h

De Jong and social organisations slam EU’s role in the struggle against poverty

17 October 2013

De Jong and social organisations slam EU’s role in the struggle against poverty

‘Current EU policy increases poverty’. That was the main conclusion of a broad, SP-organised conference of anti-poverty groups held in Brussels. ‘The organisations picked apart every detail of the poverty policies of the European Commission and the European Council,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘Not only does it turn out that combatting poverty is absolutely not a priority, the Commission’s current focus on one-sided austerity policies aimed at achieving the 3% deficit norm is bringing about the greatest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. The latest is that the Commission is pursuing policies which are strangling what’s left of the welfare state and thus making poverty a permanent condition for a considerable portion of the European population. This is entirely at odds with the story that the European Commission is so eager to repeat, that the worst of the crisis is over and that the EU contributes to the fight against poverty.’

Dennis De Jong speaking with workers from the Salvation Army
Dennis De Jong speaking with workers from the Salvation Army

Representatives from dozens of antipoverty organisations were present at the conference. They gave many concrete examples of the consequences of EU policies. A woman representing the Dutch branch of the Salvation Army said: ‘There is as a result of the crisis a group of newly poor who until recently belonged to the middle class. That group consists not only of young people with a university education and the self-employed, groups which in times of crisis fall more rapidly into problems and join the traditional poor. In addition, there are people who until recently had a good, secure job but which they have lost, experiencing major problems because they can no longer cover the fixed costs of their home.’ The president of the Caritas Europa network, Europe’s biggest anti-poverty organisation added: ‘This new group are joining those who have already been out of work for some time. The chance that these people will find their way out of poverty through work is declining enormously because the European Commission’s labour market policy is leading to jobs with no sort of security. Poverty, or the threat of poverty, thus becomes a permanent part of life for an ever greater section of the population.’ Such concrete accounts are in line with the statements of the European Red Cross which earlier this week sounded the alarm about growing poverty, which now threatens 120 million people, one in four inhabitants of EU member states.

Dennis de Jong during the discussion
Dennis de Jong during the discussion

The organisations which were present have formulated a common package of recommendations for the European Parliament, European Council and the European Commission.’ I will take this package of recommendations to the European Parliament where I am having a meeting with Euro-MPs most involved in the struggle against poverty’ says De Jong. ‘With this broad coalition of MEPs and with these organisations we will build a political alliance which centres on people instead of austerity goals.’
Participants in discussion with the panel
Participants in discussion with the panel

You are here