2010 - European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

With the decision No 1098/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008, the year 2010 was proclaimed “European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion” to boost active inclusion policies as a means of preventing poverty and social exclusion.

This decision was issued in the Official Journal of the European Union (L 298) of the 7th of November 2008.

General objective

The European Year should boost active inclusion policies as a means of preventing poverty and social exclusion and should help to promote best practices in this field within the OMC (Open Method of Coordination adopted by the Lisbon European Council with the aim to take steps to make ‘a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty’ by 2010).

Specific objective

  • Recognition of rights — recognising the fundamental right of people in a situation of poverty and social exclusion to live in dignity and to play a full part in society. The European Year will increase public awareness of the situation of people experiencing poverty, particularly that of groups or persons in vulnerable situations, and will help to promote their effective access to social, economic and cultural rights as well as to sufficient resources and quality services. The European Year will also help to combat stereotypes and stigmatisation;
  • Shared responsibility and participation — increasing public ownership of social inclusion policies and actions, emphasising both collective and individual responsibility in the fight against poverty and social exclusion, as well as the importance of promoting and supporting voluntary activities. The European Year will promote the involvement of public and private actors, inter alia, through proactive partnerships. It will foster awareness and commitment and create opportunities for contributions by all citizens, in particular people with direct or indirect experience of poverty;
  • Cohesion — promoting a more cohesive society by raising public awareness of the benefits for all of a society where poverty is eradicated, fair distribution is enabled and no one is marginalised. The European Year will foster a society that sustains and develops quality of life, including quality of skills and employment, social well-being, including the well-being of children, and equal opportunities for all. It will, moreover, ensure sustainable development and solidarity between and within generations and policy coherence with EU action worldwide;
  • Commitment and concrete action — reiterating the strong political commitment of the EU and the Member States to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion and promoting this commitment and actions at all levels of governance. Building upon the achievements and potential of the OMC on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, the European Year will strengthen the political commitment, by focusing political attention on and mobilising all interested parties, in the prevention of and fight against poverty and social exclusion and give further impetus to the Member States’ and the European Union’s action in this field.

Actions

The actions at Community and national level designed to meet the aforementioned objectives may, in particular, include the following:

  • meetings and events;
  • information, promotional and educational campaigns;
  • surveys and studies on a Community or nationwide scale, based on gender-disaggregated data collection where appropriate, to assess and report on the preparation, effectiveness and immediate and long-term impact of the European Year.

Further information:

The official website of the European Year For Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, on which are available news, events, activities, reports. A special section is dedicated to the activities of the participating countries.

Related documents:

 

Last update: Monday, February 22, 2010