REPORT 03/2008 on the Draft 5th National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, 2008-2010.
The Council?s report stresses the need to increase the supply of homes for rent.The Council considers that the 5th National Plan for Social Inclusion (PNAin) should more firmly address the issue of inter-regional equity (given the differences between the various Spanish regions). The Council draws attention to the poverty risk rates according to which Spain is four points above the EU level. But the report makes a positive assessment of the Plan?s stronger measures on access to employment and education, though it notes that such measures are of a general nature and are not always directly linked to situations involving a risk of social exclusion. The Council regrets the lack of measures to guarantee closer coordination between active employment policies and social inclusion policies in a context of strengthening mechanisms for cooperation between social services and public employment services. As to the goal of guaranteeing a minimum income, the Council still sees a need for standardization at national level of minimum criteria for basic guaranteed income, and an orientation of programmes for guaranteeing minimum income towards vocational integration. Regarding the social integration of immigrants, the report notes that the draft plan contains hardly any specific new measures for immigrants in a situation or at risk of social exclusion. The Council considers that the PNAin should reflect the additional effort required by the population increase undergone by Spain in recent years in budget appropriations and management of access to education, health, housing or social services, introducing specific mainstream measures aimed at facilitating social inclusion in the migrant population in each of these fields.The Council considers that, in the sphere of social housing, the Plan should include the objective of boosting the supply, promoting home improvements for this purpose and increasing the supply of homes for rent, especially those accessible to groups at risk or in a situation of social exclusion.
REPORT 02/2008 on New Models of Consumption in Spain, issued by the Economic and Social Council (ESC) of Spain, drafted at its own initiative
The ESC calls for more transparency in quick credits, and for the Bank of Spain to control the debt consolidation companies.The Report shows concern about family indebtedness because of the new credit models.The ESC demands control over misleading publicity and unfair competition.The Report asks for strengthening the security of economic trade and data protection.
REPORT 01/2008 on the economic and social effects in Spain of the enlargement of the European Union
The Council considers that, in general, the effects of enlargement have not had a major impact on our country and that Spain has a relative advantage compared to other member states. Despite this relatively favourable position, the ESC believes that Spain must make greater efforts and take advantage of its safety margin in order to articulate and intensify strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of its production fabric.The Report talks of the need to put in place a new plan for Spanish industrial policy in the context of the revision of industrial policy at Community level and the framework of general economic policy contained in the National Reform Program.For the Council, this new industrial policy must be capable of the long-term consolidation of a solid and dynamic production framework as a basis for economic growth, to be adjusted in line with supply and demand, and capable of reacting rapidly to changes in the situation, thanks to a complete understanding of the peculiarities of each sector and, at the same time, capable of standing up to growing competition from abroad. Innovation is the main resource that companies have to reduce the effects of the processes of relocation.The report believes that collective bargaining must include strategies for new aspects of enlargement. In this sense it notes that the experience of dialogue and social harmony in Spain represent a major asset that should be studied in depth in order to confront the socio-economic challenges arising from processes such as European enlargement and, more particularly, as a tool to manage the expectation of change and restructuring.
Joint report of the National Labour Council and the Central Economic Council - Intermediate evaluation of the implementation of opinion No. 1,566 of 21 September 2006: welfare adjustment of social benefits - report 71
Contribution of the social partners to the Communication from the Commission: "Modernising social protection for greater social justice and economic cohesion: taking forward the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market" - report 73