Following the mandate from the Lisbon European Council in March, 2000, member states and the Commission have sought to develop common approaches and compatibility in regard to indicators. The work is being carried out by the social protection committee and its technical subgroup on indicators. The subgroup met regularly throughout 2001 and has concentrated, initially on improving indicators in the field of poverty and social exclusion.
This follows from the political agreement reached at the European Council in Nice, defining appropriate objectives in the fight against poverty and social exclusion, and inviting member states and the Commission to seek to develop agreed indicators. At Stockholm in March 2001, the European Council gave a mandate to the Council to adopt a set of commonly agreed social inclusion indicators by the end of 2001.
A report with proposals for such a set of indicators from the social protection committee was unanimously approved by the Council for Employment and Social Policy at its meeting on 3 December and it is now being submitted for final approval to the European Council meeting in Laeken on 14 to 15 December.