The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union confirmed on Monday 15 March, during the ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs’ Council (EPSCO), the launch of the platform for tackling homelessness and the holding of a high-level conference on the subject on 21 June, at the end of which a joint declaration will be signed.
The event should bring together the European institutions, the Member States, and above all local and regional authorities and civil society.
The Portuguese Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, said the declaration should contain an integrated strategy to address homelessness, which is accelerating in the wake of the pandemic. During his speech, the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, stressed the role of cities.
No Member State reacted either positively or negatively to the announcement.
The announcement was welcomed on Twitter by the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA). However, when the action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (see EUROPE 12671/2) was presented, the organisation regretted the absence of a quantified indicator for combating homelessness. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)