Brussels, 18/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) has presented its contribution to the Barcelona Summit in response to the Commission's summary report entitled "The Lisbon Strategy - Making Change Happen" (see EUROPE Documents No 2267/68 of 23 January 2002). In a press release, the EAPN states:
1. Economic and social cohesion: If the aim proposed by the Commission to cut by half the number of people threatened by poverty throughout the EU is adopted by the Summit as a target for 2010, then this should be accompanied by another target that would concern the population below the 40% average income threshold, that is, the population in absolute poverty. In 1997, states EAPN, this concerned 7% of the population in the Europe of Fifteen. An average of 2% should therefore be the aim for 2010, as this is the average of the three best countries in 1997: Denmark, Finland and Ireland.
2. Employment: The Network regrets that emphasis is still being placed on labour market policies rather than on job creation. It also stresses that the structures in place for child care must take into account the welfare of the parents as well as that of the children and that access to affordable, good quality care should be considered an aim for the children themselves. Furthermore, the EAPN regrets that the question of child minding out of school hours is not being tackled.
3. Internal market and economic reform: EAPN reproaches the Commission's summary report for considering the opening up of markets and liberalisation (of the gas and electricity markets, transport markets and communication) as a good thing in itself, without posing the question of what the impact on cohesion and social exclusion will be.
4. Absence of integrated strategy: EAPN calls on the Summit to entrust the Commission with the mandate of developing mechanisms whereby all the elements of the Lisbon strategy will be assessed according to their social and environmental impact. Furthermore, the employment and social affairs ministers, as well as the environment ministers, should take part at the European Spring Council on an equal footing with the economy and finance ministers.
(The full text is available at: http://www.eapn.org ).