EAPN Spain: Retouching statistical data relative poverty – 27.3% of Spain’s population lives at risk of poverty and social exclusion

EAPN National Networks News

28/05/2014 – Yesterday new data from INE Survey of Quality of Life ( CVD) were published. 2013 final data , with the headline “In the last year, the population at risk of poverty has fallen to 20.4 % compared to 20.8 % last year.” This holder contains two distortions. The first is the so-called statistical effect: poverty is called “relative ” because it is related to the level of the average household income. And in Spain , the average household income has done nothing but fall since 2008 , from 30,045 euros then to the 27,747 euros now. It decreased in 3.5 % only in the last year. That means the poverty line has moved down has well. That actually means that the less we earn, the poorer we are, … the lower the percentage of ” relative poverty”. But therefore, those on fixed income, such as pensioners and retirees, with households ‘theoretically” individual, have gone over that threshold, even if only of a few euros. With this calculation , in 2009 , 23.8 % of older people were in relative poverty and only only 12.7 % today ! Likewise, according to that calculation,child poverty has dropped since 2009,from 28.9% of those under 16 years, to 26.7 % now.

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Over 10% of new European Parliament commits to fighting Poverty

EAPN Press releases

The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) celebrates its campaign Electing Champions for a Social Europe as a success, with over 10% of the newly elected MEPs committed to fighting poverty, social exclusion, inequalities and discrimination.

Brussels, 03/06/2014 – Over 10% of the newly elected MEPs have responded to the call of the European Anti-poverty Network, committing themselves to fight poverty and social exclusion during their mandate in the new European Parliament. The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) campaigned to encourage the candidates to the European elections to become Champions for a Social Europe by taking the pledge to defend and push for 1) a Social Pact for a Social Europe 2) An effective EU Strategy to fight poverty, social exclusion, inequalities and discrimination 3) Strengthened democracy and civil-society participation 4) An annual Hearing with People experiencing poverty in the European Parliament. EAPN welcomes these results as a great success, in a context of low turn-out and rise in extreme-right and anti-democratic parties.

 

38 leading organisations urge European Council to protect migrant children’s rights

EAPN News

22/05/2014 – As the European Union is developing its strategic guidelines on the future of Justice and Home Affairs policies, 38 leading organisations in the fields of human rights, health, education and social inclusion, including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, OHCHR and the European Network for Ombudspersons, are calling on the European Council to use the opportunity to advance on its achievements and commitments to every child, including migrant children in vulnerable situations, by making children’s rights a strategic and actionable priority for Home Affairs policy in the coming years.