In a press release, EAPN Ireland calls on the Irish Minister of Social and Family Affairs to reconsider the decision not to involve people who experience poverty and organisations who work with them in developing the forthcoming National Action Plan on Social Inclusion 2008-2010 which will be presented to the European Union in September 2008.
This decision not to involve stakeholders in the development of the plan is contrary to past practice, and is not in line with the European Commission guidance note on developing the three year plan on social inclusion.
Anna Visser, Director of EAPN Ireland, stated that “In the run up to the Lisbon Treaty Referendum we are very aware of the importance of demonstrating how Europe affects the everyday lives of people in Ireland”, she continued ‘The decision not to involve these stakeholders damages the quality of the European social inclusion process in Ireland, and reinforces the distance between people’s everyday lives and the European Union”.
Ireland has a strong record of involving people who experience poverty and the groups that work with them in European social inclusion processes. During the development of the 2006-2008 plan EAPN Ireland members across Ireland engaged in an active and productive consultation process. It is important to build on this practice in the run up to 2010 the European year against Poverty and Social Exclusion.
Further enquiries contact: Anna Visser, Director, Email: anna@eapn.ie