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Poverty & Social Exclusion: Launch of EU Year 2010
20.10.2009, 15:07
A European conference on "Poverty: Perceptions and Reality - The Communication Challenge" will take place in Brussels on 28-29 October to launch the 2010 European Year. The conference is targeted at journalists, policy-makers, NGOs and researchers from all over Europe. On 29 October, it will also be broadcast live on the web (link available the day before at http://2010againstpoverty.eu ).
On the first day (28 October), a seminar for journalists working on social issues will take place. The programme for the day includes a presentation of the communication efforts for the European Year; a meeting with Commissioner Vladimír Špidla and the possibility to visit grassroots projects to combat poverty in Brussels.
On the second day (29 October), the results of a Eurobarometer survey on the multi-faceted aspects of poverty, and the first wave of a tracking Eurobarometer survey on Europeans' perception of the social impact of the crisis will be presented to the 400 participants. (The Eurobarometer will also be presented at a technical briefing in the press room on 27 October.) The issues of how European media treat poverty and exclusion issues and the importance of public communication for effective social inclusion policies will be addressed at the conference.
The background:
Almost 80 million people are currently living in poverty in the EU. Despite an improvement in overall living standards in Europe over the past decade, poverty and social exclusion remain major issues in most countries, although with substantial differences across the EU. Poverty rates, based on per capita income, range from 10% in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands to more than 20% in Bulgaria, Latvia and Romania.
The 2010 European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion aims to promote solidarity, equality and tolerance while combating stereotypes and stigmatisation. In the 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland, hundreds of events will contribute to the European-wide campaign. The purpose of a European Year is to raise public awareness of and draw national governments' attention to a specific issue.
The event:
27 October: Technical briefing in the Berlaymont press room at 11.15 on the results of the Eurobarometer survey on poverty, Brussels.
28 October: Seminar for journalists.
29 October: Conference on 'Poverty: Perceptions and Reality - the Communication Challenge" in the Charlemagne Building, rue de la Loi 170, including a press conference with Commissioner Špidla and bilateral interviews with journalists, Brussels.
To register, please send an email to Antoine.saint-denis@ec.europa.eu
Source: www.europa.eu