Brussels, 9 May 2008 – In a letter to President Barroso, EAPN expresses its serious concerns about the lack of respect for the consultation process that the Commission launched on the future social policy agenda for the EU.
In a letter sent to the College of Commissioners ahead of its meeting on 30 April dedicated to the EU social policy agenda, EAPN urges the Commission to deliver a dynamic social agenda responding to the social realities, such as the fact that 78 million people live in poverty in the EU, amongst whom 19 million are in employment.
A new Eurostat report confirms EAPN’s point of view that holding a job is not always sufficient to escape poverty.
On the occasion of the informal meeting of the ministers responsible for regional policy to take place tomorrow, Friday 20 May, EAPN has issued a response to the Commission’s non-paper on the “Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion Policy in support of growth and jobs”, which is to be discussed at the informal ministerial.
Giving access to a wide range of good practices on the ground is the aim of LOCIN – www.locin.info, the European website on local initiatives to combat social exclusion, which has been officially launched today in Brussels.
On the occasion of the Fourth European Round Table on Social Inclusion to be held in Glasgow on 17-18 October, EAPN points out that the strongest welfare states in the EU are also the most competitive.
EAPN has sent a letter to the EU Heads of State and Government and to Commission President Barroso, expressing its concerns that having announced an informal summit on the European Social Model, the focus on Social Europe is now getting lost. “If this is the case, this is likely to have the impact of further alienating people concerned about Social Europe from the European Project”, states Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN.
The continuing scandal of widespread poverty in a rich society, such as the European Union where 68 million people live in poverty, is intolerable. The next round of National Action Plans for Inclusion must move Europe substantially towards the agreed EU goal ‘to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010’. As the participants to the Liverpool EAPN General Assembly repeated: we cannot wait any longer!
Can activation schemes work for social inclusion? This is the question to which EAPN tries to answer in a recent position paper. According to the Network, the answer is ‘yes’ provided that these schemes aim to meet individual person’s needs, wishes and priorities.
Brussels, 11 March 2008 – In a letter sent today to EU Prime Ministers ahead of the European Spring Council due to take place on 13-14 March, the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) raises questions about whether Member States will strengthen their cooperation to address growing inequalities and seriously tackle the unacceptable high levels of poverty in the EU. EAPN asks the forthcoming Spring Council to give clear answers to four key questions.