EAPN members participated in the Spring Alliance conference held on 28 September in the EESC, organized together with Environmental, Development NGOs and trade unions.
The conference presented the Spring Alliance Manifesto to President Barroso and other key decision-makers and developed through workshops futher proposals to implement all the areas of the manifesto. President Barroso in his speech pledged “a stronger focus on the social dimension in Europe at all levels of decision making”, “The Europe I believe in is a Europe of ambition, defending and promoting the European interest with vigour, a Europe of values and a Europe that puts people at the heart of the agenda”. He highlighted the importance of the EU Year combating poverty and social exclusion and the need to implement Active Inclusion.
However Sian Jones, Policy Coordinator from EAPN highlighted in her response on behalf of the Social Platform: “Although the rhetoric on the social dimension was evident, the detail on the policy measures was largely absent“. EAPN emphasized the need to recognize the failure of the growth model to reduce poverty and inequality and to make the eradication of poverty and social exclusion, specific objective in the post-2010 strategy, linked to Poverty targets and indicators beyond GDP, amongst other key demands.
For further information, contact sian.jones@eapn.eu.
