Caritas Europa: Dutch EU Presidency delivers on its promise to push poverty up on EU agenda
Caritas Europa is pleased to see that, as promised, the Dutch EU Presidency has pushed poverty onto the EU Council’s agenda. We now invite the Council to take a step forward in eradicating poverty in Europe and to adopt the conclusion on “Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion: An integrated approach”.
“I used to be a construction worker, but I lost my job when the company went bankrupt. My wife has a mental illness and often needs psychiatric support. Long-term unemployment and lack of support caused me distress and, unfortunately, I started having drinking problems. I have three children who attend school but I cannot give them the support they require to perform at school. I wish I had never lost my job or had more support to get back on track,” said a Caritas Slovenia beneficiary.
Launched in April, Caritas Europa’s report End Poverty in Europe – Our solutions to make it happen presents 18 recommendations to tackle poverty in Europe. It contributes to the debate on new European social welfare models built on social inclusion, investment and social protection as well as human and social rights. During the launch event, Mrs Jetta Klijnsma, the Netherlands’ Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Employment, promised to “work even harder to push poverty up on the EU Council agenda”. We are now seeing these words becoming reality.
