The European Commission has opened a consultation on the 13 draft actions for a Final Action Plan of the Urban Agenda priority partnership on Urban Poverty, coordinated by Belgium (PPS Social Integration) and France (CGET, General Commission for Territorial Equality).
The Partnership has the objectives of reducing poverty and improving the inclusion of people in poverty or at risk of poverty in deprived neighbourhoods.
EAPN – alongside the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) and Eurochild has been providing input on the preparation of the 13 actions.
EAPN now calls on its members to participate in the public consultation and provide their views on the draft actions proposed in the Background Paper by the Partnerships.
Deadline: 22 August 2017
Background
Urban areas are key drivers of economic growth and innovation but they are also places where the most severe problems of poverty are concentrated.
According to the State of the European cities in 2016, material deprivation and social exclusion have dramatically increased in EU cities since the economic crisis in 2008, especially in towns in Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Portugal and Spain.
To address this situation and maximise the economic potential of cities, the EU has launched the Urban Agenda which is aimed at “working together for a sustainable, socially inclusive, innovative and economically powerful Europe”, by focussing on urban settings.
The initiative aims to promote cooperation between Member States, cities, the European Commission and other stakeholders, in order to “stimulate growth, liveability and innovation in the cities of Europe”.
The Agenda sets out 12 priority partnerships, including one on Urban Poverty, coordinated by Belgium (PPS Social Integration) and France (CGET, General Commission for Territorial Equality).
The Partnership has the objectives of reducing poverty and improving the inclusion of people in poverty or at risk of poverty in deprived neighbourhoods. It brings together: Birmingham (UK); Kortrijk (BE); Lille (FR); Daugavpils (LV); Timișoara (RO); Lodz (PL); Keratsini (GR). Île-de-France region and the Brussels Capital Region are also involved.
Four specific priorities for the partnership are:
- Child poverty;
- Regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods;
- Homelessness;
- Vulnerability of Roma people
For more information, see the website of the European Commission:
https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-agenda-eu/launch-public-feedback
