The third sector and regional and local actors call for an EU budget that prioritises multi-level governance and social inclusion

On 18 September, the Social Hub Auditorium (Calle Girona, 34, Barcelona) hosted the sixth edition of the Social Europe Debate, organised jointly by the Catalan Third Social Sector Platform (Taula d'Entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya) and Catalonia International. The conference focused on the new multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, which the European Union has begun to negotiate, and its potential impact on social policies in the coming years. In a European climate marked by challenges such as security, migration, climate change and competitiveness, the debate provided an opportunity to share views on how to ensure that the new budget keeps the European Pillar of Social Rights at the heart of the EU's priorities.

The president of the Catalan Third Social Sector Platform, Xavier Trabado, opened the session by stressing that the European budget has a direct impact on both the implementation of social rights and the governance of funds, and warned of the current political climate, marked by the rise of the far right and hate speech. Referring to the recent speech made by European Commission President Von der Leyen, he noted that despite the emphasis on defence and security, there were also several important social commitments, including the goal of "helping to eradicate poverty by 2050" and the "child guarantee", and he called for increased responsiveness: "Despite the challenging context, we believe in a strong, cohesive Europe that guarantees human rights".

Next, Laura Foraster i Lloret, Director-General of Catalonia International, pointed out that the new budget is "the framework par excellence" and that the European Commission's proposal, presented in the summer, is good news because it helps to protect citizens and boost economic prosperity. She insisted that the future of European resources must reflect social realities while also being sustainable, noting that "social measures must not be sidelined at a time when geopolitical challenges are driving increases in other areas, such as defence".

Mònica Martínez Bravo, the Catalan Minister for Social Rights and Inclusion, concluded the institutional opening by emphasising the importance of Catalonia having its own voice in negotiations. She stated that we are at "a historic moment, a crossroads for Europe and the world" and it is crucial that we "speak up to safeguard the European Pillar of Social Rights" and address challenges such as poverty, affordable housing, and climate change. "Social policies are not an expense; they are an investment", with the capacity to improve competitiveness, generate opportunities for young people and reduce inequalities.

Next came the keynote speech of the day, given by Jorge Núñez Ferrer, Director of Cohesion Policy and EU Budget at the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions. Núñez argued that regions are responsible for a significant portion of social and environmental spending in Europe and should therefore play a central role in the governance of these funds. In this regard, he criticised excessive micromanagement from Brussels and the fact that states too often centralise resources without taking into account local needs. In his opinion, Europe lacks a growth model that is truly centred on society. "Freedom is having access to opportunities", he stated, cautioning that unless we embrace this approach, we will not be able to compete with other global players. He pointed out that the portion of the European budget allocated to the social sphere is extremely limited (0.3% of GDP) and that, above all, we need a regulatory framework that facilitates job and business creation, rather than bureaucratic obstacles.

Along the same lines of reflection on governance, Conxita Font, the Catalan Government's Deputy Director-General for Relations with the EU, stated that "despite everything, Europe remains the solution; it is our home". She explained that the EU budget is an economic reflection of its policies. "Governance is fundamental", she said, because all entities wishing to benefit from the opportunities must understand who manages which fund and how.

The event also included two roundtables that gave representatives from various administrations and bodies an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the European Pillar in the context of the structural transformation of social services and to present different regional proposals for improving the governance and impact of European funds. The first roundtable featured Alfonso Lara-Montero, Executive Director of the European Social Network; Anna Montaner, EU Policy and Affairs Officer at the Spanish Government Delegation to the EU; and Bárbara Díaz, Regional Coordinator of the Red Cross in Catalonia and an expert in human rights and international humanitarian law. Albert Bauló, Head of Project Management and Digital Transformation at the Pere Tarrés Foundation; Līva Švarce, Project Manager at the Latvian Association for Social Entrepreneurship; Carla Ventura, Vice-President of the António Sérgio Cooperative for Social Economy (CASES) in Portugal; and Francesca Lupi, Researcher and Project Manager in the Europe Programme at CIDOB, were the participants in the second session. The closing remarks were given by Marta Cid, coordinator of the Platform's international division.

By way of conclusion, the 2025 Social Europe Debate highlighted a shared desire: the new multiannual financial framework will only be effective if it prioritises people and social inclusion, guarantees multi-level governance in which regions and the third sector play an active role, and ensures a more agile and flexible management of resources.  The speakers agreed that there is a need to prevent funds from becoming bogged down in excessive bureaucracy and to ensure that they reach the groups that need them most. Only then can the European budget serve as a transformative tool, capable of reducing inequalities and providing opportunities for both large and small actors.

After the conference, the international speakers held various working sessions behind closed doors with member organisations from the Catalan Third Social Sector Platform as part of the International Visitors Programme organised for the occasion. At the first meeting, representatives from some of the Platform's member organisations working in areas such as homelessness, child and youth welfare and occupational inclusion, among others, presented their areas of work and political advocacy priorities. The second day of the visitors' programme consisted of a visit to Bloc 4 BCN, a public-cooperative project dedicated to deploying and strengthening the social economy in Barcelona and Catalonia by raising awareness of and promoting cooperativism, incubating and accelerating cooperatives, and fostering inter-cooperation, local and international connections and alliances with other cultural, educational and business stakeholders.

Additionally, and taking advantage of Jorge Nuñez's presence in Barcelona, on 17 September, the Consortium organised a dinner debate within the framework of the Catalonia International Alumni network, providing an opportunity for the Alumni and guest expert to hold a face-to-face discussion on current European affairs.