Transcript EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Walter WOLF THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE ON CHILD POVERTY Sofia, 3 July 2007

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DG Employment, Social Affairs and
Equal Opportunities
Walter WOLF
THE EUROPEAN
PERSPECTIVE ON
CHILD POVERTY
Sofia, 3 July 2007
1
OVERVIEW
1. Poverty risks in EU 27 and in CC
2. Fighting child poverty:
A shared EU agenda
3. Multidimensionality of the
challenges
2
At-risk-of poverty rate in the EU (%),
total and children, income year 2004
40
35
% of total population
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
SE CZ
NL AT DK
FI
SI
DE FR HU LU SK BE BG* MT EU25 CY EE RO* HR* IT
Total
LV
UK ES GR IE
PT
LT
PL TR*
Children (0-17)
Source: SILC(2005) - income year 2004 (income year 2005 for IE and the UK); except for BG, RO, HR and TR - estimates
based on the national Household Budget Survey
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Fighting poverty: A shared EU agenda
The Open Method of Coordination
• Common Objectives
• Commonly agreed indicators
• National Action Plans / Joint Inclusion
Memoranda of Candidate Countries
• Reporting, monitoring and evaluating
• Mutual learning and exchange of good
practice
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A shared EU agenda
Tackling child poverty as a means of
breaking the intergenerational
transmission
The Joint Report on Social Protection and
Social Inclusion 2007 calls for
• Quality education and training for all
• Particular attention for the situation
of immigrants and ethnic minorities
5
Multidimensionality of the challenges
Access to education:
• Tackling disadvantage in education and
vocational training
• Improving access for marginal groups, in
particular to ICT
• Assisting early school leavers and low
qualified youth
• Fostering access to higher education
6
Multidimensionality of the challenges
Acces to childcare:
•
•
•
High quality, affordable and universal
Pre-condition for bringing more
women into work
Relevance for providing less unequal
starting conditions in schools
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Multidimensionality of the challenges
Access to employment
• Promoting quality employment
• Fighting unemployment
• Bringing people out from
undeclared / precarious jobs
• But fighting child labour
8
Multidimensionality of the challenges
Cash benefits (at least) for those in need
•
•
•
“working poor“
unemployed
those who are not able to work
But countries with universal benefits tend
to have lower poverty levels
9
Multidimensionality of the challenges
Access to decent housing:
• Safe neighbourhoods
• Particular attention to disadvantaged
groups (immigrants, Roma, IDP…)
• Responding to the specific urban and
rural challenges
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Multidimensionality of the challenges
Access to health care:
• Reducing barriers for low-income and
disadvantaged families
• Prevention: regular screening and
vaccinations
• Universal coverage (territorial
dimension, disadvantaged groups)
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Multidimensionality of the challenges
Access to quality social services:
• Strengthening child protection and
family cohesion
• Ensuring coordination between local
authorities and social service providers
• Quality standards – certification and
accreditation – monitoring and
evaluation
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Multidimensionality of the challenges
Participation in culture, sports
and recreation:
• Preparing children and youth for
involvement in society
• Tackling territorial disadvantage
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Relevant Policy Documents:
• Joint Report on Social Protection and
Social Inclusion
• National Action Plans against poverty
and social exclusion
• Joint Inclusion Memoranda for
preparing Candidate Countries (JIM)
14
‘Community Programme for Employment
and Social Solidarity PROGRESS 2007-2013‘
Social inclusion strand supports mutual learning
through:
•
•
•
•
•
Comparable statistics and studies
Peer reviews
Transnational exchange programme
Network of non-governmental experts
Supporting European networks
(www.eurochild.org)
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Conclusions
Promotion of the rights of children
through
• Integrated and holistic policies to fight
poverty and social exclusion of children
• Supporting the most vulnerable
• Preventing the integenerational
transmission of poverty
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Further Information
• DG Employment, Social Affairs and
Equal Opportunities web site on social
inclusion
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/employment_so
cial/social_inclusion/index_en.htm
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