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'Minimum income would end poverty'
15th of April 2010Introducing an EU-wide minimum income would help to reduce poverty, MEPs and employers and workers' representatives have agreed, but they remain undecided on if an EU framework directive is the best way forward.
The political importance of this issue, given that the latest economy and finance council had announced its intention to withdraw non-standard measures to support employment and prolong unemployment benefit mechanisms, was stressed by employment and social committee chairman Pervenche Berès. "Finance ministers are thus aggravating the social situation and undermining the aim, proposed in the 2020 strategy, of reducing poverty," she said.
A framework directive on minimum income systems in the EU was advocated by Fintan Farrell of the European Anti-Poverty Network. "In the EU, 24 out of 27 countries have a minimum income system. Only Bulgaria, Greece and Italy have nothing," added Roshan Di Puppo of SocialPlatform.