The 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion was officially closed with a ceremony that took place in the Charlemagne building of the European Commission on 17 December in Brussels.
This event coincided with the publication of the Commission’s Communication on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion - one of the five thematic flagships included in the Europe 2020 Strategy. The aim of the conference was mainly to present best practice from national level on actions to fight poverty and social exclusion that took place throughout 2010.
Ludo Horemans, EAPN’s President, spoke on behalf of the 2010 Coalition of social NGOs, warning against the massive negative impact of the budgetary measures currently being introduced across Europe. "Given the reality of the austerity measures taken in most Member States, which impact on people living in poverty and exclusion the most, urgent actions will be needed if the good intentions and commitments in the Platform are to be convincing", said Mr Horemans.
He called on the European institutions and Member States to complete the fight against poverty fighting against growing inequalities. "All citizens have a fundamental right to live in dignity, and this can be achieved only if European societies are based on the solidarity principle. A European Year on Combating Inequalities should be, therefore, envisaged in near future", concluded Ludo Horemans.
The conference ended with a Council declaration expressing Member States’ commitments in relation to the fight against poverty in Europe. A delegation of people living in poverty also delivered their common message to the Heads of State.
Useful documents
- 2010 NGO Coalition’s statement on the 2010 Year
- Council Declaration on The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion: Working together to fight poverty in 2010 and beyond
- EAPN’s final Declaration on the European Year combating poverty and social exclusion: English - French - Spanish
- See also the article on Carita’s website: Zero Poverty voices reach final destination
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