EUROPE IS LOSING THE BATTLE AGAINST POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WILL WARN

5.07.00am GMT Wed 14th Nov 2007

European countries must do much more to prioritise the fight against poverty and social exclusion and share best practice more effectively if we are to beat poverty and tackle social exclusion according to a key report set to be adopted tomorrow by the European Parliament.

Liz Lynne, Liberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands, rapporteur for the report and Vice President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee commented ahead of the vote tomorrow:

"We face a huge challenge in Europe - and this challenge is one of fairness. I don't think most people would believe that in 2007, as we celebrate 50 years of the Treaty of Rome and 50 years of economic growth, over 72 million European citizens continue to live in poverty. And yet despite increasing prosperity, the gap between the rich and poor in many Member States is only increasing."

"This report calls on Member States to set a minimum wage at a decent level; 5 EU Member States have no minimum wage at all and in others it is so low that 8% of all EU citizens now suffer from in-work poverty, which is scandalous.

"It is also important that a strong safety net be provided in all Member States to ensure that all citizens are entitled to a decent minimum income should they need it.

"But for the 1 in 6 who live in financial poverty, there are many more that are excluded from society for other reasons. Barriers to opportunity are complex, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel - many of the causes of social exclusion are common to all Member States and some countries are leading the way in tackling these, so surely we ought to be learning from each other. We must look at how each EU country deals with these issues and learn from them.

"Inequality, poverty and social exclusion continue to haunt millions of EU citizens, placing a responsibility on all of us to do more. A failure to act will mean the continuing exclusion and alienation of millions of people. Europe's vision must be freedom and opportunity for all."