EUROsociAL has become the flagship programme of the European Union in Latin America for social cohesion. Under the motto “Supporting policies, connecting institutions” it brings together decision-makers and high-level public servants from European and Latin American public administrations to take part in exchanging concrete reform proposals in their respective domains.

Despite its positive development over the last decade, Latin America still faces challenges in overcoming social inequality. EUROsociAL aims to support, Latin American countries in the reform of their social policies in areas like health, education, tax systems, regional development, justice, transparency and employment.

One of the particular strengths of EUROsociAL (as highlighted by independent auditors in the recent mid-term evaluation), is the way it combines high level political dialogue with concrete work on reform proposals. Thanks to its innovative approach, EUROsociAL manages to produce measurable outputs and results, despite having relatively small resources per country.

To mention just a few key examples from 2013, EUROsociAL supported  the reform of the labour information system in Colombia that will allow to match labour market demand and supply, the introduction of a new law for handicapped people in Honduras and a new plan on fiscal education in Brazil. Moreover, it fostered many regional initiatives in Latin America, be it on tax administration, regional development, justice or social and economic dialogue.

EUROsociAL is an emblematic programme that shows how the European Union continues to forge close ties with Latin America, in order to bring about equitable and inclusive development. By targeting social inequality in the region, it helps to make a difference in people’s everyday lives, and create opportunities for jobs and growth across Latin America.

Article published in “Encuentros”, the EUROsociAL magazine.

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