On this page

1. Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority

4. Revisions/ Updates

Starting from the fact that the "existence and implementation of a National Strategic Policy Framework for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction" constitutes a necessary enabling condition within the framework of the NSRF program 2021-2027, in November 2020, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs launched the process of designing the National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction, building on the recommendations of the ex-post evaluation of the NSRF 2014-2020. The National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction, however, is not limited to and is not exhausted exclusively by the fulfilment of the necessary enabling condition. It expands beyond this, recommending the national strategic planning text that attempts to respond to the vast majority of the already identified or emerging needs of special and vulnerable groups of the population.

There are three political objectives that determine the vision of the strategy:

 ▪ Alleviate all forms of inequality, giving priority to the most vulnerable groups. Diversity and social integration are advantages for society as a whole.

▪ The state must actively support citizens and the most vulnerable groups, not only with passive interventions, as was done until recently, but also with supplies so that citizens can benefit and acquire (again) an active role in society and the economy.

 ▪ There should be an open dialogue between the state and citizens, so that planning reflects the real needs of society. The dialogue between the different levels of government and the bodies that implement social policy is also necessary.

Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

The National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction (Εθνική Στρατηγική για την Κοινωνική Ένταξη και Μείωση της Φτώχειας):  is the primary framework for planning the social inclusion of Greek youth.

The new National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction was prepared by the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Combating Poverty, of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, through the competent Directorate for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion (DKEKS), following the update of the 2018 National Strategy for Social Inclusion. The cooperation with the co-competent ministries, the supervised bodies and the Special Services for the Management of Operational Programs, for the integration of their contribution into the text, was carried out in accordance with the provisions of Law 4445/2016 (Government Gazette Α΄ 236), which established the National Mechanism for Monitoring, Coordination and Evaluation of Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion Policies and defined the framework for the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy. 

Scope and contents

The aim of the new National Strategy is to define and document the strategic choices of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family during the new programming period through the development of an integrated policy for the prevention and fight against labour and social exclusion, mainly of the special and vulnerable groups of the population living in Greece. The new National Strategy primarily sets out:

• the main reform initiatives and actions towards the reconstruction of the country and the upgrading of its social fabric,
• the new strategic priorities for social inclusion and the fight against social exclusion phenomena, as well as
• the new objectives and general directions of the country's national development policy in the field of social inclusion.

There are three political objectives that determine the vision of the strategy:

• Alleviate all forms of inequality, giving priority to the most vulnerable groups. Diversity and social integration are advantages for society as a whole.

• The state must actively support citizens and the most vulnerable groups, not only with passive interventions, as was done until recently, but also with supplies so that citizens can benefit and acquire (again) an active role in society and the economy.

• There should be an open dialogue between the state and citizens so that planning reflects the real needs of society. The dialogue between the different levels of government and the bodies that implement social policy is also necessary.

The entire youth population is covered by the strategy, and no specific sub-groups within the youth population are explicitly defined. However, the strategy as a whole addresses the following target groups: vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities, children, the unemployed, the long-term unemployed, immigrants and refugees, (ex-) prisoners, juvenile offenders, people with dependencies or former dependencies, residents of mountainous, remote and island areas, homeless people, women, Roma, and students. To this end, these target groups also include young people.

Responsible authority

Although the draft of the strategy was prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, the competent General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Combating Poverty, of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, through its Directorate for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion, is responsible for the implementation of the strategy. The strategy is not integrated into any other national strategy and, to the best of our knowledge, no evidence-based monitoring, assessment, or evaluation of the implementation of the strategy has been conducted to date.

Revisions/Updates

The strategies have not been significantly revised or updated.