25/10 – EAPN presented the 2012 NRP Report and country-specific Recommendations to EPSU, European public services union, Economic Committee on the 25th October. The presentation formed part of a mutual exchange on EU and national engagement in Europe 2020, and explored the potential for increased collaboration between EPSU and EAPN members in the NRP/Economic semester process.
07 Nov 2012 – 42 NGO networks including EAPN co-signed an open letter sent yesterday to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission on the Partnership principle, highlighting their concerns about the on-going trend towards a dilution of this partnership principle, the decrease of socio-economic and civil society stakeholder’s participation and the deletion of the Code of conduct.
18-19/10, Nicosia – EAPN Estonia, Cyprus and EAPN secretariat participated in this important high level conference organized by the Cypriot Presidency aiming to send strong messages to the Commission and Council on the need to strongly back a Commission Recommendation on tackling Child Poverty and promoting well-being due in early 2013, as part of the Social Investment Package. Apart from the plenary sessions involving the Ministry, Commission and the Cypriot Children’s Parliament, a panel debate involving ministries approach to austerity was held, then 3 parallel workshop sessions on the 3 pillars of the upcoming Recommendation:
15-16/10 – This joint Trade Union conference provided evidence and debate on the crisis of the GDP-led growth model, and the role of public services in maximizing well-being and reducing inequalities.EAPN made interventions on the need to invest in adequate minimum income as well as public services, and the role of poverty as a key social determinant of health.
As many of you know for the last year leaders of the Ekta Parishad (Indian Gandhian Movement working with landless people), with support from many other Indian and International NGOs, have been making State marches to document the reality for landless people in India and to press for political reform based on land rights.
Brussels, 15 October 2012 – The award of the Nobel Prize to the European Union for its contribution to peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights is, as President Barroso said, “a message of hope and confidence in the EU at a time when the EU faces a great challenge”. A great challenge indeed, as the EU’s response to the crisis attests to a three-fold failure: EU leaders have failed to deliver on its promises on poverty reduction, have in fact generated more poverty by ‘austerity-only’ driven policies, and neglected democratic fundamental principles. In its letter sent today to EU Prime Ministers and Heads of State ahead of the Council Meeting on 18 and 19 October, where they will discuss next steps on the future of the Economic and Monetary Union, EAPN urges EU Leaders to demonstrate their commitment to a Social Union and to the safeguarding of democracy.
On 16 October, EAPN sent another letter to the Presidents of the EU, urging them to create a special fund to support organisations fighting poverty, exclusion and inequality.
EAPN, together with ATD Fourth World, Caritas Europa, COFACE, Eurochild, Eurodiaconia, European Social Network and PICUM have joined together to highlight their support to the EPSCO Council Conclusions on child…
C’est ça l’Europe?! (Is that Europe ?!), a TV show co-produced by RTBF (Belgian French-speaking main TV and radio channel) and TV5World, features EAPN as a non-governmental organization aiming, along with its members, to take part in shaping European and national politics; a totally different type of “lobbying”, far away from industrial lobbies. Sergio Aires, President of EAPN and Geneviève, a person experiencing poverty active in the Belgian Anti-Poverty Network (BAPN) addresses directly Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament.
In July we heard the sad news that our friend and colleague Goran Larsson passed away in the presence of his wife and family. EAPN members and secretariat would like to pay the following tributes to Goran and to pass on our sympathies to his wife, family and friends.
As Director of EAPN I had the privilege to get to know Goran. I highly appreciated his supportive presence, his great sense of humour and his absolute commitment to fighting poverty. He will be missed by many. Goran was a member of the EAPN European level Executive Committee on behalf of the Salvation Army from 1998 to 2012.
On 6-7 September, the European Commission organised a major, high-level conference dealing with employment issues. This event comes after the release, in April this year, of the Employment Package, a comprehensive set of initiatives aimed at boosting job creation and reforming labour markets.