The EU coordinates the action of national governments and encourage:
to fight against poverty and social exclusion;
to reform their social protection systems along the lines of their mutual experiences and identifying policies that work best, especially in the field of fight against poverty and social exclusion, pensions, health care and of long-term care;
to meet the challenges posed by demographic changes and take the necessary steps to counter the effects of aging by giving priority to new perspectives on health;
regularly to analyze data directly comparable across the EU.

The European Commission funds research and analysis on poverty and social exclusion, pensions, health care and long-term care.

Working Together

The Member States of the EU work in a common framework of political cooperation called "open method of coordination". They adopt in this framework of objectives and common indicators to measure progress.

Governments reflect the common objectives of national action plans in the form of national strategic reports.

National reports are assessed by the Commission and the Council, preparing joint reports analyzing the results in the different Member States of the initiatives agreed at European level.

The Commission is also working with the candidate countries to help them reform their social protection systems. It has its priorities in the 'Joint Inclusion Memorandum.

Followed across the EU

The Commission reports on the social situation in the EU and on certain specific areas, accompanied by statistical data.

The European Observatory on the Social Situation analyzes the social and demographic trends to assist the Commission to report on the social situation in Europe. It has to do three multidisciplinary international networks:
income distribution and living conditions
demography
health, health care and long-term care