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7th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty:
“Four Pillars in the fight against poverty” 124 delegates with experience of poverty attended it 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.
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19th GA – Albena (Bulgaria):
“Ensuring a lasting legacy from 2010 – the EU Year for combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.”
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European Strategy for Active Inclusion:
On 3 October 2008, after a two-stage stakeholder consultation, to which EAPN responded in 2007, the EC adopted the Recommendation on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market, containing common principles that Member States should implement and practical guidelines on a comprehensive strategy based on the integration of three policy pillars, namely adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality services. Subsequently, in December 2008, the Council of the European Union (EPSCO Council meeting) endorsed the strategy to be applied within the Member States. Then, in May 2009, the active inclusion strategy received further support through a European Parliament Resolution that endorsed both the strategy and common principles. Active inclusion fundamentally means enabling every citizen, notably the most disadvantaged, to fully participate in society, including having a job. In practical terms, that means:
- adequate income support, together with help to get a job. This could be by linking out-of-work and in-work benefits, and by helping people to access the benefits they are entitled to inclusive labour markets – making it easier for people to join the work force, tackling in-work poverty, avoiding poverty traps and disincentives to work
- access to quality services – helping people participate actively in society, including getting back to work.
For EAPN, taking in consideration the announced failure of the Lisbon Strategy and that there wasn’t anything else “on the plate” this was a hook… but it was always necessary to keep insisting what Active Inclusion was not – namely simplified mechanisms of activation and persecution of unemployed people which was the main understanding about it by different governments and accordingly policies.
