What prompted you to introduce the ‘Active Inclusion Integration Platform’, I asked Muhamet Klinaku, our National Liaison Official (NLO) in Kosovo representing the Public Employment Service in Kosovo, during a regular follow-up meeting in autumn 2023. The AIIP, as it is abbreviated, is the result of an internal reorganisation that took place in partnership between the Kosovan authorities in order to provide the best services to citizens (Birtha, Scoppetta & Sandu, 2022). It was you, the European Centre, he replied immediately, leaving me speechless for a short while. This is the policy impact that we are aiming for with all our activities, I thought. But very rarely is it expressed so clearly.
Integrating vulnerable groups of society into employment is a difficult task. Persons who are marginalised can tell a lot of stories about their attempts and related processes. Vocational rehabilitation – as it is called in technical terms – is however not only a challenge for the persons themselves. It is challenging for employment counsellors and social workers, too, to offer suitable jobs and prepare people accordingly. The potential of each individual must be utilised and all available resources from different policy areas and types of support (benefits and services) must be pooled and applied. This includes employment, business, education, health and social policy, in particular. Partnerships between policy actors and policy areas, especially at central policy programme design level are crucial for success, as policy measures need to be harmonised and actions coordinated, respectively.
Setting up and implementing partnerships is not an easy task either. Policy silos exist, which limit cooperation efforts of proactive policy actors such as NGOs or even social partners. Unfortunately, there is no common understanding that specific challenges such as the segregation of the labour market, the fragmentation of labour, social inequality and the reduction of poverty can be better solved through joint action. However, integrated policies are needed to provide the best possible help to those affected, excluded, and needy. If we take the motto of the UN Agenda 2030 ‘Leave no one behind’ seriously, we must overcome thinking in silos and instead act in partnership.
Measures at the interface between the labour market and social protection, for instance, support individuals along a developmental path and facilitate to slowly introduce jobseekers to the labour market. Social workers, NGOs and employment officers work hand in hand by offering low threshold measures such as drug and debt counselling, accompanying them to daily routines and self-confidence trainings. An example for such activity is the integrated approach in employment and welfare service delivery. The European Centre was commissioned by the UNDP and ILO 2017-2018 to co-develop Integrated Case Management (ICM) for the Western Balkans, followed by an ICM project for Armenia and Tajikistan in 2022 and for Uzbekistan in 2024.
Muhamet Klinaku, our NLO in Kosovo, whom we met at the beginning of this article, obviously was not only a good listening and learning partner during the activities of the ICM project for the Western Balkans, but he also immediately took steps in partnership with Kosovar colleagues to implement the AIIP as a core element of the integrated approach applied in Kosovo. The platform helps in engaging the beneficiaries from the second category of the social assistance scheme in employment with the aim to provide integrated services through extensive experience for the management of each individual case (Birtha, Scoppetta & Sandu, 2022).
Ultimately, achieving policy impact is also not an easy task. The BB team at the European Centre applies participatory approaches when designing trainings, policy reviews or peer reviews and other mutual learning events. The focus here is on creating a fruitful learning environment in which discussions are held on an equal footing and in an open and respectful manner.
The European Centre offers a unique platform for knowledge exchange in the social field. We are maintaining the Eastern European Social Policy Network with the aim to support cooperation between the countries of the UN European Region to build more efficient and equitable social systems. Partners can publish their research results and exchange them with others. We also offer regular BBinars, webinars for BB countries, on certain policy instruments and topics. We gather experts from research and practice on recent research results and discuss the situation in the context of the Western Balkans and/or Easter Partnership countries. For example, challenges of long-term care were presented and debated during the BBinar held in February 2024 based on findings of recent research conducted by the Red Cross of Serbia.
More than 75% of respondents of a stock-tacking exercise that was implemented to better understand the impact of our BB work stated that “BB provides comparative research identifying key issues of social policy in Europe” (Kahlert & Premrov, 2022, p.6). Through transfer of know-how based on studies and analysis BB states can learn from each other’s success and failure. Countries that have made progress in specific policy areas can share their experiences with other countries that still have to face these challenges. The Austrian Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Johannes Rauch, confirms: “The European Centre strengthens social policy issues, especially in the accession process of the EU candidate countries”.
As part of the UNECE region, the BB countries are facing manifold economic and social challenges. Generally speaking, and compared to the EU countries, these include limited economic and social progress, widespread corruption and lower efficiency in public administration (see, for instance, European Commission, 2023; Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, 2021). Poverty reduction and strengthening the welfare system are high priorities in all countries, especially in the wake of the recent multiple crises faced by society such as COVID-19 and the increasing costs of living, due to energy crisis and high inflation rates (UNDG Europe and Central Asia, 2018; Gjylsheni, Birtha & Scoppetta, 2024).
The main role of Bridge Building is to support our partners in the search for policy solutions through comparative research, policy analyses, evaluations and assessments, transfer of know-how and best practices, cooperation and capacity building. Our activities are designed to support the accession process. Co-operation is based on Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) between the respective ministries in the BB countries. We work with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine. Since 2022, we also partner with social policy actors in Central Asia, especially in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (‘BB light’).
Our BB partners that are in search for policy solutions often confront us with their challenges. Within the BB Peer Reviews und Trainings, a project funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (2021 -2024), we merged similar needs of BB countries and offered peer reviews or policy reviews on these topics. Thus, we not only facilitated regular exchange between BB countries on the need for research-based and policy-relevant knowledge on social policy, but also offered mutual learning events where the countries found answers supported by the European Centre’s expertise, e.g. on how to better manage the health and social consequences of COVID-19 and how to fight poverty, especially for vulnerable groups. 85% of respondents of the mutual learning activities agreed that the events had helped them to develop new political perspectives for their work. Likewise, 81% of respondents confirmed that the events enabled them to prepare policy recommendations for future reforms (Scoppetta, Birtha & Gjylsheni, 2024).
Key findings and lessons learnt of the BB Peer reviews are that BB countries are in need of policy reforms and adapted measures that foster integrated policy approaches. There is also a necessity to focus policies on people in vulnerable situations and adopt person-centred approaches. Frequently, the BB countries still miss measures that empower and activate target groups such as vulnerable groups. Building capacity in the institutions implementing social policies and promoting partnership between stakeholders to address complex societal problems, was also identified as a challenge by participants of the mutual learning events. Finally, BB countries must strengthen evidence-based policymaking by setting up comprehensive M&E (monitoring and evaluation) systems that support a robust, data-driven approach to policymaking across diverse domains, underlining the dynamic nature of policy frameworks and the essential role of reliable data in shaping effective, evidence-based policies (Scoppetta, Birtha & Gjylsheni, 2024).
An example of such a BB Peer Review in the field of social assistance was the online event on ‘The design of social assistance services in the Republic of Moldova: better targeting and promotion of employment’, organised in September 2022. The peer review found that the coverage, adequacy and targeting of social assistance services in the Republic of Moldova should be improved to reach those most in need. Activation can be expanded through an individualised approach and through the integration and coordination of employment, social and other services (Geyer et al, 2023). Johannes Rauch, the Austrian Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection informs:
The European Centre is an intergovernmental organisation affiliated to the United Nations and supports the sustainable development goals of the UN. Within our BB activities we utilize key competencies in the areas of active and healthy ageing, active labour market policy, bridge building, family policy, industrial relations, integrated care, labour mobility, long-term care, new forms of work, people with disabilities, poverty and inequality, healthcare and social support services. BB work is done in teams at the European Centre comprising highly committed experts of different policy areas.
We are very honoured that the Republic of Austria, together with the United Nations, decided 50 years ago to establish the ‘European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research’ based in Vienna.
We are proud of the fact that we have shown in the past that joining forces across territories and between stakeholders, policies and areas, especially in BB countries works. In fact, it works much better than expected.
Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Inequalities persist and even grow. Social policies are frequently lagging behind in providing adequate answers to the challenges faced by our societies today. Proactive adjustments and remodelling/redesigning of policies that look ahead and anticipate upcoming changes in an internationalised and increasingly digitalised world of work is required.
We are your partner in social policy research and advice and are looking forward to contributing to future debates.
