Ursula von der Leyen has won a second term as European Commission president with her political guidelines for Europe’s future. These include an action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), an EU anti-poverty strategy, and an affordable housing plan as key initiatives within her social agenda.

While these initiatives are welcome, we need to look at how they are formulated and implemented, not least because her previous presidency was characterised by frequently delegating solutions to national governments, highlighting that implementation of Commission’s social policies remains a Member State’s competence.

In its Europe 2020 Strategy, the EU adopted five headline targets, including lifting at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2020. However, the previous Commission, led by Ms von der Leyen, did not formally assess whether the poverty targets had been met. As the European Social Network (ESN) warned in 2021, the target, which mostly measured income inequality, seemed to be largely missed. Likewise, the European Platform Against Poverty and Social Exclusion, which aimed to create a partnership between national governments, European institutions, local and regional authorities, and nongovernmental organisations did not meet after 2016 and therefore could not monitor whether the objectives were being met. Based on this experience, it is very important that a future anti-poverty strategy must be for real, leading to action and not just aspiration.

In 2021, the European Commission launched its proposal for an action plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). The proposal incorporates a series of initiatives and three key objectives, including reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 15 million by 2030. ESN highlighted the importance of providing a roadmap and clear targets but emphasised that this would only be effectively implemented through partnering with the regional and local social services that have the statutory duty of furthering social inclusion.

Likewise, while an affordable housing plan is welcome, such an initiative should also ensure support for homeless people or those at risk of homelessness, with a focus on investing in overarching prevention and social inclusion programmes. This would help to avoid an over-reliance on shelters and expensive hotel accommodation at a very late stage.

If the future European Commission is to focus on putting the agenda into action, President von der Leyen should appoint a social rights Commissioner to be responsible for ensuring commitment, accountability, and implementation. Social services are pivotal in upholding the social inclusion and protection principles of the EPSR, but this is contingent on factors such as the right type of investment, a quality framework and model of care based on the community, and investing in their workforce. Therefore, the future European Commission should lead at least four key initiatives for the development of a coordinated European framework for social services.

Promote Social Services Financial Sustainability

Encourage an assessment of social services sustainable financing in the framework of the European Semester of policy coordination between the EU and national governments.

Revamp the European Social Services Quality Framework

Propose the EU undertakes a review of the 2010 European Voluntary Quality Framework in Social Services and promotes a new framework to ensure its principles, standards and indicators are up to date with current best practice and make sure that these revolve around improving the life outcomes of people using social services.

Incentivise a person-centred community-based model of care

Call for a European Community Care Initiative which ensures that EU funds are not used for institutional care and focuses instead on community-based programmes. It should promote a ‘care guarantee for all’ to help people who may be in disadvantaged situations to access the care or support they need.

Launch a European Social Services Workforce Strategy

Advocate for a European Social Services Workforce Strategy that addresses growing demand for professionals, recruitment and retention innovative approaches, mutual recognition of qualifications, and continuing professional development.

These initiatives would contribute to the development of a much-needed European framework for social services. While respecting the principle of subsidiarity, there are several arguments in favour of the European Commission launching a coordinated European framework for social services in light of free movement of people and workers, the European focus on identifying common challenges and sharing best practice. It would also sit well with the emphasis on social protection and social cohesion put forward by President von der Leyen in her plan for Europe’s future.