The 11th European Meeting of people experiencing poverty took place in Brussels on 10 & 11 May 2012 on the topic of “Homelessness and Housing Rights in the Context of the Crisis.”
This year’s meeting was focused on three key questions:
- In relation to homelessness and housing rights what are the key differences that can be seen in 2012 as compared to 2008?
- From the experience of the delegates and the preparation work for the meeting what are the ‘good and bad practices’ in relation to addressing homelessness and housing rights that have been identified?
- How best to design policies to address homelessness and housing that are adapted to the different needs and realities of different individuals and communities and can ensure equality in access to homeless services and housing rights?
The meeting brought together over 150 people with direct experience of poverty and homelessness from 30 European countries to exchange views on these questions with EU and national decision-makers.
Photographs: Maciej Szkopanski (European Commission)
REPORTS OF THE 11TH PEP MEETING
- Full Report in: English and French
- Short versions in: Czech – Dutch – Estonian – Finnish – German – Greek – Hungarian – Italian – Lithuanian – Macedonian – Maltese – Polish – Portuguese – Slovakian – Spanish
FOLLOW UP
- Follow up of the 11th Meeting
- Sonderausgabe
- Malta
- SAPN press conference about Shadow analyse of Poverty in Slovakia 2012 (18th December 2012)
- Portugal: round table 25th October – programme – video by local TV
- Ireland: In Ireland as follow-up we are in the process of arranging a meeting with officals in the Government Departments to further pursue the issues raised at the PEP meeting in May. Delegates and their organisations have agreed the issues and will we meet on November 27th. On of the Government Departments we will be seeking a meeting with is Minister Joan Burton’s.
- Spain: Participation and Social inclusion Debate Forum in Madrid on December 19, 2012.
- Meeting in Slovakia: http://www.stv.sk/online/archiv/doslova
USEFUL INFORMATION
- Read the press statement of the Danish Presidency, the European Commission and EAPN.
- Read the press release issued by delegates: “People experiencing poverty give RED CARD to EU Leaders”: delegates at the 11thEuropean Meeting of People experiencing poverty showed a red card to EU leaders to protest against current EU austerity measures in response to the crisis at the Opening session of the Meeting. A group of them left the Meeting at noon to protest in front of the European Council, calling for a right to housing, measures to put an end to homelessness, and economic and social policies that reverse the growing inequalities in Europe.
- Read the statement of delegates delivered at the Opening Session of the Meeting in English – French – Italian
- Watch the video of the protest on 10 May in front of the European Council here.
- Read the Key Messages from the meeting
- Report of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Problem of homelessness in English – German – Italian
- Background Note for the preparation of the 11th EU meeting in English – French
- EAPN follow up from the 10th EU Meeting in English – French
- Commissioner László Andor’s speech (in English)
- Dominique Pion’s speech (in French)
- See more pictures of the meeting here: https://picasaweb.google.com/eapnpictures2
- See Webstreamed videos of the Meeting here
CREATIVE PRESENTATIONS
Each national delegation presented a creation of its own, on the topic on homelessness and housing, either as a visual presentation or as a live performance:
- BAPN: watch the film
- Bulgaria: see the presentation (PDF)
- Cyprus: see the presentation (PDF) – and as an animated powerpoint
- Czech Republic: watch the film
- Denmark: watch the film
- Estonia: see the presentation (PDF)
- Finland: watch the film
- Germany: watch the film
- Greece: see the presentation (PDF)
- Iceland: watch the film
- Ireland: see the narration to the role-play (PDF)
- Italy: see the lyrics to the song in the film (PDF) – watch the film here
- Lithuania: see the presentation (PDF)
- Malta: watch the film
- Netherlands: see the presentation (PDF)
- Norway: see the presentation (PDF)
- Portugal: see the concept note (PDF) – and watch the slideshow
- Slovakia: watch the slideshow
- Slovenia: see the presentation (PDF)
- Spain: see the presentation (PDF)
- Sweden: see the presentation (PDF)
- UK: watch the film
In the late 1990s, EAPN along with other social NGOs pressed the European institutions for an anti-poverty policy that really delivers. This intensive lobbying resulted in the implementation of the European Social Inclusion Strategy decided on at the Nice Summit in 2000.
Read more about previous European Meetings of People experiencing poverty, with reports and films here.
