Europe is still facing a relevant recession which has widened social and financial exclusion for many people: a quarter of EU citizens is considered at risk of poverty and is living in situation of high material deprivation. Even if having limited competences on social issues, European institutions have produced several policies concerning the goal of inclusion, to urge both national and local governments. The emerging paradigm - the ‘social investment’ - aims to support people’s capabilities and to strengthen regional systems through care services and aids for families that stand apart from classical welfare model of compensation. Therefore social spending priorities are going to be reformulated, but traditional schemes and innovative approaches must still be combined jointly, to give efficient answers to the old and the new social risks