Brussels, 21/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - In the run-up to the Christmas season, MEPs (Marie-Arlette Carlotti and Catherine Guy-Quint, (French Socialists) have launched two initiatives ?to ensure that Europe does not forget the most disadvantaged people on its soil?: (1) a written declaration on provisions for charity associations for the implementation of a European programme of aid for the most disadvantaged, which was tabled on 12 December and proposed for signature by the members of the European Parliament; (2) a priority written question to the Commission to ask it about its intentions on the issue in the next few months. What Marie-Arlette Carlotti and Catherine Guy-Quint want is to get the whole of the Parliament involved, in order to make the food aid programme, launched in 1987 by initiative of Jacques Delors, a permanent fixture, to extend the programme and reaffirm the contribution of food aid to the objective of reducing poverty in Europe. In a press release, the two members emphasised the fact that despite continual attempts by right-wing members of the European Parliament to get rid of the programmes in favour of the most disadvantaged (which help ?food banks? such as the Belgian Restos du Cœur network, and other social restaurants), a budget of 230 million EUR was adopted at the plenary session in December for 2006, thanks to the mobilisation of the left.
It is worth noting that 82 million people are living in a situation of poverty in the EU, at least 42 million of whom are under-nourished.