Finland suggests more focus on wellbeing in Europe

Prospects of joint EU efforts to improve the well being of residents in the European Union were debated on Wednesday in Helsinki by European ministers, high officials and experts.

Packaged as "the economy of wellbeing", the vista of a "virtuous circle" of policies was rolled out by Finland, the current presidency country of the EU Council. In such a policy circle, "wellbeing and economic growth would reinforce each other".

Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, the Finnish Minister for Social Affairs and Health, defined the well being of people as one of the corner stones of the EU.

Finland had commissioned a background paper from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD. It listed access to quality education and health care, social protection and gender equality as key factors for success. "Moreover, these investments must bring improving wellbeing outcomes to all segments of the population", the OECD paper noted.

Katarina Ivankovic-Knezevic, the Director for Social Affairs in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, said the creation of a "a minimum safety net" is extremely important.

She said that her organization sees the economy of wellbeing as a good way for fighting inequalities in Europe. Ivankovic-Knesevic said she is looking forward to Germany's presidency, in second half of 2020, as Germany has said they will take up the possibilities of securing a minimum safety net for all European citizens.

Ivankovics-Knezevic noted that Finland was the first EU country "to do away with homelessness". She said the European Commission is following closely what Finland is doing and hopes that the Finnish example will help the other countries in dealing with housing.

Commentators have noted that the fresh Finnish effort for inclusion of wellbeing and social safety at the EU level follow the earlier vision that partially faltered because of differing views from EU member countries.

Caroline de la Porte, a professor at the Copenhagen Business School, noted in the press conference that the preliminary version of the European pillar of social rights approved in 2017 had a European minimum income scheme, but it was watered down as a result of variable opposition.

In the Nordics it was feared that the collective bargaining system would be in danger, and several Eastern European countries were skeptical against having it altogether. But there was support from Southern Europe and also from "conservative corporatist type of welfare states", Caroline de la Porte said.

In October EU ministers for social affairs and employment are to approve conclusions about the economy of well being concept. The discussions at the conference in Helsinki are to provide a basis for preparing the conclusions and also summarize messages for the work program of the incoming European Commission.