Sweden to push for stronger social services in EU

Social protection is set to be a major theme of the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the EU.

Over the next six months, Sweden hopes to focus on making the best use of employment and welfare services to counter the negative consequences of the economic recession.

“There are social problems in Europe. There is an increasing need for social services. This is of course a result of the current situation and we are now beginning to see the social consequences of the economic crisis,” Swedish Public Health Minister Maria Larsson said at the 17th European Social Services conference in Prague. 

The need for social security was also underlined by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt at a recent speech in Brussels.

“For most people the crisis is not a question of financial stability or sustainable growth. Instead the sky is painted black by a rise in unemployment and social exclusion, he said.

“To put it bluntly: people are losing their jobs,” he added.

Swedish Presidency activities will include discussions about more effective social services and hosting the 8th European Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion, to be held in October this year in Stockholm.

“We will discuss different aspects on how to integrate services from social security agencies,” Larsson said.

“Hopefully the outcomes of this conference will provide an important input to the European Year of combating poverty and social exclusion 2010 and to the Post Lisbon Strategy,” she added.

A report by the WHO on the social causes of ill health stressed that social services are a vital part of good health for everyone.

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including...necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control,” the report says.

“Extending social protection to all people, within countries and globally, will be a major step towards securing health equity within a generation.”

Please follow this link for the official website of the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

You can read the WHO report on the social determinants of health here.