27/11/2013 – On the occasion of the European Convention against Poverty, EAPN President Sérgio Aires met with President Barroso. Sérgio underlined the need for an integrated European Anti-Poverty Strategy stating that if finances and economy are EU businesses, poverty was also one – particularly when current economic choices contributed to it. He also proposed to launch a process, both at European and national level assuring an enlarged participation of stakeholders, particularly those facing themselves poverty and social exclusion, to develop such a EU integrated strategy to fight poverty. This, he said, would be the positive sign of political commitment we would like to see. President Barroso, whose speech at the Convention acknowledged the fact that the poverty target was way out of reach, responded outlining the structural and political difficulties to require member states to deliver on social targets.
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