Minister for Social Affairs Mrs. Ingjerd Schou, Norway :

Chairman, Fellow Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen

The Government of Norway appreciates very much being invited to this informal meeting for Employment and Social Affairs Ministers. We are also pleased that Norway as a result of the EEA Agreement is now in the process of being accepted as a participant in the EU Community Action Programme to Combat Social Exclusion. This will allow Norway to take part in the trans-national co-operation and exchange that emerge as a result of the programme. This will give us an important opportunity to build new partnerships and coalitions in the social field that in its turn, will provide us with a completely new platform to fight poverty and social exclusion, both in my own country and in Europe as a whole. Although the fact remains that Norway is not a member of the EU, we are dedicated to take part in the Community Action Programme in all its aspects, by addressing and following up the key issues and challenges defined by the goals put forward in the Lisbon and Nice meetings in 2000 and the issues raised at the Laeken meeting in 2001.

The Norwegian Government are presently working on its own National Action Plan for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion that will be presented as a White Paper to the Norwegian Parliament this autumn. Our Action Plan has in many aspects been inspired by the EU-initiated National Action Plans. This means that we will build on the same policy tools and social indicators as the individual plans of the 15 member states. By such an approach we will ensure that learning and knowledge will be shared between us all, in a way that will help us guide and monitor our future steps towards a society where the risks and burdens of poverty and social exclusion are minimised.

Children are far more vulnerable and exposed to risks associated with the consequences of poverty and social exclusion than grown-ups. Recent national reports on child poverty in Norway show that some children and youths in Norway grow up in families that have low income over an extended period of time.

This applies most frequently to single parent families, children whose parents are long-time unemployed or receiving social welfare benefits, children with ethnic minority background and families in receipt of other public assistance. Children in these families may not be able to participate in the same activities as other children. Strengthening the parents’ attachment to working life is, therefore, crucial to solving the problems of child poverty.

A gender perspective should be acknowledged as a fundamental dimension in analysing and understanding aspects of social marginalisation and poverty. It is also important in order to design and implement successful measures to secure inclusion in working life and society.

Addressing such questions has to be based on social indicators that will provide more specific knowledge about the living conditions of important target groups. Furthermore, it has to be combined with more knowledge about how well current services and benefits are tailored to meet the needs of poor people in general. This calls for a more systematic and profound review of the functioning of our welfare system. Such new elements of knowledge will increase our opportunities to design improved and targeted measures to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Participating in the Community Action Programme will of course add a new and valuable dimension in this respect.

However, poverty cannot be erased merely by increased knowledge in itself. I strongly believe that the role of non-profit and non-governmental organisations as well as the role of the social partners cannot be overestimated. My Government have therefore taken on the role of mobilising and strengthening the NGO’s and other important actors that operate in this field. Involving NGOs and the social partners in all aspects of fighting poverty is of utmost importance, because government neither in Norway, nor in any other country can solve these problems alone.

The role of the social partners and the NGO’s will of course be reflected in the setting up of a national co-ordinating body for the participation in the Community Action Programme.

Norway has indeed a common challenge with the Union in raising the employment rates for those groups that have a weak attachment to working life. The situation in Norway right now is that as many as 10 % per cent of all people in the working age population have left the working life and receives a disability pension.

The situation calls for rather drastic measures, in terms of improving coherence and co-ordination between social welfare policies and labour market policies. Over the years we have been increasingly aware of the fact that the interaction between the governmental national insurance system, the governmental labour office and the social services in the municipalities, have not been functioning well enough. Therefore the Norwegian Parliament has asked for a total evaluation of the situation, calling for labour market and social protection reforms that will provide a much greater degree of integration between these systems. The government will launch a White Paper to the Parliament on the topic this autumn. Work for those who can and better user-orientation is at priority in this work.

Again, on behalf of the Norwegian Government, I am grateful for the invitation to this meeting. I look forward to the discussions and exchange of views that will take place here in Kolding, not to mention what lays ahead of us in the months and years to come.