The European Social Policy Network (ESPN) was established in 2014 to provide the Commission with independent information, analysis and expertise on social policies.

The ESPN supports the Commission in monitoring progress towards the EU social protection and social inclusion objectives set out in the Europe 2020 strategy, including lifting at least 20 million people out of poverty and social exclusion, and in the European Semester. At the heart of the ESPN are country teams of independent experts on social policies. They are supported and coordinated by a central team of international experts. The network produces among other things reports on refugees and migrants conducted by ESPN country experts.