The Second Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion which took place on 5-7 December 2012 and gathered more than 650 participants from 40 countries, ended with the common call on Member States and the EU to invest in adequate, sustainable and effective social policies that strengthen human capital and social cohesion.

The European Commission announced at the Second Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion that it will present early next year a Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion. According to László Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the Social Investment Package will provide concrete guidance for the modernisation of welfare states, on the shape of such reforms and on how the EU can support Member States in this context. The Commission adopted a legislative package for cohesion policy for the period from 2014 until 2020 in October 2011.

The Convention brought together 650 participants from 40 countries, representing Member States, civil society and Social Partners to discuss how social policies need to be modernised with a view to the demographic challenges and the current economic and social crisis. A series of workshops at the conference raised various other topics. Discussing health policies, it was agreed that investing preventively in health can save larger costs in the future.

In the workshop for active inclusion, it was stressed that an individualised approach that puts the needs of people at the centre, and effectively integrates quality services and ensures adequate livelihoods, is the best way to promote labour market and social participation. The possibilities of using ICT effectively for e-inclusion were also discussed. ICT has an added value for both citizens, through e.g. empowering people to develop their skills, and organisations, through e.g. reaching target groups and improving coordination and monitoring.