Strengthening social protection in South East Europe

The project was structured to address dual goals: strengthening the governance of social security schemes and restructuring selected benefits. In terms of governance, the project was seeking to improve countries’ capacities to use statistical information to assess the performance of schemes and devise reforms, to promote social dialogue as a basis for scheme restructuring, to strengthen regional cooperation in scheme administration, and to develop new approaches with international standards, as well as reform of certain forms of protection – i.e. old age and disability pensions, employment injury insurance, and social services. In terms of benefit restructuring, the project focused primarily on employment injury benefits (where it developed a model for risk related premiums), on the development of community based social services, and on pensions, both disability and old age. The project included two interactive components, research and technical cooperation. Research: - Baseline data on social protection spending and coverage; - Pension reform and social dialogue; - Disability pension reform; - New strategies for extending coverage; - Risk-related premiums for employment injury benefits; - Community-based care for vulnerable people. Technical cooperation: - Policy seminars; - Technical trainings in social security administration and research; - Consultancies.

Project symbol

RER/02/04/FRA

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Budapest

Start date

01/01/2003

End date

31/12/2006

Total allocation

1233476

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

1233476

Development Partners

France, Ministère du Travail des Relations sociales, de la Famille, de la Solidarité et de la Ville

Country/Countries

Europe and Central Asia - regional

Outcomes

Increase member State capacity to develop policies focussed on improving social security systems