The Netherlands
Please return before 15 January 2014 to Cüneyt Söyler (InfoSocial@solidar.org ) and Elsa Laino (Elsa.Laino@solidar.org)
Benchmark
Report 2013
Feedback (comments, analysis, feedback)
Main issues that were
indicated by SOLIDAR
members in a joint meeting of
the Education Expert Network
and the Social Affairs
Committee as policy priorities
to make concrete steps
towards realising active
inclusion and social cohesion
within the upcoming policy
cycle:
Statements extracted from the 2013 EU Staff
Working Document, the 2014 EU Annual
Growth Survey, the 2013 EU Employment
and Social Situation Quarterly Report, the
2014 EU Draft Joint Employment Report, the
2013 EU Education and Training Monitor and
the 2012 Analytic Report: Participatory
Citizenship in the European Union. Please
consult these complete reports on SOLIDAR
website.
Please insert your comments and feedback on the developments
within your country, indicate if you agree with the European
Commission analysis (or not), provide feedback on the indicated
statements and include issues that you consider to be missing in the
analysis and provide examples.
1. Reduce unemployment

From 2011 to 2013 the
unemployment rate in the
Netherlands increased steadily (4.4
% in 2011 to 7% in 20137). In view of
the ambitious EU 2020 employment
target of 80% and with a view to
addressing future labour supply
shortages, the Dutch authorities
announced in their National Reforms
Programme comprehensive labour
market reforms in line with the 2012
country specific recommendations.
Most of the planned reforms have not
yet been implemented.

The Netherlands performs notably
worse than the EU average
regarding the employment gap
between people with a migrant
background and nationals.
2. Improve access to and
quality of healthcare and
social services
1

Youth unemployment has been
increasing at an accelerated pace in
recent months to 9.8% in 2012Q41).

If the large increase in youth
unemployment could be stopped, this
could potentially help prevent labour
supply shortages in the future and
prevent a loss of human capital and
valuable skills.

There is a risk in the Netherlands that
the high quality standards of public
service provision will not be
maintained and it could lead to an
increase in expenditure on temporary
workers. As part of a net expenditure
savings effort, the government is also
planning to decentralise a large
number of competences to
municipalities, ranging from youth
services to long-term health care.
Whether these efficiency gains can
be fully realised is very questionable,
especially within the timeframes
envisaged.
Eurostat, Youth Unemploymnet. Available at:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php?title=File:Youth_unemployment,_2012Q4_%28%25%29.png&filetimestamp=20130418091546
3. Promote access and
participation in lifelong
learning
4. Strengthen active
citizenship and volunteering
for social cohesion

In the Netherlands adult participation
in lifelong learning (LLL) reached
16.7% in 2012, surpassing the 15%
benchmark set out in Europe 2020.
While a number of initiatives have
been undertaken to encourage
training, a formal comprehensive
framework for LLL allowing for the
possibility to use funds for LLL for
both intra- and inter-sectoral
schooling could further increase the
efficiency of the system.
‘Conventional’ political participation:
 This dimension concerns the
promotion of involvement in what is
traditionally considered as ‘politics’,
voting in elections, political education
and membership of political parties.
Of the countries that stated a degree
of policy emphasis of this dimension:
eight countries have it as having
some emphasis including the
Netherlands.
Community activities:
 This dimension of Participatory
Citizenship is concerned with the
promotion of volunteering and/or
voluntary organisations, the offering
of welfare and support, and the
provision of cultural activities. Of the
countries that stated a degree of
policy emphasis of this dimension, 9
countries give it some emphasis
including the Netherlands.
Political civil society activities:

Of those European countries that
provided an assessment of the
degree of policy emphasis of this
dimension: one country said it was a
major policy emphasis (Greece); 11
countries assessed it as having
some policy emphasis including the
Netherlands.
Values of democracy:
 This dimension is concerned with the
support and promotion of values,
such as human rights, social
cohesion, respect, intercultural
learning, equality and tolerance. Not
all European countries expressed the
degree of emphasis given to this
dimension in policy. However, of
those countries that did, 9 countries
said that there was some policy
emphasis including the Netherlands.

There has been a decline in voting in
national elections in the Netherlands.

Nordic countries and the Netherlands
are most active in volunteering in
environmental organisations with
about 5%–15% of adults engaged
.
Regarding tolerance towards
migrants, it is the Nordic countries
and the Netherlands that have the
highest rates of tolerance towards
migrants with about 60% of adult in
these countries indicating tolerance

towards migrant groups and
employment.
5. Fight discrimination and
social exclusion

Although the Netherlands has
traditionally performed well on social
inclusion, some worrying trends are
rising. The number of people in lowworkintensity households has
increased by 75,000 since 2008,
while the Europe 2020 target for
reducing the number of people living
in a low-work intensity household
was set at 93,000. Rising
unemployment rates could heighten
the risk of poverty as more people
become dependent on benefits. This
increase in poverty particularly
affects single parents, single people,
those with a migrant background, the
self-employed, and households living
on benefits other than pensions.

Please add feedback on issues not
indicated in the above mentioned
bench marks
6. Promote the social
economy
General remarks and other
comments
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