EP |Micro-loans: helping people out of unemployment and poverty

EU Institutions News

10/11/2015 – Microloans help people in difficult social circumstances to find their way out of unemployment and poverty. Although generally associated with South Asia and Latin America, where the first initiatives were launched four decades ago, they are also increasingly used in Europe. In 2010, the EU launched the European Progress Microfinance Facility to improve conditions for borrowers to obtain small loans. On Tuesday the EP’s employment committee votes on a report concerning its implementation.

Housing Europe | New Guide on Structural Funds & Housing in 2014-2020

Other publications

19/10/2015 – Housing Europe has just released a new guide to provide housing practitioners and policy makers with up-to date information and figures on the funding allocated to housing in each country. The publication includes and detailed country profiles as well as good examples, and provides the reader with a broader view of on how housing will be supported between 2014 and 2020.

The Poverty Alliance (EAPN Scotland): New Statistics Show Increasing In-Work Poverty in Scotland

EAPN National Networks News

01/07/2014 – Today’s figures published by the Scottish Government on Poverty and Inequality show a rise in the number of people in Scotland living in poverty, and highlights the continuing increase in in-work poverty.  In 2012/13, 16 per cent of people in Scotland were living in poverty, compared with 14 per cent the previous year.  In real terms, this means that there are now 820,000 individuals are now living in poverty in Scotland. 

The EU must push Member States to show progress on poverty!

EAPN Press releases

EAPN launches its proposals for Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) for 2014

Brussels, 10 March 2013 – The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), presents today its proposals for CSRs for 2014, based on its national and European-organization members’ assessment. This comes in the week following the European Commission’s launch of the Communication[1] in preparation for the Mid-Term Review of the Europe 2020 Strategy (2010-2020). EAPN’s synthesis report provides an overview of members’ findings on the social impact of the 2013 CSRs, i.e. Recommendations of the European Commission to member States and their implementation, and proposes positive recommendations for the different Member States. The Report highlights the urgent need for the European Semester to deliver results on the Europe 2020 targets if it is to maintain any credibility, within the context of spiraling poverty levels across Europe, recognized by the Commission’s Communication.

EAPN’s Response to the Social Investment Package: Will it reduce poverty?

EAPN position papers and reports

17/06 – EAPN has just released its Response to the Social Invesment Package adopted by the European Commission on 20 February 2013 and which sets out a ‘new’ framework for policy reforms. EAPN’s Response consists of a Summary of the possible impact the SIP can have; Key Messages; a full General Assessment of the main Communication, and a brief assessment of specific additional documents.

EP | Schulz: The refugee crisis can only be tackled if all EU countries commit to dealing with it

EU Institutions News

12/11/2015 – Martin Schulz called on member states to step up their efforts to relocate refugees from EU countries faced with a heavy influx. “European solidarity can work if we all commit to it, but not if we let a small number of countries do all the heavy lifting,” the EP President said at an informal meeting of leaders of EU countries in Malta on 12 November. The meeting took place following the Valletta summit on migration to discuss collaboration with other countries.