Brussels, 09/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The general assembly of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), which was held from 23 to 26 November in Liverpool, gave campaigners an opportunity to express their commitment to combating poverty in a region which has benefited from significant investment under the European structural funds, an EAPN press release says. Delegates expressed their disappointment in the recent political drift which has tended to weaken the balance of the Lisbon Strategy, and appealed to the interested parties and European leaders to: - ensure that the national programmes (a key element of the revised Lisbon Strategy) place strong emphasis on social inclusion and cohesion; - strengthen their commitment to the EU's “social inclusion” strategy and the national social inclusion action plans, which should be supported by appropriate funding.; - ensure that the exhaustive social inclusion objectives (Nice 2000) remain at the heart of the Commission proposal; - recognise NGOs as full partners in the management and implementation of structural funds, which is essential in order to free up the enormous potential of the structural funds in terms of promoting social inclusion and cohesion within the EU.