Between 10% and 25% of people in the EU face energy poverty, and the numbers continue to increase. Too many people are forced to choose between heating and eating. Access to affordable energy needs to be recognized as social right, and mainstreamed into EU and national policy making policy . As a follow-up to the…
SDG Watch Europe, a civil society alliance of more than 90 EU NGOs established to ensure the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the EU and its Member States, has criticised today’s publication of the EC Commission’s Communication entitled “Next steps for a sustainable European future – European action for sustainability.” “The…
Brussels, 18 November 2016. On 16 November, the European Commission adopted the Autumn Package presenting the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) 2017, with the Press Release title: ‘Working on a stronger and more inclusive economic recovery’. EAPN cautiously welcomes some messages and actions highlighted in the AGS 2017 and Autumn Package which highlight the intention to promote…
The European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty was organised by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) with the support of the European Commission, the Slovakian presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the EAPN Fund. This year, the 15th edition was held on 15-16 November 2016. See the programme here. The meetings and process can be followed…
SPC Annual report 2016 As each year, the SPC has prepared its annual overview on the social situation in the EU and the developments in social protection policies based on the Social Protection Performance Monitor (SPPM) and Member States’ reporting. It analyses the progress towards the Europe 2020 target on reducing poverty and social exclusion…
The European Anti-Poverty Network, (EAPN), the largest European network of anti-poverty organizations across 31 countries, held its General Assembly on October 29 in Bruges. The EAPN General Assembly met while Europe is in a critical situation. Some of its features are the post-BREXIT; the humanitarian crisis suffered by people arriving in Europe; the accelerated deterioration…
Poverty and income inequality featured among the key topics at the Central European Interfaith Forum (CEIF 2016), which hosted more than 150 participants representing 20 nations, 3 continents, 7 world religions as well as other religious, spiritual or humanist traditions. The gathering took place in Nitra, Slovakia, on 25 July 2016. The alarming trends of…
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland, an alliance of over 250 national and local organisations, has welcomed provisions in the budget announced on 11 October 2016, which will mitigate some of the impact of policies of the last eight years on people on low incomes. However, the Network argued that it will take much more…
The Devil is in the Detail! On October 13, as part of the European Semester, the EPSCO (Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council) endorsed main messages on the EU’s social situation and priorities for social policy reform. Ministers also endorsed the Social Protection Committee’s report on key social challenges,2 based on its analysis…
Delegates to the Annual General Meeting of European Anti-Poverty Network, Ireland have called for urgent reform of public health policy. Delegates and speakers expressed their anger at policies which mean that people’s health and life expectancy depend on their income and ability to pay to get quality health services and jump queues. They welcomed the…