In Chapter 2, we described the new context within which the Social Inclusion Process is now being taken forward. Alongside the new Lisbon governance cycle launched in 2005, there will be a simplification and streamlining of the reporting mechanisms under the Open Method of Coordination on social protection and social inclusion (European Commission, 2005h, 2005i, and 2005l; Social Protection Committee and Economic Policy Committee, 2006). Separate reporting will continue as part of this OMC. The annual Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion will remain a separate document, not be integrated into the “renewed” Lisbon Strategy, although information relevant to the Lisbon goals of employment and growth are also expected to be reflected in the National Reform Programmes (see Section 2.3).

In the preceding three Chapters, we have sought, in Chapter 3, to learn from the evidence about poverty and social exclusion contained in the body of aggregated information now represented by the commonly agreed social indicators, to describe in Chapter 4 how policy analysis in the EU can be strengthened, and to further develop in Chapter 5 the set of EU social indicators. In this Chapter, we ask how the EU Social Inclusion Process can be taken forward in the context just outlined. In particular, we consider two ways in which the process can be deepened. The first is the use of targets at national and EU level. The desirability of setting targets has already been recognised at the highest EU political level, at the Barcelona European Council in spring 2002. In this Chapter we look at the role which target setting has played to date in the Social Inclusion Process, and discuss how the setting of ambitious but achievable targets might assist the Process to reach its full potential. This involves an examination of the varying roles assigned to national targets by different Member States in their National Action Plans on social inclusion (NAPs/inclusion), followed by consideration of key issues in pushing forward the use of national targets, and finally a discussion of how EU-wide targets might best be approached, balancing ambition and achievability.

The second form of deepening involves embedding the Social Inclusion Process more firmly in domestic policy making. A necessary condition to guarantee a credible and meaningful Social Inclusion Process is to truly embed it in national and sub-national policy formation, and in particular work towards integrating social inclusion, employment and economic policies.