EAPN has actively backed the Europe 2020 Strategy’s vision and targets and has tried hard to engage in the European Semester at national and European levels every year since 2010.
“The rise in poverty to 120 million (over 4 million from 2011), instead of progress on poverty reduction target, together with a clear rise of the intensity of the poverty situation of those already living in that situation for a long time, is a scandal and an irrefutable sign that the EU is failing to keep faith with its citizens”, says EAPN’s letter.
In its letter, EAPN strongly recommends that the Annual Growth Survey should re-focus on Europe 2020 and require an integrated strategy to fight poverty and exclusion for all groups, backed by Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs); explicit commitment to Social Investment and Social Protection as essential pre-requisites for inclusive growth and recovery and with a strong and also strategic support of the Structural Funds; new priority to increasing accountability and legitimacy of the Semester Process through Guidelines for Parliament and grassroots Stakeholder Engagement.
EAPN’s recommendations are based on its Assessment of the National Reform Programmes 2013 Widening The Gap, Sept 2013.
See EAPN’s full letter to President Barroso here.
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For further information, Nellie Epinat (Communications officer) nellie.epinat@eapn.eu
(Tel. +32 2 226 58 56) – fax. +32 2 226 58 69) www.eapn.eu – team@eapn.eu
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is the largest European network of national, regional and local networks, involving anti-poverty NGOs and grassroots groups as well as European Organisations, active in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. EAPN is working for a democratic and social Europe, free of poverty and social exclusion.
