Category Archives: EAPN Press releases

EU leaders give signs of hope

EAPN General Assembly welcomes European Council’s new Strategic Agenda – Brussels, 01 July 2014 – The European Anti-Poverty Network held its 2014 General Assembly in Tallinn, Estonia, on 27-28 June 2014.. The General Assembly welcomed the seemingly positive shift of the European Council’s new Strategic Agenda endorsed on 27 June regarding social issues, which reflects several EAPN’s concerns and key messages over the last years. In its final Declaration, EAPN’s General Assembly addressed the new Members of the European Parliament, recalling the achievements of the previous European Parliament and highlighting the priorities at stake, with the Mid-Term Review of the) – Europe 2020 Strategy, coming up in 2015 which has so far failed to deliver on its promises and highlighting EAPN’s current preparation of its own position. EAPN also endorsed the membership of two new networks in Croatia and Latvia raising the number of member networks to a total of 32.

Semester Alliance sees CSRs as insufficient to address inclusive growth

Brussels, 25/06/2014 – The Semester Alliance, a broad European coalition bringing together environmental, social and equality NGOs and trade unions, releases its initial assessment of the European Commission’s proposals on Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) in view of the European Heads of States meeting on 26-27 June. Whilst welcoming some progress on more inclusive and sustainable CSRs, it is still seriously undermined by macroeconomic priorities focusing almost exclusively on austerity and competitiveness. The Semester Alliance also highlights the importance of increasing involvement of civil-society stakeholders, still seriously lacking in the CSR process.

New EU Alliance calls for a Social and Sustainable Europe

Brussels, 07 April 2014 – The new EU Alliance for a democratic, social and sustainable European Semester, a broad coalition bringing together environmental, social and equality NGOs and trade unions, holds its launch in the EESC. Highlighting the failure of the Europe 2020 Strategy commitments and official targets in the social, environmental, employment and equality fields, the Alliance members come together to call for progress on the Europe 2020 Strategy’s commitments and for reviving the involvement of civil-society organisations and trade unions in the shaping of European policies.

Recommendations for EU policy to address ‘push-backs’ of migrants’ rights in Greece

20/03/2014 – A joint group of civil society organisations and EU leaders today called for action on EU level to address the daily human rights violations experienced by migrants in Greece, at the borders, in detention and on the streets, including push-backs, unlawful detention, violence and exploitation. The organisations urge European Union policy makers and representatives to take joint responsibility, along with the Greek government, for addressing the challenges there. To address these issues, EU networks and Greek NGOs have released today their joint “Recommendations to the European Union to Urgently Address Criminalisation and Violence Against Migrants in Greece”.

European elections 2014: Civil society and candidate MEPs commit to a Citizens’ Europe

Joining forces to mobilise EU citizens for the upcoming European elections 2014

Brussels, 18 March 2014 – European Parliament elections are the periodical momentum to test both politicians’ and citizens’ engagement and capacity to debate on how best shape our societies and improve European integration for the benefit of all. In the light of the democratic crisis and growing mistrust towards the European Union, it is of utmost importance to mobilise EU citizens to go to vote in May, said panellists from AGE, COFACE, ILGA Europe, EWL, ENAR, EDF, EAPN, AEGEE and Eurochild during a joint event on 18 March at the European Parliament hosted by Claude Moraes (MEP, S&D, UK).

A story that millions of Europeans would want to hear

Millions of Europeans should know that it is possible that EU Member States could cooperate, through a European Directive, to ensure the progressive realization of adequate Minimum Income Schemes in every EU country.

Brussels, 19 March 2014 – Yesterday, the European Minimum Income Network (EMIN) a two-year project led by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), presented its first results on how to ensure adequate minimum income schemes in all EU Member States, at an event in the European Parliament organised by MEPs, Frédéric Daerden and Pervenche Berès from the Socialists and Democrats Group.  Millions of Europeans should know that it is possible that EU Member States could cooperate, through a European Directive, to ensure the progressive realization of adequate Minimum Income Schemes in every EU country.  The EMIN project shows growing support for such a directive.

EU’s 5 next years: EU leaders can choose progress

Half-way through the Europe 2020 Strategy, in a context of failure due to macroeconomic priorities and austerity measures, EAPN calls on Member States to deliver on social targets through Country-Specific Recommendations for 2014 and to make sure that a real consultation on the Mid-Term Review takes place to finally shift to coherence, inclusion, sustainability and participation for the 2nd half of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

17 March 2014, Brussels – The European Anti-Poverty Network addressed last Thursday 13 March a letter to the EU Prime Ministers and Heads of State, ahead of their General Affairs Council meeting tomorrow and Spring Council next 20-21 March, where they will review the progress made on the European Semester for 2014 including the up-coming Recommendations (CSRs) and debate the Commission’s proposals on the Mid-Term Review of the Europe 2020 Strategy. In its Letter, EAPN calls on EU leaders to ensure coherence between social and economic policies, with coherent country-specific recommendations capable of delivering on the Europe 2020 targets for 2014, notably on poverty, and to launch a concrete participative consultation of the Europe 2020 Strategy Mid-Term Review, involving civil-society actors taking place in 2014-15.

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

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.