Eurodiaconia spoke on behalf of Social Services Europe at a conference organised in Warsaw on “The role of the non-profit sector as a provider of social services of general interest” on the 12 March. It aimed to examine the context that not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) in various countries work in, and examine good practice. The conference was jointly organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Poland, and the Public Benefit Works Council of the Republic of Poland, and the minister and secretary of both intervened.
The Social Services Europe intervention focused on accessibility and affordability of social services for all European citizens, highlighting the challenges of austerity measures leading to budget cuts, competition in procurement based primarily on price, the underuse of structural funds, the low value given to sector and staff shortages. Solutions proposed included implementing the social investment logic, use public procurement wisely, build capacity to access structural funds, work on recruitment and retention, support social dialogue.
More information about the conference can be found here, and the following presentations can be downloaded: Elena Kopcova – Slovakia, Barbara John – Germany, Lukas Curylo – Caritas Czech Republic, Laura Jones – Social Services Europe, Justina Donielaite – Lithuania, Gunta Anca – Latvia.