Brussels, 25/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - The charity Caritas Europe has warmly welcomed the European Commission's new social agenda, describing it as bearing witness to commitment to ensure more people benefit from employment (see EUROPE of 7 February pp. 7/8), stressing that having a job is the best way of fighting poverty, but is not sufficient.
In a press release, Caritas points out that around 15% of European citizens live below the poverty line, nearly half of this number (7%) known as the 'working poor'. In some southern countries, the percentage of working poor can be as high as 15%, notes Caritas. To attempt to remedy this situation, Caritas urges the Commission to taken account of this in its initiatives in the direction of a fair labour market for all. To get people out of poverty, more jobs are needed, but they must be high quality jobs, accompanied by adequate social protection for the most vulnerable. Caritas says that the European Social Fund is still the EU's main financial instrument for implementing the social agenda. Caritas stresses the importance of concrete quantifiable measures for people living in poverty. The gradual nature of the EU's social inclusion programme using the Open Coordination Method between Member States is a good example that should be taken to European level. The idea of growth at any cost must be replaced by a balanced approach between economic and social policies, concludes Caritas.