One of the important tasks of Serbia in the process of EU accession is to take part in the European Social Inclusion Process. This task implies development and advancement of the institutional framework and methodology for monitoring of the situation with respect to social inclusion of individuals as well as social groups in the specific context of social changes in Serbia.

The monitoring methodology should simultaneously ensure comparability of basic indicators of social inclusion of EU Member States and the acceding states, but also to provide insight into specific issues of social inclusion arising from the characteristics of the transition in Serbia.

The turning point in the development of the European Social Project was the Lisbon Summit of the European Council held in March 2000 where the EU leaders noted that the EU is to become „the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy in the world by 2010, capable to sustained economic growth, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion“. Thereby social cohesion was proclaimed one of the three key strategic objectives of the EU, in parallel with the aim of establishing the most competitive knowledge-based economy and an better labour market.

The social inclusion process thereby becomes key to future development of the European Social Project towards a more clearly profiled and better coordinated model. European Council asked the Member States and the European Commission to take steps that would have a strong effect on prevention of poverty by 2010. The joint objectives in combating poverty and social exclusion were presented at the Nice Summit of European Commission held in late 2000. The leaders of EU Member States adopted a set of key indicators for monitoring social exclusion in Laeken, the suburb of Brussels, already in 2001.

The acceleration of EU integration process and the alignment of our system with the EU standards and the social inclusion process represent significant opportunities for the future.

A Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Team has been established in the cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration. This Team will support the Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration in coordinating, monitoring and reporting on the efforts of the Government in the area of social inclusion.

With a view to advancing the implementation and monitoring of the Social Inclusion Process and developing the policies aimed at  poverty reduction and social inclusion in the forthcoming period, the Government of Serbia* defined and presented the indicators of social inclusion in the Republic of Serbia. The proposed social inclusion indicators include the so called Laeken indicators of the European Union, as well as the nationally specific indicators that Serbia will monitor and report on in future. The social  inclusion indicators have been defined through a comprehensive consultative process involving the decision-makers, expert community, civil society and the vulnerable population. The Republic Statistics Office has already tested the social inclusion indicators and expressed a wish to collect data on the basis of these as part of their regular activities. However, the surveys undertaken by RSO regularly do not fully provide for collection of data according to the proposed indicators, and therefore new surveys need to be undertaken over the next several years.

* The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integrations, Poverty Reduction Strategy Implementation Team www.prsp.gov.rs