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The Commission’s Communication to the European Spring Council has caused shock and dismay amongst social NGOs including EAPN.
The dropping of Social Cohesion as a priority objective, the failure to mention the EU Inclusion Strategy and the ignoring of the commitment given by Heads of State and Government in Lisbon, to bring forward a strategy aimed at making a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty in the EU is incomprehensible.
This failure is not only an affront to the 68 million people who live in the EU facing poverty and social exclusion but to all people who defend a European Social Model. It is not enough that social policies are only reflected in the Social Agenda and the Sustainable Development Strategy but must also be part of the priority objectives as defined by the Lisbon agenda.