Second biennial report on social services of general interest

Summary:

Social services of general interest (SSGI) play a major role in the European societies by contributing to social protection and social inclusion and enhance the capacity of individuals to enjoy their fundamental rights and to participate fully in the social, economic and political life.

The role of SSGI is all the more crucial in times of economic recessions. As emphasised during the 2009 Czech Presidency Conference on social services, SSGI are an important source of job generation and a key tool for strengthening social cohesion. In the framework of the 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, data show that social services play an important role in employment growth and poverty reduction. Thus developing the SSGI potentials, including where appropriate using resources from the European Structural Funds, can make a significant contribution to the achievement of Europe 2020 targets on employment and poverty reduction.