The same report reveals that there is 75% support for the EU-2020 priority to “help the poor and socially excluded and enable them to play an active part in society”.
“One of the key messages from the Eurobarometer report is clear” says Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN. “If the European Union wants to restore citizen’s confidence, then the fight against poverty and social exclusion needs to be seen to be a key priority for the EU. A declaration from EU Heads of States and Governments committing to concrete actions to fight poverty and social exclusion as a conclusion to the 2010 Year against Poverty is one way to respond to the citizens’ demands” added M. Farrell.
However, for EAPN, the crucial test is to what extent investment in people rather than financial institutions is at the heart of the EU response to the current economic, social and financial crisis.
“EU leaders must realize that with the response to the crisis to date, most people and the most vulnerable even more so, are bearing the consequences of the past mistakes made by decision makers. For workers, the price of holding onto a job has meant an unacceptable degradation of their pay and working conditions. Meanwhile, the actions of governments to reduce public deficits have been undermining social cohesion and social protection for years to come” said Ludo Horemans, President of EAPN.
EAPN warns EU leaders that their ‘trickle down’ economic approach to tackling the crisis is the road to further alienation from the EU and to acknowledge that there are alternatives if they are prepared to act together to tackle the growing levels of inequality in our societies.
- Read here the press release in PDF.
Read more:
- EAPN’s proposals on the ‘European Platform against Poverty’
- The first findings of the Report
- Fact sheets on each country are also available (first results)
- Europa website press release on the new Eurobarometer
For further information, contact Nellie Epinat (Communication Press Officer) or Fintan Farrell (Director), tel. +32 2 226 58 50 – fax. +32 2 226 58 69 – E-mail: team@eapn.eu – Website: www.eapn.eu
