In a resolution adopted by the Social Platform this month and sent to EU leaders on the eve of the annual Spring Summit, social NGOs call for greater social leadership .

Echoing the conclusions of EU Social Affairs Ministers who met on the 10^th March, Social NGOs call on the EU´s Heads of State and of Government to make sure that the objective of "making a decisive impact on eradication of poverty and social exclusion by the year 2010" remains a central priority of the Lisbon strategy . The Social Platform also calls for an annual social report to the Spring Summit based on the new open method on coordination to evaluate how the Growth and Jobs Strategy supports the EU social protection and inclusion objectives .

At a time when the EU is widely accused of being too market-oriented, undemocratic and lacking a real political project, social NGOs believe that the renewed Lisbon agenda - now dubbed the "growth and jobs" strategy - is failing to respond to citizens´ concerns and fears about growing levels of inequality and discrimination, the lack of quality jobs, and cuts in social protection systems.

"It is clear that social objectives have been sidelined within the national reform programmes. " said Anne-Sophie Parent President of the Social Platform. "The resources and energies mobilised to draft the 25 national reform programmes should be concentrated on the real priorities for the EU: stop the race to the bottom on social standards and fiscal policies, move from competition to coordination in the social field, join forces at the international level and shape globalisation instead of sustaining its negative impact", added Parent.

Social NGOs fear that if decision-makers fail to take all these concerns on board they will put an irreparable dent to the already frail European democratic project. At this point, serious measures are needed to engage national parliaments, civil society and citizens in a discussion of the revised Lisbon strategy and the social direction of the EU.