Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-16-Speech-1-157"
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"en.20080616.23.1-157"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, according to the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion for 2008, 16% of the population of the EU is still living below the poverty line, and 19% of children are at risk of destitution and social exclusion, despite all the commitments made by the Member States in 2000 to drastically reduce poverty by 2010.
The question of the participation of NGOs and the level of funding for their actions has been the subject of conciliation between Parliament, the Commission and the Council. We are glad the Council has accepted a proposal to append to the decision an additional statement from the Commission on encouraging the participation of small and medium-sized NGOs, and the possibility of fully funding their actions by national agencies.
I would like to thank the responsible officials, colleagues, and fellow Members for their contribution to the preparation of the decision.
Poverty does not affect only women, children and certain social groups that are always particularly vulnerable. Far from being eradicated, poverty is actually reinforced by international developments in the energy and food production sectors, and by internal disparities in the less prosperous regions of the Union itself. In these places there are chronic structural disadvantages, such as remote, island and deindustrialised regions and others.
Poverty and social exclusion are a threat to development, competitiveness and the social model. They also violate human rights in a Europe that wishes to become a model of respect for human dignity and the promotion of equal opportunities for all.
The Commission’s proposal for a European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion in 2010, with a significantly higher budget than that allocated to previous European Years, is an important step in promoting solidarity, social justice, and greater economic and social cohesion.
It is our ambition that 2010 should be a milestone year for recognising the multidimensional nature of poverty and social exclusion. This recognition embraces not only material poverty but also access to health services, housing, social protection, education, training, employment and quality of life. We must accept that those who endure poverty have a right to live in dignity and participate in social and economic life. We must affirm the common responsibility of the European agencies of the Member States, and of the social partners and all citizens, to increase social cohesion. The year 2010 will lay the foundations for effective structures of collective responsibility and for a fair redistribution of wealth.
The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats took the lead in the proposals and accepted amendments to enable the cooperation of all the political groups in the European Parliament. We have thus strengthened the Commission’s proposal by broadening the definition of vulnerable categories and adding issues such as meeting the needs of families with specific problems, single-parent families and large families, addressing the specific problems of people with disabilities and the homeless, and promoting active integration and access to culture and recreation.
This, of course, does not detract from the primary objective of improving the financial situation of individuals and families by allowing them access to decent, permanent employment. Good employment provides the satisfaction of participating and the self-sufficiency necessary to meet the needs of the more vulnerable members of society, such as children and old people.
As MEPs, we have paid close attention to the correct enforcement of Community legislation on equal opportunities. We have attended to the shaping and application, at national, regional and local level, of integrated, coordinated policies. These have been developed by public and private bodies with the participation of those affected, in order to maintain the principles of good governance, subsidiarity and proportionality.
Factors contributing to the success of the Year for Combating Poverty will be the strengthening of the open method of coordination, the coordination of actions between existing European programmes and the results of previous European Years, the active participation of civil society, and correct evaluation of the proposals and results by the European Commission."@en1
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