E.M.E.R.G.E. - European Mobility Enabling to Reduce th Ground of Exclusion - European Project hosted by Istituto Sturzo in partnership with ESA and FCASEC

EU Income Directive – the end of poverty across Europe?

The employment and social committee at the EP votes on the draft proposal in June

venerdì, May 7th, 2010

In March 2010, members of the European Parliament, after discussions with employers’ and workers’ organizations agreed on studying the possible impact of the introduction of uniform minimum income level across the EU. The Employment and Social Committee at the European Parliament is going to vote on the draft proposal in June. In case this proposal is approved, it means that a new EU Directive will be developed which will guarantee that Marco from Italy, Bogdan from Romania and Ivan from Bulgaria will get the same minimum salary, in relative terms. Will this really be the end of poverty across Europe?

The EU is often perceived by EU citizens as a distant structure that does not have an impact on their daily lives. Many people, especially in new member-states, are not aware of the activities of the European Commission and Parliament and do not understand how the actions of EU institutions can improve their lifestyles. The introduction of a Directive establishing a minimum income would help fill in the gap. It will demonstrate a strong political commitment of the EU to social cohesion. Such a measure would also give a tangible meaning and content to the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, apart from awareness-raising campaigns. It will be a more “visible” step towards the achievement of the “Europe 2020” Strategy document, aiming at removing the risk of poverty for 20 million people in EU and also for better protection of fundamental human rights.

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European Policies for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

The Role of Minimum Income and Discrimination in the Labour Market

venerdì, May 7th, 2010

The common understanding of the European Union’s wealthiness is that EU is a rich and stable union. On the contrary, according to Eurobarometer statistics there are almost 84 million people live at risk of poverty. There are various definitions of poverty and social exclusion. The most common one is that poverty is the condition of people not having the means to afford basic human needs. There are different levels of poverty in every single country and the poverty level is also different in relation with the economic level of the country. We can define social exclusion as a process that deals with social rupture, detached groups and individuals by preventing them from full and active participation in normal daily life. There are 3 different levels of poverty and all of them have different relation with social exclusion. The first group is poor people who do not have enough money to survive but they are not socially excluded. The second group is people who are poor and also socially excluded but they still have the force to react to their situation. The third one consists of people who are poor, socially excluded and unable to react to their situation (extreme poverty).

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