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EAPN becomes an active member of SDG Watch Europe:
SGD Watch Europe is a EU-level, cross-sectorial CSO alliance of NGOs from development, environment, social, human rights and other sectors. Its goal is to hold governments to account for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SGD’s).
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EAPN Task Forces:
Poverty and Human Rights 2016; Migration / refuges and the fight against poverty
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15th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty:
“Empowerment through poverty”The 15th Meeting on “Empowerment through Poverty” took place in Brussels from 15 to 16 November 2016.
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28th GA – Bruges (Belgium):
“In defense of a Europe built on protecting Fundamental Rights for all.”
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Platform Against Poverty becomes Annual Convention of Inclusive Growth:
Finally the EC recognises officially that the Platform Against Poverty doesn’t exist – never had a concrete program / actions, and affirms that the Annual Convention for Inclusive Growth replaces the initial intentions with the Platform. Although this was expected, it created quite a deep feeling of anger and disillusion between activists and NGO’s showing that one of the hopes of the Europe 2020 strategy was finished without ever existing.
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European Citizens Initiative “Water is a human right”:
EAPN participated in the European Citizen Initiative (ECI)Water is a Human Right initiated and coordinated by the European Public Services Union (EPSU), with other 8 NGOs (the campaign was also supported by many other organisations). This ECI gathered 1.884.790 signatures, succeeding to go over 1 million signatures to be received by the European Commission.
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EAPN Brussels conference: From the Delors White Paper (’93) to the EPSR (’16); What future for the fight against poverty?:
This conference was particularly important for EAPN, as it was the starting of a reflection about its future based on analysing of its past achievements. This annual conference looked at the future of the fight against poverty in Europe with the objective of providing a concrete and timely input to the key European Commission consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights. EAPN would provide its experience and insights into how such a Pillar could complement or build on the existing strategies such as Europe 2020 and the European Semester and the Social Open Method of Coordination (OMC).
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EC initiative on the Pillar of Social Rights starts (April):
Called by many the “last chance” to put social Europe back on the track, the European Pillar of Social Rights was about delivering new and more effective rights for citizens. This initiative, leaded by the Portuguese MEP, Maria João Rodrigues, was quite difficult to approve in the Parliament and object of very complicated negotiations. The most important thing on the back of this Pillar was the repeated declaration that the EU needed to rebalance its forces between growth and social development. Finally, it was builds upon 20 key principles, structured around three categories:
- Equal opportunities and access to the labour market
- Fair working conditions
- Social protection and inclusion
EAPN prudently welcomed the Pillar, mainly because the greatest focus was on Employment and civil dialogue was not being sufficiently recognised as relevant, recognising anyway that it meant an opportunity to rebalance economy and social areas of the EU, and made its best efforts to follow its developments at the European and national levels.
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Brexit referendum (23rd June):
After this referendum, a long process of reflection negotiations and deep fear about the future of the EU started. The UK finally decided to leave the EU by the end of March 2019.