The 2019 Annual Report of the Social Protection Committee (SPC) delivers on the Committee’s core task to monitor the social situation in the EU and the developments in social protection policies in the Member States.

Based on a set of key indicators and Member States’ reporting, the report analyses the progress towards the Europe 2020 target on reducing poverty and social exclusion, together with the latest social trends to watch. It also presents the most recent social policy developments, as well as the key structural social challenges, in each Member State.

Driven by favourable economic environment and the positive impact of EU and Member State policies over the past years, a continued and now more wide-spread improvement of the social situation is observed across Europe.

And yet, while recent social developments are mostly positive, the analysis of the Social Protection Committee indicates that it remains unlikely that the Europe 2020 poverty and social exclusion target will be achieved.

Policy reforms based on an active inclusion approach and in line with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights continue to be necessary to confront some of the negative social trends indicated in the report and achieve the shared objective of sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe.