Fattigdom

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  • Gabi Bischoff visited Armut und Gesundheit in Deutschland e.V.  in Mainz

    "We have an army of committed people in our civil society. These people deserve our appreciation and they also need the necessary political support." So said Gabi Bischoff, President of the Workers’ Group at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), on her 22 July visit to "Verein Armut und Gesundheit in Deutschland", which is dedicated to providing medical treatment to the poor and socially disadvantaged. The EESC has made combating poverty and social exclusion one of its priorities under the current presidency, in order to further social, economic and territorial cohesion in Europe. It has already drafted a number of opinions on the subject, including a proposal for a European minimum income and fairer taxation policy.

  • Reference number
    21/2016

    How are new forms of employment impacting workers? Is the total flexibility of workers and labour market desirable? Will the sharing economy be putting an end to Europe's social protection systems?

    Today's EESC public hearing, entitled "the changing nature of employment relationships, the sharing economy, zero-hour contracts and the living wage" discussed the growth of non-standard forms of employment in light of workers' protection.

  • ©blackboard1965 / Shutterstock.com
    Reference number
    12/2016

    More than 122 million people in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion[1]

    The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an opinion urging the EU Council to stick to its commitment to get at least 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. The EESC adopted its opinion on fighting poverty (Rapporteur: Seamus Boland, Co-Rapporteur: Marjolijn Bulk), requested by the Dutch Presidency of the Council, during its plenary session on 18 February 2016. To achieve the EU's target, Member States need to launch their own national strategies to fight poverty, social exclusion and discrimination, supported by a common European framework. These strategies should focus on adequate income support, inclusive labour markets, quality jobs, equal access to affordable high quality services for all, including migrants and people granted asylum.  

     

  • Copyright Andreas Reeg
    Reference number
    71/2015

    More than 120 million people in the EU face the risk of poverty or social exclusion[1]

    Grassroots organisations working to alleviate poverty in Germany, Ireland, France, Poland and Finland show the way in providing direct assistance to those in need.  The European Economic and Social Committee has dedicated the 2015 European Civil Society Prize to organisations distinguishing themselves through their creativity and success in combatting poverty.

    Poverty and social exclusion includes many multi-faceted challenges such as housing, health, education, access to employment, indebtedness and addiction, to name but a few. Civil society organisations across the European Union are actively addressing these issues.  Activities often focus on local needs and – crucially – directly involve people experiencing poverty themselves in their implementation.


     

  • Partnership event co-organised by the EAPN and the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

    This event is open to the public. It is an in-person event that will be webstreamed. Prior registration for in-person participation is required. Register by 1 April at: REGISTRATION - Unsustainable Welfare States and Risk of Austerity (google.com)

  • As part of its work to prepare an opinion on "Access to water: tackling water poverty and its implication on social policy", the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a hybrid public hearing on 13 April 2023 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Thematic debate

    The thematic debate of the Group will see the participation of Marina Elvira Calderone, Minister for Labour and Social Policies of Italy, Marie Toussaint, MEP and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Intergroup on "Fighting against poverty", and several representatives of civil society organisations.

  • Thematic debate on gender equality

    Energy poverty exacerbates gender gap worldwide. It is estimated that 70% of 1.3 billion population in developing countries living in poverty are women. Research has shown that women are more likely to fall into energy poverty as they are the main users and producers of household energy, due to economic, biological/physiological and socio-cultural factors. For instance, older women are the most likely to suffer from energy poverty due to a higher life expectancy and lower pensions compared to men. Women are also more likely to be responsible for householding and cooking activities requiring energy sources.

  • The EESC is organising a hybrid conference entitled "Towards an EU framework against homelessness based on the principle of 'Housing First'" on 7 October 2022 (9h30 to 13h00).

    The aim of the conference will be to reflect on how the EU, national, regional and local authorities, as well as organised civil society, can join forces to identify practical steps to be taken to eradicate homelessness in the EU.

    Your participation and input are most welcome!

  • challenges from an economic and social perspective

    As part of its work to prepare an opinion on "Tackling energy poverty and the EU's resilience: challenges from an economic and social perspective'', the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a remote public hearing on 25 May 2022 from 9:30 am to 1 pm.

    The discussion will focus on how European organised civil society, together with the EU, national, regional and local authorities, can join forces to fight against energy poverty.

    Your participation and input are most welcome!