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Press Release
Marie-Josée Jacobs demands full implementation of the objectives in the fight against poverty in the Member States of the European Union

Date of release : 10-06-2005

Policy area : Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs

Event : 4th European Meeting of People experiencing poverty, Brussels, 10-11 June 2005


At the 4th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty, held in Brussels on 10 and 11 June 2005, Marie-Josée Jacobs, Minister for Family and Integration, made the following remarks to the media: 

"Like the ones that came before this one, the purpose of the 4th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty was to give poor people an opportunity to talk about their situation and to review the policies developed for them. Each year, works are published that analyse the situation of the poor from every possible angle: These works discuss these people. Each year, the political decision-makers make policy choices that affect the poor: They decide for them.

This applies to the 15% of the people exposed to the risk of poverty in the European Union today, and to the 14 million poor workers in the Union. These citizens—men and women—no longer accept being reduced to the status of an object and are demanding the status of a subject. They are demanding the full implementation of the objectives in the fight against poverty that the Member States of the European Union established for themselves in December 2000 and December 2002.

Among these objectives, objective 4 asks to promote the participation and action of all the citizens in the fight against poverty. The report published in 2003, after the 2nd Meeting, expresses itself clearly on this subject: "Participation is a right, not a favour."

Last March, the European Council asked the Member States to prepare 'National Action Programmes' (NAP) for which considerable consultation will be required. This request was echoed by the March 2004 European Council which asked the Member States to set up NAPs that should include civil society among others.  In this broader context, the poor and their associations must be heard as well.

At an earlier meeting, one participant said the following on this topic: "People experiencing poverty have something to offer the political decision-makers. They need us to bridge the gap of realities. With us, they are able to make better laws."  I think all of you will agree with me that this statement is quite bold! It is the utterance of a proud man who feels he is able to confront his destiny and assume responsibilities. Here again, I think that all of you will agree with me that, usually, it’s not this way—bold, proud and responsible—that poor people are perceived.

A report written in 2002 for the European Commission shows that the general public has a less and less favourable perception of poverty. This trend worries me, because some may see this as a way to encourage weaker policies to fight against poverty. The trend I just mentioned shows the importance of the theme that the 4th Meeting chose to explore, namely: the theme of the image of poverty. As media representatives, you know the power of these images.

In 2004, FEANTSA published the results of a study on homelessness in the print media. This study showed that the image conveyed is often highly stereotypical and that the emergence of the theme is somewhat seasonal: The Christmas holidays draw near, at the same time as the first ads for champagne and the campaign for the homeless and against the cold. The issue of poverty as a winter theme just like Christmas candy or Santa Claus! It’s June now and the Christmas season is still far away.

So I take your attendance at our press conference today as testimony of a genuine interest in poverty-related issues. Over 160 people who have come from all the Member States of the European Union are working today and tomorrow in the context of the "4th European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty." 

I hope that the visibility of this 4th Meeting will be greater than that of the three previous ones thanks to the articles you will write, even if these articles will be published well 'out of season'."


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This page was last modified on : 11-06-2005

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