Events
The mobilisation of all actors involved in the combat against poverty is one of
the key objectives of the Social Protection Social Inclusion Process.
The European Commission is committed to this challenge by developing the capacity of actors
to address social exclusion and poverty effectively, and to
promote innovative approaches, in particular through networking at European level,
and by promoting dialogue with all those involved, including at national and regional levels.
Further, the European Commission organises every year three types of events: thematic events;
a Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion; the Annual meeting of people experiencing poverty.
Upcoming events
Past events
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Second European Forum
on Demography - Brussels, 24-25 November
2008
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7th European Round
Table on Poverty and Social exclusion -
"Active inclusion strategy for the people
furthest from the labour market"
Marseille 15-16 October 2008
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Improving Health-system efficiency:
achieving better value for money - Brussels
17 September 2008
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Financial inclusion - improving access to basic financial -
Brussels, 28 May 2008
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Seventh Meeting of People experiencing poverty -
Brussels, 16-17 May 2008
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Intergenerational Solidarity for Cohesive and Sustainable Societies - Brdo,
Slovenia, 28-29 april 2008
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A social Europe fit for globalisation - Brussels,
16 april 2008
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Protecting the dignity of older persons – the prevention of elder abuse and neglect
- Brussels, 17 March 2008 >
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Towards a common
operational European definition of over-indebtedness -
Promoting financial inclusion for all in the European Union
- Brussels, 11 December 2007
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Sixth European Round Table, "Minimum Social Standards: a Strategy for Protection and Empowerment"
- Ponta Delgada - São Miguel, Azores, Portugal - 16-17 October 2007
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Minimum income schemes and the integration of people excluded from the
labour market - Active inclusion - Stakeholder Conference - Brussels, 15 June
2007
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Conference "Trafficking in Human Beings and Gender"
- Porto, 8-9 October 2007
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Sixth Meeting of People experiencing
poverty, "Exit from Poverty and Exclusion - Strengthening
Progress, drafting next steps" - Brussels, 4 - May 2007
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Events 2006
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Events 2005
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Events 2004
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Events 2003
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Events 2002
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Events 2001
Second European Forum on
Demography
Focussing on family policies and active ageing
24-25 November 2008
Charlemagne building, Brussels
7th European Round Table on Poverty and Social exclusion
- "Active inclusion strategy for the people
furthest from the labour market"
Marseille 15-16 October 2008
The 7th Round Table against poverty and social exclusion was
held under the French Presidency of the European Union.
It focused its work on the issue of active inclusion
in the light of the
Commission recommendation published in
September 2008 and experiments implemented by the French
government in this area.
The work of the Round Table will also contribute to the
preparation of the European Year of combating poverty and
social exclusion in 2010.
For the first time, an informal ministerial meeting on the
fight against poverty immediately followed the roundtable. It aimed to both
- strengthen political commitment from Member States in
this area, and
- make recommendations which could feed the December
Council on active inclusion.
See also the
website of the French Presidency
Programme |
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Watch the video
of the conference |
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Improving Health-system
efficiency: achieving better value for money
Joint European Commission/OECD conference
17 September 2008
Hotel Bedford, Brussels
Financial inclusion -
improving access to basic financial services
Brussels 28 May 2008
The conference will present and discuss the results of a study commissioned by the European
Commission on "Financial services provision and prevention
of financial exclusion" and political announcement . The study is carried out by Réseau Financement Alternatif
(Brussels), the University of Bristol (Personal Finance Research Centre),
the University of Milan (Department of Economics, business and Statistics)
and the Warsaw School of Economics (Center for Financial Services Market
Research and Institute of Social Economy).
The study aims at identifying
and analysing the most effective policy measures in the area of
financial services provision and prevention of financial exclusion of people
facing poverty or social exclusion.
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Synthesis of the conference |
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Video of the conference |
Session 1 |
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Session 2 |
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Session 3 |
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Session 4 |
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Programme of the conference |
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Video "Access to Financial Services - The Impact on Financial
Inclusion" |
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Press release |
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Presentation
for the press |
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Summary of the study (153 kb) |
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Study
(1579 kb) |
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Opening speech by Mr Vladimir ŠPIDLA,
Commissioner for
Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities |
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Detailed presentation
of the study by its authors
Bernard Bayot, RFA
Luisa Anderloni, University of Milan
Piotr Bledowski, Warsaw School of Economics
Malgorzata Iwanicz-Drozdowska, Warsaw School of
Economics |
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Inés García-Pintos Balbás
CECO, Confederation of Spanish
Savings Banks
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Michaela Moser
European Anti-Poverty Network |
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Giuseppe Zadra
EBIC,
European Banking Industry
Committee
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Closing speech by Mr Charlie McCREEVY,
Commissioner for Internal
Market and Services |
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Seventh Meeting of People
experiencing poverty
Brussels, 16-17 May 2008
The Seventh Meeting of people experiencing poverty took place
in Brussels on 16 and 17 May 2008. It was organised jointly by the
Slovenian Presidency of the European Union, the European
Commission and the European Anti-Poverty Network
Report of the conference
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Programme |
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More information can be found on the
website of the Slovenian Presidency
Intergenerational Solidarity for Cohesive and Sustainable Societies
Brdo, Slovenia, 28-29 april 2008
Conference organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union in cooperation with the European Commission and Non-Governmental Organisations.
You may find more information on the
Website of the Slovenian Presidency.
A social Europe fit for globalisation
Brussels, 16 april 2008
The European Commission is holding a conference 'A social Europe fit for globalisation' to discuss the social impacts of globalisation and the available policy options for tackling them.
Website of the conference
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Programme of the conference
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Protecting the dignity of older persons – the prevention of elder abuse and neglect
Brussels, 17 March 2008
Protecting the dignity and fundamental
rights of the frail elderly is becoming a major
challenge for our societies. The European
Commission would like to offer policy makers and
stakeholders from all over Europe an opportunity
to discuss the quality of care for frail elderly
people and the prevention of elder abuse. The
major conference aims to raise awareness of the
issues linked to elder abuse and to trigger an
open debate at the European level.
Website of the conference
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Programme of the conference
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Events 2007
Towards a common
operational European definition of over-indebtedness - Promoting financial inclusion for all in the European Union
in Brussels ( Bedford Hotel - 135/137 Rue du Midi) -
11 December 2007
Organised by the European Commission -
Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
The conference will disseminate and discuss the
findings of a study commissioned by the European Commission. Made by the
Observatoire de l’Epargne Européenne (European Savings Institute - Paris), the
Centre for European Policy Studies - European Credit Research Institute
(Brussels) and the University of Bristol (Personal Finance Research Centre).
The study will present:
- Foundations for a common EU
definition of over-indebtedness that can
be implemented on a European wide scale;
- An overview of the political,
administrative and legal approaches to
over-indebtedness in Europe drawn from
the different social models that are
applied in 19 countries;
- A database with a classification of
institutions that provide services
to over-indebted people.
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Presentation
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Conference Programme |
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Summary of the study |
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Plenary session |
Over-indebtedness and financial exclusion within the
European process for social protection and social
inclusion
Antonia Carparelli
European Commission |
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What problems do people excluded
face? What do they
expect?
Michaela Moser - EAPN - ECDN
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Presentation of the working process of the study "Common
operational definition of over)indebtedness"
Didier Davydoff - Observatoire de l'Epargne Européenne |
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Nature and causes of over-indebtedness
Professor Elaine Kempson and Andrea Finney |
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Definitions and measurements of over-indebtedness
Nicola Jentzsch - Centre for European Policy Studies -
European Credit Research Institute |
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Policies to tackle over-indebtedness
Professor Elaine Kempson and Adele Atkinson |
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"Credit and social exclusion in an affluent society
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Own- initiative opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee
J. Pegado Liz - Member of the Economic and Social
Committee
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Workshops |
Definition and measures of overindebtedness
Johanna Leskinen |
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Availability and quality of over-indebtedness
indicators
Didier Muraille |
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Remedial Policies
Ingrid von Burg |
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Remedial policies
Michaela Moser - EAPN - ECDN
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Conference "Trafficking in Human Beings and Gender"
8/9 October 2007 in Porto
The Portuguese Presidency of the European Union organises,
with the support of the European Commission, a conference on "Trafficking in
Human Beings and Gender"
This conference particularly looked at ways of preventing and combating the social problems that cause human trafficking and the social problems in turn arising from human trafficking.
See also the website of the Portuguese Presidency
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Conference Programme |
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Final declaration |
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Sixth European Round Table, "Minimum Social Standards: a Strategy for Protection and Empowerment"
Ponta Delgada - São Miguel, Azores, Portugal - 16-17 October 2007
The core objective of this Round Table is to promote discussion on the positive effects of the concept
of minimum social standards as a foundational element of strategies for overcoming poverty and exclusion,
bearing in mind the need to adapt it to the realities and options of each country.
This issue does help forge important links to other areas of the fight against poverty and social
exclusion, particularly to the agenda for “active inclusion”, incorporating the dual
perspective of protection and empowerment.
See also the website of the
Portuguese Presidency
Minimum income schemes and the integration of people excluded from the labour market
- Active inclusion - Stakeholder Conference
15 June 2007 – Brussels
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Conference programme
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Description of workshops
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Plenary session
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"Adequate
incomes are the clean water of active inclusion": the role of minimum
income schemes
John Veit-Wilson - Newcastle University, UK
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Active inclusion
and its potential impact in the EU
Marjolein Peters - Ecorys Research and Consultancy, The Netherlands |
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Workshop 1 - Minimum income schemes and active labour market policies - social and labour market integration |
Active inclusion in the knowledge based society
Ides Nicaise - University of Leuven, Belgium
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Active inclusion policies in Austria : reform of the
minimum income scheme
Hans Steiner - Ministry for Social Affairs and Consumer Protection,
Austria
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Off the streets and into work
Linda Butcher - OSW
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Workshop 2 : Minimum income schemes and public services - Monetary and in-kind benefits
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Public services and the distribution of households economic resources countries in OECD
Michael Förster - OECD
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A minimum income standard for Britain
Abigail Davis - Lougborough University, UK
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Active inclusion: minimum income schemes and the
integration of people excluded from the labour market
Padraic Kenna - National University of Ireland - Galway, Ireland |
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Active inclusion: Minimum income schemes and the integration of people excluded from the labour market
Freek Spinnewijn - FEANTSA
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| Workshop 3: Access to services and labour
market integration
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Employment and social services - Towards mutual supportive links
Adalbert Evers, Justus Liebig University - Giessen, Germany
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Active inclusion - Access to services and labour market integration
John Halloran, European Social Network
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Active inclusion: Minimum income schemes and the integration of people excluded from the labour market
Johanna Möllerberg - Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Sweden
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Organising activation within social services -
Experiences from Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Paul van der AA - City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Sixth Meeting of People experiencing poverty, "Exit from Poverty and Exclusion - Strengthening Progress,
drafting next steps"
4 to 5 May 2007 – Brussels
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The Sixth Meeting of people experiencing poverty took place in Brussels on 4 and 5 May 2007 on the theme "Tackling
poverty and social exclusion: progress made, future steps".
It was organised jointly by the German Presidency of the European Union, the European
Commission and the European Anti-Poverty Network with a view to assess the progress achieved so to reflect on future
strategies in order to prevent and combat poverty and social exclusion.
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Events 2006
Fifth European Round Table, "Towards a more coherent
society" – 16 and 17 October 2006 – Tampere, Finland
You may find more information at the website of the
Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
You may look at a Finnish TV-programme on poverty at the website of the
Finnish National TV broadcaster YLE.
Fifth Meeting of People experiencing poverty, "How do we cope with everyday
life ?" – 12 to 13 May 2006 – Brussels
The theme was “How do we cope with everyday life?”. It was organised by the Austrian
Presidency of the EU. The aim was to improve the mutual knowledge about the daily lived
realities of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion in the different Member States.
It was attended by over 200 people. These included delegations of people experiencing poverty
from 23 countries (21 Member States plus Bulgaria and Norway) together with many Social Protection
Committee (SPC) and Social Exclusion Programme (SEP) committee members, representatives of the
European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions,
the European Antipoverty Network (EAPN) and other European NGOs.
Events 2005
Fourth European Round Table, "Halfway to Lisbon" – 17 and 18 October 2005 – Glasgow, UK
You may find more information at the
UK Presidency Round Table website
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Fourth Meeting of People experiencing poverty, "Images and perception of poverty" – 10 to 11 June 2005 – Brussels
The Conference was held in Brussels 10-11 June 2005. The meeting was organised under the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU. The aim was to explore the theme ‘image and perceptions of poverty’ and the impact these perceptions have on the development and implementation of the EU Inclusion Strategy, with a view to enabling those who shape societal views to contribute to the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
You may also find information on the Luxembourg Presidency and the
European Anti Poverty Network.
Events 2004
Third European Round Table, "Social Inclusion in an enlarged
EU - New Challenges and Opportunities" – 17 to 19 October 2004 –
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| The Third European Round Table - Programme (pdf - 200 KB) |
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You may find more information at the Dutch Presidency website
Third Meeting of People experiencing poverty, "Participation is a two way
street" – 28 to 29 May 2004 – Brussels
The Conference took place on 28th and 29th May 2004 in Brussels, and was organised under the Irish Presidency of the EU. The aim was to develop further, ways of promoting the participation at all levels of people experiencing poverty and the structural networks to facilitate this. A particular objective was to promote their involvement in the development of the National Action plans for social inclusion.
You may also find information on the Irish Presidency and the
European Anti Poverty Network websites.
Events 2003
Second European Round Table, "The role of the family in promoting social
inclusion" – 16 to 17 October 2003 – Turin, Italy
| The Second European Round Table - Programme (pdf - 250 KB) |
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The second Meeting of People experiencing poverty – 10 to 11 May 2003 –
Brussels
The Conference was held in Brussels 10th and 11th May 2003. The meeting was organised under the
Greek Presidency of the EU. In committing to this second meeting, the ambition of all concerned is
to establish such an event as a regular contribution to the EU strategy in the fight against poverty and
exclusion. This event will complement other efforts by all the actors concerned to meet the ambitious
goal set in Lisbon.
The topic was “good participation practices”. The
preparations and workshops produced attempts to create models
for participatory processes and a demand from the delegates:
people experiencing poverty want to be able to talk face-to-face
with policy-makers on policies that affect them.
Responding to this demand, the Greek Presidency asked the
June Council for the European Meetings to become a recurrent
process, like the Social Affairs Round Table
| Conference
Report |
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Summary Reports |
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Events 2002
First European Round Table – 17 to 18 October 2002 – Aarhus, Denmark
Events 2001
The first Meeting of People experiencing poverty
– 1 to 2 December 2001 – Brussels
This Conference which took place on 1 and 2 December 2001 aimed to make a contribution
to this objective of the strategy. The meeting was organised under the Belgian Presidency
of the European Union.
It reviewed four issues: housing, health, training and incomes.
The big conclusion of this first event was
that people experiencing poverty had the knowledge and expertise to analyse exclusion,
and aimed to take part in society and the decisions that affect their life.
See also the website of
EAPN
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