Brussels, 06/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The 12th session of the Fourth World People's University (UPQM), meeting in Brussels on Monday 5 March, stressed the understanding gap with exists between the 120 representatives of people living in situations of extreme poverty on the one hand and European, national and local decision-makers on the other.
Relaying the words of the president of the Robert Schuman Association, Paul Collowald, and of outgoing European Commission civil servants Jacques-René Rabier and Robert Pendeville, Eugen Brand, delegate general of ATD Fourth World, stressed at the end of the session that “Europe is not growing as a Europe of human rights if poor people are not on board. The main thing is transmitting courage in European integration.” The fight must be fought at the level of human rights and democracy. Citizenship must be based and anchored in indivisibility and human rights to achieve a Europe of dignity and coming together, he concluded.
During the work, calls were made: - to the European Parliament to urge the member states to sign the revised European Social Charter with its collective complaint protocol (adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 12 October 2011); - to the European Commission to launch a higher number of projects for fundamental social rights and to present a report put together over time to be taken as a basis for a genuine pooling of knowledge; - on the European Economic and Social Committee to work more with the UPQM to reject poverty and to draft an opinion on the consequences of European legislation on the poorest people.
In the view of the vice-president of the European Parliament, Isabelle Durant (Greens/EFA, Belgium), it is quite clear that the Parliament also has a real responsibility towards people living in situations of poverty. “You should be considered as full citizens, upstanding citizens!”, she said. Durant added that “the first thing the European authorities must do is listen. We are all in the same boat, Europe needs to get out of its own arrogance!”
The MEP Charles Goerens (EPP, Luxembourg) stressed the fact that within the issue of poverty, the responsibility for actions initiated at European level lies first and foremost with the member states. “I am the first to lament the fact that at the EU level, there are not many resources to help our flock! The EU has 1% of the means to tackle this problem, compared to 99% for the member states.” As regards the fight against poverty, Goerens said that he would never accept everyone, in other words the EU and the member states, passing the buck with unequal resources and competencies.
The 12th edition of the Fourth World People's University focused on the theme “All citizens united for an active Europe against persistent poverty”. Organised by the ATD Fourth World Movement with the support of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), it was opened by Staffan Nilsson, president of the institution, Marie-Cécile Renoux, ATD Fourth World's delegate to the EU and Marc Couillard, ATD Fourth World activist. It is particularly worth noting that Pier Virgilio Dastoli, president of the European Movement in Italy and spokesperson of the Permanent Forum of European Civil Society, attended, as did Henri Lourdelle, adviser to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Jürgen Klute, vice-president of the extreme poverty and human rights intergroup of the EP, and Leila Kurki, vice-president of the Employment/Social Affairs/Citizenship section of the EESC. (Cor./transl.fl)