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The European meetings of people experiencing poverty: A process going forward....

The 8th Meeting of people experiencing poverty took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 May 2009. It was organised by the Czech Presidency of the European Union, with the support of the European Commission and EAPN.
The basic purpose of the Meetings of People experiencing poverty is to listen to people experiencing poverty, and to establish a dialogue with policy- and decision-makers in the field of fight against poverty and social exclusion at the European level and at national levels.

The 8th Meeting, entitled "Where we live - What we need" addressed the topics of Housing, Financial Inclusion and Access to Basic Services. Read more and access the Report and Video of the 8th Meeting .


In the late 1990s, EAPN along with other social NGOs pressed the European institutions for an anti-poverty policy that really delivers. This intensive lobbying resulted in the implementation of the European Social Inclusion Strategy decided on at the Nice Summit in 2000.

We set great store by Objective 4 of that strategy, which calls for all relevant bodies to be mobilised, especially people experiencing poverty. Since then, much has been done to get the words reflected in actions.

The first European Meeting of people experiencing poverty was held in 2001 under the Belgian presidency of the EU at the instigation of the Belgian government. Some members of EAPN were involved.

Over time, these meetings have turned into an EU Presidency/European Commission initiative, a development of major political significance. The meetings have gradually risen up the European authorities and Member States’ agendas, and are now seen as a big policy event where the expertise of people experiencing poverty can be leveraged … an achievement that we have to build up and develop further in the years ahead.

 

  • 2008: The 7th Meeting, organized under the auspices of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU and entitled ‘Four Pillars in the Fight against Poverty’, focused on four topics: social services, services of general interest, housing and minimum income.  These four elements  were chosen because they constitute four important fields in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. It was attended by 124 delegates with experience of poverty from the EU Member States and approximately the same number of representatives of national governments, the European Commission, European non-governmental organisations and social partners.
 
 
  • 2007: The 6th Meeting, under the German Presidency, decided to channel this priority through, and chose as the topic, “Strengthening Progress, drafting next steps”. It saw 130 delegates from 27 countries and 97 representatives of European and national authorities meeting on 4 and 5 May in Brussels. Delegates and guests gave the Meeting topic visual expression through symbolic objects. Without playing down the progress made on the social front, the delegates emphasized that the aim of eradicating poverty by 2010 is unrealistic when there are clear signs that poverty is spreading. The 6th Meeting clearly showed that participatory processes widen the prospects for and help increase workable empowerment. There was also found to be more joint work being done by associations and public authorities, and a demand for ongoing dialogue at national level.

    See report of the 6th European Meeting of people experiencing poverty.

    Watch Messages from people experiencing poverty, from the 6th Meeting.

 
  • 2006: Preparations under the Austrian Presidency encompassed all aspects of poverty and social exclusion around the topic “How do we cope with everyday life?”. The groundwork done by the delegates revealed the proactivity and energy of people experiencing poverty. Each delegation of people experiencing poverty prepared a poster and presented it to the plenary session: it was an unforgettable highlight of the 5th Meeting. The posters were collected into an exhibition staged at the Finland Round Table, in the Commission building in April 2007, and at the first National Meeting of people experiencing poverty in the United Kingdom in July 2007. The 5th meeting evaluation revealed a need to take stock of the first five Meetings.

    See report of the fifth European Meeting of people experiencing poverty.

 

  • 2005: The Luxembourg Presidency chose to explore images and perceptions of poverty. A bigger focus is put on media productions - patchworks, paintings and photographs - brought in by people experiencing poverty. These creative endeavours were collected together into an exhibition staged at the Liverpool Round Table. A catalogue of the works was published. The Luxembourg Presidency showed the depth of its involvement by taking a powerful message to the June Council of Ministers, calling on all EU countries to organise the same kind of Meeting. Many EAPN national networks gradually began to set up similar kinds of meetings at national and/or regional level.

    See report of the fourth European Meeting of people experiencing poverty.

 

  • 2004: The topic chosen under the Irish Presidency reflected the demands that came out of the 2nd Meeting, and focused on dialogue between people experiencing poverty and policymakers under the title, “Participation is a two way street”. In a reversal of traditional roles, the “authorities” now became regarded as “guests” of the people experiencing poverty, and interfaced directly with the delegates in workshop discussions. The meeting concluded with an open forum between people experiencing poverty and a panel of policy-makers. A DVD made at the event will provide a tool for extensive use by the EAPN national networks to build awareness among national and regional policy makers.

     See report of the third European Meeting of people experiencing poverty.

 

  • 2003:  In 2002, the Belgian Government suggested a 2nd Meeting - an initiative taken up by the Greek Presidency. EAPN was asked to prepare it, but time was short to carry out proper groundwork with the delegations. The topic was “good participation practices”. The preparations and workshops produced attempts to create models for participatory processes and a demand from the delegates: people experiencing poverty want to be able to talk face-to-face with policy-makers on policies that affect them. Responding to this demand, the Greek Presidency asked the June Council for the European Meetings to become a recurrent process, like the Social Affairs Round Table.

    See report of the second European Meeting of people experiencing poverty.

 

  • 2001: The Belgian Government leveraged its experience in participation since 1994 and capitalised on its Presidency of the European Union to launch the 1st European meeting of people experiencing poverty which reviewed four issues: housing, health, training and incomes. The big conclusion of this first event was that people experiencing poverty had the knowledge and expertise to analyse exclusion, and aimed to take part in society and the decisions that affect their life.

   See the report of the first European Meeting of people experiencing poverty

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

 

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