The delegates stressed the opportunity, provided by the current situation, to redouble efforts in the fight against poverty and for the greatest guarantee of social rights.
According to EAPN Austria and Greenpeace, this situation must not lead to short-term populist measures but to serious investments in sustainable solutions.
National report for social protection and social inclusion in Malta needs to become a more strategic instrument so as to ensure real impact on poverty, says EAPN Malta.
On 25 November EAPN Ireland will present “A journey for Change”, a DVD which documents the experience of the Irish delegation at the 7th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty in Brussels and details their experiences of housing and homelessness in various different contexts.
In October EAPN Ireland is organising four Regional Workshops and six focus groups on Ireland’s National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2008-2010 which was submitted last week to the European Commission as part of their National Report on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion.
Amid suggestions that the Irish government intends to amalgamate or abolish the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) EAPN Ireland believes the CPA continues to play a crucial role in the fight against poverty.
EAPN Malta just released a new report on poverty and inequality in Malta, which is based on the results of focus groups meeting which were organized during June and July 2008.
EAPN Portugal recently started leading the “Bridges for Inclusion” project, with the participation of EAPN Castilla La Mancha (Spain), EAPN Flanders (Belgium), EAPN Bulgaria, EAPN Europe, as well as the Caritas Romania Confederation and the International Labour Organisation.
Improving social NGOs’ information and awareness of structural funds’ schemes, but also supporting them in developing their administrative capacity is crucial if we want structural funds to make a better impact in the fight against social exclusion.
Statistics released on 10 June by the Irish Central Statistics Office show that despite Ireland having the second highest levels of GDP in the EU, at 45.4% above the EU average, its poverty rate is still above the EU average.
