Division Guideline 8: Fostering social inclusion, combatting poverty and promoting equal opportunities

Member States should modernise social protection systems to provide effective, efficient and adequate protection throughout all stages of an individual's life, fostering social inclusion, promoting equal opportunities, including for women and men, and addressing inequalities. Complementing universal approaches with selective ones will improve effectiveness, while simplification should lead to better accessibility and quality. More attention should go to preventative and integrated strategies. Social protection systems should promote social inclusion by encouraging people to actively participate in the labour market and society. Affordable, accessible and quality services such as childcare, out-of-school care, education, training, housing, health services and long-term care are essential. Particular attention should also be given to basic services and actions to prevent early school leaving, reduce in-work poverty and fight poverty and social exclusion.

For that purpose, a variety of instruments should be used in a complementary manner, in line with the principles of active inclusion, including labour activation enabling services, accessible quality services and adequate income support, targeted at individual needs. Social protection systems should be designed in a way that facilitates take-up for all those entitled to do so, supports protection and investment in human capital, and helps to prevent, reduce and protect against poverty and social exclusion through the life cycle.

In a context of increasing longevity and demographic change, Member States should secure the sustainability and adequacy of pension systems for women and men. Member States should improve the quality, accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness of health and long-term care systems, while safeguarding sustainability.