Brussels, 04/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a letter sent to MEPs on Thursday 30 April, European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Director Fintan Farrell requests their support for the report by Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA, UK) on active inclusion. The report is to be debated in plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday 5 May.
“This report is key for the effective implementation of the integrated approach that the EC Active Inclusion Recommendation is proposing, in terms of inclusive employment, adequate income support and access to quality services,” says Farrell in his letter. “It is the result of hard work and extensive consultations with all political groups in the European Parliament and has also benefited from comprehensive input from social NGOs, such as the Social Platform and EAPN,” he continues.
“The Jean Lambert report strongly endorses the emphasis given to the key role of ensuring an adequate income for a dignified life, based on the 1992 Council Recommendation, and the need to challenge the current focus on punitive conditionality in current activation policies, which are driving more people in poverty into hardship, in a context where jobs are under threat. In addition, the report supports the need for access to quality services, including by proposing a Framework Directive for Social Services of General Interest”, Farrell says.