6 May,
Brussels – EAPN welcomes the European Commission’s commitment to eradicating
poverty through the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.
This is a historic moment for millions of
people across Europe who experience or have experienced poverty, for those
working on the ground, and for organisations that have long called for such an
initiative, in particular the European Anti-Poverty Network. In a context
marked by relentless crises, deepening social inequalities, austerity,
deregulation and war, this represents an important political step forward.
However, unless it is matched by concrete
action, it will remain words on paper. Real work begins now.
From EAPN’s initial analysis, we note
several positive elements. The strategy recognises that poverty affects people
across the life cycle in all areas of life, emphasises the role of prevention
as a key component of eradication, and calls on Member States to develop
national and local anti-poverty strategies, an essential step toward achieving
eradication. The Strategy is also proposing a Council Recommendation to address
in-work poverty. It will also implement a structured and
meaningful dialogue with people with lived experience of poverty. It also
compromises with the review of indicators to better measure poverty.
At the same time, it falls short in key
areas. It lacks clear, binding targets and pathways toward eradication and does
not sufficiently address the systemic root causes of poverty and social
exclusion. Also, the strategy doesn’t address the inadequacy of the existing
social protection schemes, a cornerstone to any anti-poverty and social
inclusion efforts. Our main concern is the gap between the Commission’s stated
ambitions and its broader political priorities, including ongoing
underinvestment in social rights, alongside increased focus on defence,
security and competitiveness. EAPN will launch a more detailed analysis in the
upcoming weeks.
We stand ready to work with EU institutions
and Member States to ensure that this strategy leads to real, measurable change
in people’s lives.