The Malta Sociological Association (MSA, registered Voluntary Organisation) has submitted its feedback to the Conference for the Future of Europe, an EU-wide initiative which is currently in place.
MSA welcomed the Conference and adding that such public consultation should be mainstreamed across EU institutions and at different levels of governance.
MSA proposed that EU legislative options should measure, quantify and consider of the various costs of insularity experienced by small states, islands and isolated regions. This should then guide policy formation accordingly.
In its second proposal, MSA proposed that EU legislative options should factor in and take account of social impacts and the intersection of various factors.
The MSA text submitted to the Future of Europe conference reads as follows:
Small States and Social Impacts: proposal by the Malta Sociological Association
EU legislative options should measure, quantify and consider of the various costs of insularity experienced by small states, islands and isolated regions. This should then guide policy formation accordingly.
EU legislative options should factor in and take account of social impacts and the intersection of various factors.
EU legislative options mainstream social impact assessments , to ensure greater outreach and deliberation with stakeholders.
Various methods, both quantitative and qualitative could be used within social impact assessments. SIAs should involve the participation of different stakeholders. Analytic indicators should be provided and the entire process should be subject to peer review by independent experts in the field. This could help identify shortcomings and possible improvements to the same SIA.
SIAs should not be one-off exercises: They should be ongoing processes which engage with various stakeholders and which report back so as to ensure effective policy processes. They should also use complementary research methods so as to ensure reliable and valid data.
We refer to international SIA standards, for example those set by the International Association for Impact Assessment:
Link to MSA proposal: https://futureu.europa.eu/processes/Economy/f/10/proposals/19077?locale=mt