Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-15-Speech-4-019"
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"en.20071115.3.4-019"2
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"Madam President, I wish to begin by thanking the shadow rapporteurs. That a report of this scale has received no plenary amendments shows this is truly a report from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and one we can all be proud of. I would also like to thank the Commission for its close cooperation and the Portuguese Presidency for making social policy a priority for its Presidency.
We face a huge challenge in Europe. That challenge is one of fairness. It is about lost potential, the inability to live a life free from the charity of others, and a life free from discrimination, poverty and social exclusion.
Our objective is clear: we want to expand opportunities so that nobody, whatever their background or circumstances, is left behind. The vision of Europe must be freedom and opportunity for all, increasing opportunities and incentives to work, whilst strengthening the safety net for those who are unable to work.
In 2007 the facts are chilling: 72 million European citizens continue to live in poverty; 8 % of all people in the European Union now suffer from in-work poverty. Those are truly shocking statistics. But what do they actually mean? They mean that one in six citizens is now living below the poverty line – one in six! Many people would not believe that could be possible in 2007. Fifty years after the Treaty of Rome, after 50 years of economic growth, 10 % of people belong to households where nobody has a job! By any measure, poverty remains one of the greatest social problems challenging Europe, and reducing social exclusion must be at the heart of our policies.
In some areas we are succeeding, but we must be frank: in the majority we are not. The gap between the rich and the poor in many EU Member States is increasing. The elimination of income-related poverty must remain a priority for Member States but, for the one in six who live in financial poverty, there are many more who are excluded from society for other reasons. We have to recognise that for many families – for many individuals even – there are problems more complicated than simply low income. Barriers to opportunity are complex. More than anything else, early intervention is crucial. Prevention, of course, is better than cure.
In the UK, we know that the daughter of a teenage mother is three times as likely to become a teenage mother herself; we know that sons with a convicted father are over four times more at risk of being convicted of a crime than those without a convicted father. Yet, in many areas, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. We must look at how other EU countries deal with these issues and learn from them. We must share best practice more effectively. Finland, for instance, has introduced a holistic sustainable approach that has been incredibly effective in reducing the number of people who are homeless. Denmark, meanwhile, is implementing new policies that improve the quality of life of long-term rough-sleepers, rather than having the sole aim of integrating those individuals into mainstream society. In Belgium, people who have experienced poverty are working with social workers to help them better understand the needs of poor people.
It is not always unemployment that causes poverty: in-work poverty is a problem as well. That is why I have called for an exchange of best practice on the provision of a decent working minimum wage throughout the Member States. At least five EU Member States do not even have one. Equally, we must push all Member States to adopt a minimum living income for all.
Member States must do more to prevent exploitation of vulnerable workers as well; to make sure that disabled and older people have a way into employment; to prevent trafficking; to safeguard the rights of asylum-seekers; to ensure equal access to healthcare and community services for all; to destigmatise people with mental health problems; and to promote a more constructive approach to drugs and alcohol.
These are but a few of the issues this report has addressed. Europe’s vision must be freedom and opportunity for all. That is why it is so important to look at setting up mechanisms at a European level so that the exchange of best practice becomes a reality."@en1
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