Joint statement by Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Thyssen on the occasion of the ‘International day for eradication of poverty’

Brussels, 17 October 2016

While all 28 Member States are now recovering from the crisis, poverty and exclusion are still a reality. Across the EU, 119 million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Children and young people are those who are affected the most compared to the rest of the population: Poverty affects the lives of 25 million children in Europe.

More jobs and growth are the best drivers of bringing people out of poverty or social exclusion. This is why this Commission has made this a priority from the beginning, launching the investment plan for Europe and putting a more social Europe at the heart of our agenda.

We have put concrete initiatives on the table and we will continue to do so. 9 million young people have already benefitted from the Youth Guarantee and we have just topped it up with additional €2 billion to help an additional 2 million. Through the European Social Fund we are allocating at least 20% to measures combating poverty and social exclusion and the Commission has put more emphasis on social priorities in the framework of the European Semester. The establishment of a European Pillar of Social Rights will also contribute to turning our agenda for social fairness into further concrete actions.

With the world of work and our societies changing rapidly, there are plenty of challenges ahead of us and we need to work together to turn them into opportunities. It is our joint mission – of the Commission, Member States, social partners, NGO’s and other stakeholders – to work towards a Europe that leaves no one behind.

 

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