Cross-national experiences
EU Pilot Project on Reference Budgets
(2013-2015)
A Pilot Project for developing a common methodology for Reference Budgets in Europe was launched by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the end of 2013 with three main objectives.
The first was to establish a reference budgets network composed of key experts and representative stakeholders, at national and EU level, to share experience and expertise on reference budgets. The second objective was to develop a theoretical framework and a common methodology for developing cross-nationally comparable reference budgets in European Member States. The third goal of the project was to develop comparable food baskets for all Member States and develop the health care, personal care and housing basket for a selection of countries.
The project is run by Applica and the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp on behalf of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The project involved more than thirty researchers across Europe.
Management Committee

Bea Cantillon, project director
bea.cantillon@uantwerpen.be
Phone: +32 (0)3 265 53 98


Tim Goedemé, project leader
tim.goedeme@uantwerpen.be |
Phone: +32 (0)3 265 55 55
Project Manager: Loredana Sementini
Network Building Coordinator: Anne Van Lancker
Core Team & EU expert team
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Jonathan Bradshaw University of York
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Bernadette Mac Mahon Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice
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Eric Marlier CEPS/INSTEAD
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Michaela Moser University of Applied Science, St. Pölten
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Ides Nicaise HIVA, KULeuven
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Peter Saunders Social Policy Research Centre, Australia
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Karel Van den Bosch Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy
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Anne Van Lancker Independent consultant
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Cok Vrooman Netherlands Institute for Social Research
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Terry Ward Applica
National Lead Experts
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Austria Christa Leitner
Michaela Moser
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Belgium Bérénice Storms
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Bulgaria Bistra Vassileva
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Cyprus Panos Pashardes
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Czech Republic Eva Abramuszkinova Pavlikova
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Germany Heide Preusse
Birgit Bürkin
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Denmark Finn Kenneth Hansen
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Estonia Lauri Leppik
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Greece Manos Matsaganis
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Spain Jordi Riera Romaní
Elena Carillo Alvarez
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Finland Lauri Mäkinen
Veli-Matti Ritakallio
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France Isa Aldeghi
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Croatia Paul Stubbs Nestic Danijel
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Hungary Peter Szivos
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Italy Yuri Kazepov
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Lithuania Romas Lazutka
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Luxembourg Paul Zahlen
Anne Franziskus
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Latvia Alf Vanags
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Malta Suzanne Piscopo
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Netherlands Cok Vrooman
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Poland Jolanta Perek-Bialas
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Portugal José Antonio Correia Pereirinha
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Romania Cristina Raţ
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Sweden Kenneth Nelson
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Slovenia Nada Stropnik
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Slovakia Daniel Gerbery
Domain Coordinators
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Food Hilde Boeckx
Elena Carillo Alvarez
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Health Eva Lefevere
Diana Degraeve
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Housing Karel Van den Bosch
Publications:
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European Commission. (2016a). National Reports on the Food basket for European capital cities. (read)
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European Commission. (2016b). Reports of the health care, personal care and housing basket (01/02/2016).
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Carrillo-Álvarez, E.; Boeckx, H.; Penne, T.; Palma Linares, I.; Storms, B.; Goedemé, T. (2020). A comparison of European countries FBDG in the light of their contribution to tackle diet-related health inequalities. European Journal of Public Health, 30(2), 346–353. (read)
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Carrillo-Álvarez, E., Penne, T., Boeckx, H. Storms, B., Goedemé, T. (2019). Food Reference Budgets as a Potential Policy Tool to Address Food Insecurity: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Study in 26 European Countries. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 16(1), 32. (read)
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Goedemé, T., Penne, T., Swedrup, O., Van den Bosch, K. and Storms, B. (2019). Is there common ground for defining a decent social minimum in Europe? In: Kotkas, T., Leijten, I. and Pennings, F. (eds.) Specifying and securing a social minimum in the battle against poverty (pp. 93-109). Oxford: Hart. (read here the CSB Working Paper version)
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Goedemé, T., Storms, B., Penne, T. & Van den Bosch, K. (eds.). (2015a). Pilot project for the development of a common methodology on Reference Budgets in Europe. The development of a methodology for comparable reference budgets in Europe – Final Report of the pilot project. October 2015. Brussels: European Commission. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. (read)
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Goedemé, T., Storms, B., Van den Bosch, K. (2015b). Pilot project: developing a common methodology on Reference Budgets in Europe. Proposal for a method for comparable reference budgets in Europe. April 2015. Brussels: European Commission. (read)
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Penne, T., Goedemé, T. (2021). Can low-income households afford a healthy diet? Insufficient income as a driver of food insecurity in Europe. Food Policy, 99, 1-10. (read here the CSB Working Paper version)
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Storms, B., Goedemé, T., Van den Bosch, K., Penne, T., Schuerman, N., Stockman, S. (2014). Pilot project for the development of a common methodology on reference budgets in Europe. Review of current state of play on reference budget practices at national, regional, and local level. Brussels: European Commission. (read)
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Van den Bosch, K., Goedemé, T., Schuerman, N., Storms, B. (2016). Reference Housing Costs for Adequate Dwellings in Ten European Capitals. Critical Housing Analysis, 3(1), 1-9. (read)
More information on the methodology:
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Presentation on the proposal for a method for comparable reference budgets in Europe (read)
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Executive summary of the proposal for a method for comparable reference budgets in Europe (read)
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Flyer regarding the proposal for a method for comparable reference budgets in Europe (read)