Input by Fintan Farrell, Director EAPN

Building an EU We Can Trust

Shaping the EU post 2010 social stratgey

Bucharest 17 November 2009

EAPN Origins

Established in 1990

A network of independent NGOs involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion (within EU countries, mostly)

To defend the interest of people experiencing poverty and scocial exclusion in the development of EU policies and programmes

EAPN Membership and Financing

26 National Networks

23 European Organisations

Recieves fiancial supporet from the European Connission

EAPN some achievments

Sustained and Growing Network New Articles in the EU Treaties EU Social Inclusion Strategy (OMC on Social Proection and

Social Inclusion EU Programme to support the strategy (PROGRESS) EU Recommendation on Active Inclusion (Adequacy of

Income, Access to Services, Support for access to employment)

Partnership Principle in Structural Funds EU Meetings of People Experiencing Poverty 2010 EU Year Against Poverty and Social Exclusion

Poverty – The Reality

79 million people facing poverty (17%) 25% Romania (83? Euro) 10% Netherlands (910 Euro) 10 % Czech Republic

(271Euro) 8 European Meetings of People Experiencing Poverty

and the Social OMC has helped to put faces to the figures

Poverty is: ”constant pressure. It wears you down. Nobody prepared me for living in such harsh conditions”

Participant 8th European Meeting of People Living in Poverty

People Experiencing Poverty

‘I am undocumented, so for you I don’t exist’ ‘waking up in bad housing conditions which

saps the will to do anything’ ‘being paid regularly, but my debts still

mounting up anyway’ ‘hard to talk about, but when I did start to talk

to others I felt no different from them and I wasn’t embarrassed’

Inequality – The Reality

Increasing inequality –Income of the top 20% 5 times more than the bottom 20% (2007)

Impact of Inequality: Read the book ‘The Spirit Level’

"We have to accept that inequality is a way of achieving greater opportunity and prosperity for all."

Lord Brian Griffiths (Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs)

Impact of Inequality

Trust and levels of Equality

What's needed to stand up against poverty

Understanding of Poverty as a denial of fundamental rights – Access to rights and dignity for all, breaking stereotypes, addressing discrimination

An economy at the service of people and public interest – Achieving a fairer distribution of wealth

Mobilizing all policies – poverty can not be solved by social policies a lone

What's needed to stand up against poverty

Universal services and targeted measures – not poor services for poor people

The need for well functioning democracy - representative and participative

Solidarity across the globe – the fight against poverty outside and inside Europe is part of the same fight.

Priorities for the EU!

2010 EU Year against Poverty and Social Exclusion: raising awareness and ensuring a strong political legacy from the year.

A Social and Sustainable EU 2020 strategy that makes the eradication of poverty and social exclusion a pre-requisite

Gaining Priority for the social impact of the Crisis: action to defend public services and adequate income

An EU We Can Trust: 3 Key demands

1) A new social and sustainable EU 2020 strategy

2) A Social Progress Pact – Delivering on rights and solidarity

3) Building a dynamic partnership for change

1. A new social and sustainable strategy

A new social and sustainable post 2010 strategy which makes progress on poverty and inequality a pre-requisite. New objectives and balanced

architecture reinforcing the role of the Social OMC

New tools for implementation – Targets on poverty and Indicators beyond GDP.

2. A Social Pact – delivering on Rights and Solidarity.

Progress on reducing inequality Implementing Active Inclusion

RecommendationGuaranteeing Adequate Income and access to

services ( EU frameworks)Defending quality employment

Challenging discrimination and promoting diversity.

Promoting global social justice.

3. Building a dynamic partnership for change

Implementing better participation – EU guidelines and benchmarking on governance.

Financial support to NGO’s – access to Structural Funds/ new EU Poverty Programme.

2010 should contribute a shift in focus so that the primary concern of politics and our political discourse should be about the quality of social relations and how we can develop harmonious and sustainable societies.

2010 should also be a year of concrete commitments to rebuild trust