The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion sets out actions to reduce poverty and social exclusion in Europe. The challenge is now to create further wide-reaching partnerships and momentum to implement the Social Investment Package and increase the level of ambition for achieving the poverty target through reforms in the Member States and to confront the social challenges Europe is facing. The Convention also goes “local” highlighting the essential role played by regional and local authorities in designing and delivering social protection benefits and services.
EAPN’s KEY MESSAGES to the Annual Convention
Read EAPN’s press release (27/11/2013) Ending Poverty is a Political Choice!
EAPN involvement in the Convention
over 50 EAPN national members participated, as well as European Organisations members of EAPN.
As in previous years, EAPN spoke in a number of settings during the Convention. EAPN was also active in workshops and side events.
- Plenary: Sérgio Aires, EAPN President, spoke in the opening plenary of the second day (November the 27th, 09h), together with Lieve Fransen, Director in DG Employment, European Commission, about social policies to reduce poverty. Read Sergio Aires’s speech here.
Workshops:
Barbara Helfferich, EAPN Director, spoke in the second day (November the 27th, 13h30), in the afternoon workshop dedicated to the poverty target and progress made. See Barbara Hellferich’s presentation here. Per K. Larsen, EAPN Denmark, spoke also in the second day (November 27th, 13h30), on behalf of the European Minimum Income Network (project led by EAPN – see Per K.Larsen’s presentation here), in the afternoon workshop dedicated to reference budgets, together with Honoratte Muhanzi Kashale, EAPN Norway, as representative of the European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty and Social Exclusion (see H.M.Kashale’s presentation here).
Side-Event on In-Work Poverty: EAPN organised on the first day (November 26th, 17h30), together with EASPD and ENSIE, a side-event on in-work poverty, which also served as official launch of the EAPN position paper on in-work poverty. For EAPN, Peter Kelly, EAPN Vice President, presented the position paper, and Daniela Orobej, from EAPN Hungary, contributed a testimonial as expert by experience. The event then included a debate with the audience and with decision-makers about how to progress the fight against in-work poverty in the European Union. For more information, please contact Amana Ferro (amana.ferro@eapn.eu) in the Secretariat, in charge of this event.
Side-Event on Child Poverty: Eurochild (EAPN member), together with the Adhoc Alliance on Child Poverty (of which EAPN is a member) organised this side-event on the first day (November 26th, 17h30), on the Recommendation on Investing in Children, which is part of the Social Investment Package. For more information, please contact Sian Jones (sian.jones@eapn.eu) in the Secretariat.
World Café on Structural Funds: EAPN participated in the World Café on Structural Funds. For more information, please contact Vincent Caron (vincent.caron@eapn.eu) in the Secretariat.
See EAPN press release that was released on Wednesday 27 November on our homepage and at the top of this page.
The first day of the Convention consisted of:
- plenary sessions to take stock of actions at national and European level to implement social policies to reduce poverty and inequalities,
- a speed dating session and a series of side events organised by stakeholders to share their experience and expertise working in the field.
The second day consisted of:
- workshops bringing together policymakers and other participants to discuss the implementation of specific social policy areas, as well as EU instruments to monitor and support these efforts,
- a plenary session bringing together representatives from the local, regional, national and European levels to debate the main themes discussed at the Convention and the priorities for future action.
Participants and speakers
The Convention brought together governmental delegations of the different EU Members States and candidate countries, representatives of regional and local authorities, delegates of the European institutions, non-governmental organizations, service providers, academics and a wide variety of actors active in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
The Convention was addressed by European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, Herman van Rompuy and the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor and other high level speakers.
George Soros gave a keynote speech on “Roma and marginalised populations”.
Presentations!
Convention programmes
Convention sessions
The Convention featured a series of breakout sessions such as workshops, stakeholder-led side events, a discussion forum and a speed dating session.
The eight workshops organised by the European Commission were on the following topics:
Workshops: “Investing in people throughout their life”
- 1. Promoting effective investment in early childhood education and care
- 2. Roma inclusion policies
- 3. Integrated strategies for re-housing homeless people
- 4. Ensuring adequate access to health care in times of austerity
- 5. Policy solutions for youth experiencing disadvantage
Workshops: “Instruments and indicators to implement and monitor poverty reduction”
- 6. Innovative financial instruments developed with the private sector
- 7. Poverty target. Where are we?
- 8. Reference budgets for adequate livelihoods
The stakeholder-led side events held at the Convention are the following:
- Escaping the migration poverty trap?
- How to prevent over indebtedness
- Contribution to the Recommendation for Investing in Children
- In-work poverty – The contribution of employment to poverty reduction and inclusion
- The role of cities in implementing the Social Investment Package.
In addition to this there was a speed dating session bringing together innovators who developed successful projects and participants wishing to develop new initiatives in the field of social policy and social investment. There was also an in-depth discussion forum on the priorities for the European Structural and Investment Funds in the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
Evaluation