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1. Governance

2. Cross-sectorial cooperation

Governance

The primary governmental authority: 

• The Central State Office for Demography and Youth (CSODY), responsible for youth policy.

The CSODY performs administrative and professional tasks aimed at enhancing and promoting the quality of life for youth. Its focus is on developing a complete, comprehensive, and cross-sectorial youth policy. This includes proposing and implementing strategic documents, laws and other acts, as well as programmes and projects in the field of youth policy. This scope extends to monitoring and evaluating these initiatives, with a particular emphasis on involving young people as partners in decision-making process. It also covers areas such as informal education, leisure, youth culture, volunteering, engagement in civil society development, promotion of political participation, protection of human rights, information dissemination, mobility, and providing quality and regular support to the organized youth sector and its activities. The CSODY develops measures and programmes aimed at preventing the social exclusion of young people and providing the basis for a complete, creative, and dignified life during their youthful years.

• The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy (MLPSFSP) carries out administrative and professional affairs related to the support of individuals and families lacking sufficient resources to meet basic needs or requiring assistance to overcome the causes of social vulnerability.

Regional/local authorities

According to the Act on Local and Regional Self-Government, municipalities, towns, and counties are independent in deciding on affairs within their self-governing sphere of competence. At the regional and local levels, municipalities and counties establish administrative departments or services to carry out activities within their scope. These activities include, among others, those related to social services, education, social welfare, etc.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

A number of stakeholders participated in the preparation of the National Plan to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion 2021-2027 (the National Plan): government administration bodies, public administration bodies, civil society organisations, and social partners. The MLPSFSP is responsible for the National Plan. 

Crucial to the fight against poverty and social exclusion is the coordination of competent government, public, and local authorities, along with the cooperation of government, public, and civic actors, and the active involvement of citizens. In this context, the National Plan highlights the importance of seeking new solutions based on guaranteed rights and the promotion of solidarity and social participation. It is important to attain a higher level of solidarity and make efforts to build new social capital. This requires public activities directed to a greater extent towards individuals facing existential difficulties, with the aim of relieving them from seeking out protection mechanisms on their own. Due to insufficient familiarity among the beneficiaries with the social welfare system and their rights, such efforts often result in unexercised rights and a consequent inability to escape poverty and exclusion.

Therefore, the National Plan’s implementation programmes incorporate measures that enhance cross-sectoral connections within the solidarity policy. These measures support initiatives from civil society organisations and encourage the involvement of citizens. Moreover, they promote the development of participation among poor and socially deprived individuals in the implementation and monitoring of public policy. Specifically, the contribution of civil society organisations actively engaged with socially deprived citizens is significant. However, equally important is the voice of individuals facing existential difficulties. 

Considering that poverty and social exclusion are multidimensional categories, various strategic measures combat and prevention in the areas:

• social welfare
• health care
• upbringing and education
• pension system
• housing care
• regional development
• civil society development