Brussels, 25 May 2009
The European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) launches today a website (www.adequateincome.eu) as part of the second stage of its Adequate Minimum Income Campaign. EAPN calls on all people who believe in providing everyone with the opportunity to live a dignified life to join the campaign by signing the appeal on the website.
Prominent figures such as Dario Fo, Nobel Prize winner; Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission; Aye Aye Win, Director of Dignity International; John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC and Conny Reuter, President of the Social Platform have already joined the campaign.
Every day, 79 million people facing poverty in the EU are forced to make difficult choices; between heating and eating, paying their rent or buying essential goods. The recently held 8th European meeting of people experiencing poverty confirmed that adequate and accessible minimum income schemes, coupled with access to essential services and in particular housing, are a key instrument to address this reality.
“Minimum Income schemes are a lifeline for many people experiencing poverty, providing money for essentials and support to be active in society, as well as being essential tools to stabilise the economy and ensure a social response to the current economic crisis”, said Ludo Horemans, President of EAPN.
“In pursuing this campaign we are not looking for something new, we are just asking Governments and the EU Institutions to respect existing international human rights instruments and commitments. We are also asserting that Adequate Minimum Income schemes are good for everyone, as they provide the foundations for building decent societies” said Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN.
As a key part of this campaign, EAPN calls on the Member Sates and the EU Institutions to respect the commitment made in the December 2008 Recommendation on Active Inclusion to recognise “the individual’s basic right to resources and social assistance sufficient to live a life that is compatible with human dignity”.
/END
For further information, see www.adequateincome.eu or 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
