REPORT: Funding Social Europe

Funding Social Europe: Monitoring Report on the Relevance of EU Funds

The report Funding Social Europe: Monitoring Report on the Relevance of EU Funds explores the usefulness of EU Funds in supporting the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPCSR). It aims to contribute to the improvement of EU funding as a tool for cohesion and social inclusion.

The report presents the value added of the ESF+ in facilitating innovation and scaling-up in social services provision among the Eurodiaconia membership. It identifies common and specific challenges in accessing and implementing ESF+ projects and provides recommendations moving forward. Additionally, the report examines – to the extent that data is available- implications of the upcoming extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS2) on vulnerable households and the importance of the Social Climate Fund and the national Social Climate Plans (SCP) to social services providers. Finally, the report outlines five key principles that Eurodiaconia believes are crucial to ensuring that the fund addresses social needs effectively.

The countries/organisations represented in this report are: Czech Republic (Slezska Diakonie), Denmark (Kirkens Korshaer-DanChurchSocial), Finland (Helsinki Deaconess Foundation and Oulu Deaconess Institute), Germany (Diakonie Deutschland) and Spain (Diaconia España).

Key Findings and recommendations

The key findings on the ESF+ are:

1. Crucial funding source for social inclusion.
2. Barriers to access.
3. Administrative burdens persist.
4. Optimising operations.
5. Effectiveness on the ground.
6. Proposed reforms.

The key findings on the Social Climate Fund are:

1. The increase in the price of fossil fuels has a disproportionately high impact on low-income households and households in precarious situations, vulnerable micro-enterprises, and transport users, who pay more for energy costs relative to their income.
2. Social services and welfare organisations already at the forefront of delivering much-needed services to vulnerable groups or people experiencing or at risk of poverty will also be greatly affected by the increase in the cost of fuel in their facilities, in the cost of providing services to vulnerable groups, and in the cost of their other operations (e.g. income-generating) related to the services that they provide.
3. The Social Climate Fund can be an important resource to cushion the impact of energy price increases for them to continue delivering much-needed services and to enable them to make social service facilities and transport more energy efficient or carbon neutral.

Eurodiaconia’s key recommendations on the Social Climate Fund are:

1. Expand the SCF envelope.Crucial funding source for social inclusion.
2. Channel the fund to those in need.
3. Enhance funding accessibility.
4. Ensure additionality of funds.
5. Foster meaningful partnerships