Brussels, 07/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Social exclusion and extreme poverty affects around 72 million people in Europe. In 2000, 16% of European citizens were at risk from poverty. In 2006, 10% of adults (aged 18-59) were living in a household where no one was in employment. In the EU, 19% of children are at risk from poverty. Such situations of great hardship make it difficult for people to play a full part in the life of society. This is unacceptable. So, what can be done to help? Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla and German Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Franz Münterfering felt that it was impossible to speak about combating poverty without talking about training and education, access to decent housing, to quality health care, “good” jobs with decent pay and a “pleasant” workplace. Such was their message at the 6th Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty, in Brussels on 4-5 May on the theme “Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion: Progress made, future steps”, attended by representatives of these 72 million people living in extreme poverty. In this very important conference, as Mr Spidla told press, “Talk is about people, not figures”. He said that “poverty is increasingly becoming individualised and personalised. Our response has to be personalised”.
“We want to be players in our own lives, carry the burden on our own shoulders, without forgetting that other people have fought for us. Together we can push back, or even eradicate, poverty,” said Virginie Poilvert, speaking about the great poverty in which she lived and describing her “shame at living in such a situation”, when she spoke at the 5th European Meeting (in 2006). Progress can be seen, however, said Ms Poilvert, who broke free from her situation through, often chance, contacts with people which led to other things so that light could seen at the end of the tunnel, and also through the involvement of people living in poverty at the political level. Above all, however, said Ms Poilvert: “The laws that have been adopted in the area of poverty and social exclusion are not always effective or put into practice, and here we have the possibility to question this legislation and to make sure that it is implemented, and finally we also have the possibility to be involved in the European process. I think this is an important breakthrough”. (gb)