) call on it to keep funding inclusion.
The European Commission will present its proposal for new EU budget next week. The EU budget says how the EU will spend its money in the years following 2027.
There were many reports saying the European Commission would propose a budget without a dedicated fund for inclusion.
Inclusion Europe is one of many organisations calling on the EU to keep investing in inclusion of people (with disabilities).
The European Parliament, in its resolution on the next EU budget, demands continued funding of social inclusion. (More explanation on the budget from the European Parliament.)
EU money for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and families
In March, we published our call for EU money for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
- The importance of investing in people, their skills and inclusion
- Conditions to achieve inclusion with public money
- What public money should be used for to support the right to decide, right to live independently and to be included, housing and support, education, employment, health care, and representation.
For better use of EU funding to foster the transition from institutional to community-based care
As members of the EEG, we led the work to develop a new document (PDF) outlining how the EU should use its money to support deinstitutionalisation.
During an EEG event in June, Milan Šveřepa presented the key points of the paper:
EU must invest in social inclusion, specifically the transition from institutional to community-based support.
A standalone fund with a specific budget for social inclusion needs to remain, with funding for:
- Family- and community-based support.
- Housing.
- Support for families and caregivers.
- Access to education, employment, healthcare, etc.
It is crucial to maintain and strengthen existing safeguards such as the Common Provisions Regulation.
- EU funds must not maintain, renovate, or build institutions.
National or regional deinstitutionalisation strategies should be an essential condition to receive EU funds.
Deinstitutionalisation should become a specific objective of EU Funds, dedicated to funding:
- organisations that support individual persons to move out of an institution
- programmes to close institutions.
There should be a coordination with member states on common goals:
- Clear scope of the issue
- Timeline to close institutions and develop community-based support
- Re-directing national/regional budgets from institutions to community-based support.
There should be framework evaluating transition from institutional to community-based care:
- How many people were supported to move out of institutions?
- How many institutions closed?
- How effective are different actions, how to improve
Fund the fight against child poverty
In May, we joined other members of the Alliance for investing in children calling on the EU to fund measures tackling child poverty.
- Reinforce the European Child Guarantee.
- Integrate the Child Guarantee into a strengthened EU Social Agenda.
- Back ambitions with robust funding in the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
8 success factors for a future ESF+
In July, we joined many other organisations in support of keeping the European Social Fund (ESF+) as a part of the EU budget dedicated to funging inclusion.
The statement highlights 8 success factors of the European Social Fund:
- Guaranteed funding for employment, training & social initiatives
- Multi-level governance, through shared management between the EU and its regions
- Earmarking for social inclusion, to ensure funding also reaches the most excluded
- Simplification and flexibility for end-beneficiaries, to make EU Funds more attractive
- Enabling conditions, to align funds with international legal frameworks
- The partnership principle, to ensure EU funds meet local needs
- Funding for local initiatives, instead of solely large-scale projects
- Focus on long-term priorities and reforms, rather than short-term investments only.
Promise of change?
As the latest statement was published, reports emerged on 10 July that the European Commission will change its original proposal to keep the dedicated social fund.
Inclusion Europe keeps advocating for good policies and proper funding to end segregation of people with intellectual disabilities and isolation of their families.