2011 Assessment of Social Inclusion Policy Developments in the EU

This short report was produced to assist the European Commission in monitoring the Europe 2020 process as well as the impact of the financial and economic crisis and of the fiscal consolidation measures from a social inclusion perspective. It provides an overview of the main findings from an analysis of 27 country reports prepared by members of the EU Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion. In these reports, the Network's experts assessed the impact on poverty and social exclusion of the main policy developments in the Member States during 2011. They did so in the light of the implementation of the National Reform Programmes (NRPs), the Stability and Growth Pact, the country specific recommendations (as approved by the EU Council of Ministers) and the ?Euro Plus Pact? in their respective countries. This overall report also draws on both the independent experts' country analyses and the NCT's overall assessment to put forward concrete suggestions for improvements in the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy.