The Irish Peer Review, held in Dublin on the 15th and 16th of November 2007, was hosted by the Irish Ministry of Social and Family Affairs and brought together government officials and independent (NGO) experts from the host country and seven peer countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Spain and the United Kingdom. Also participating were stakeholder representatives from the European Anti-Poverty Network and ATD Fourth World, together with representatives of the European Commissions DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
This Peer Review was about the role of the NAPinclusion Social Inclusion Forum (SIF) as an element in the Irish social inclusion policy development and implementation process. It assessed the importance and impact of the event and its relevance for other countries. But also what Ireland could learn from experiences in peer countries was on the agenda.
This synthesis report will give an overview of the issues at stake as to stakeholders involvement in social inclusion policies, related to the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) and of the input from the Irish Peer Review to its further development and assessment. The report starts with a description of the SIF and related experiences in the peer countries.