Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-15-Speech-3-262"
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"en.20001115.11.3-262"2
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"Mr President, I welcome the Commissioner's initiative and this report which seeks to improve upon it. Europe has managed to avoid the economic crises that have hit many parts of the world over recent years. Growth is picking up, inflation has been brought down to its lowest levels for a generation, yet we still have persistent poverty and exclusion. Europe's unemployment rate is still far too high at 8.3%. Well over half of the 14 million unemployed, according to Eurostat's latest figures, have been out of work for over a year.
Furthermore, according to the EU's statistical service, 18% of European citizens live below the poverty line, while one-third of those living in poverty are working. In my own country something like 75% of those who are working and living below the poverty line are women.
The situation seems to be getting worse. Between 1980 and 1995 overall inequality rose in Member States. Globalisation, technological innovation and the emergence of a knowledge-based economy are coinciding with changing family structures, shifting gender roles and increasingly diverse societies. The simple fact is that social exclusion is a brake on economic growth, while an inclusive society enhances growth and the well-being of everyone. The Commission estimates that the under-use of available human resources and the wider cost of ill-health, crime etc. could be between EUR 1 billion and EUR 2 billion annually. This is an enormous figure.
It is absolutely imperative that Europe address the divisions that already exist and prevents new ones arising. The existence of a single currency and an increasingly coordinated economic and fiscal policy mean that social policies cannot be the sole responsibilities of national jurisdictions. It is imperative, however, that Member States engage fully with this programme and consult widely with civil society to establish ambitious targets for eliminating poverty and exclusion. The first test of the Member States' seriousness will be their approval of Parliament's decision that the funding should be increased from EUR 70 billion to EUR 100 billion. This in itself is a paltry sum given the extent of the problem.
Finally, I wish to congratulate the rapporteur for a report that identifies the true extent of poverty and social exclusion and questions the notion of a Europe committed to defending social justice and solidarity unless all European institutions and civil society engage seriously with the issues."@en1
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