Between May and November 2010, a “Questionnaire on social protection in EU development policy” was circulated by the European Report on Development (ERD) team to EU (Commission and Member States) practitioners in the field. Thirty-nine questionnaires were returned completed, with a sample spanning twenty-three developing countries and eleven EU donors.This paper aims at conveying the information and insights collected, in order to learn from those who contribute to shaping the policies and politics of social protection in the field.