The Europe 2020 Strategy includes, as one of its 5 key targets, a target to reduce poverty by 20 million people, to be delivered through a flagship initiative: the ‘European Platform against Poverty’.

EAPN's key proposals for this flagship are:

This report, produced by the EAPN Social Inclusion working group, is based on concrete examples, demonstrates that the present crisis is having a cruel impact on the life of the most vulnerable...

This position paper sets out EAPN proposals on the way forward for an EU strategy for post 2010. EAPN strongly believes that 2010 is a crucial moment for the EU, as it marks the 2010 EU year against poverty and social exclusion and is also the date fixed by the Lisbon Strategy in 2000 to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty.

Ahead of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 9-10 March 2009, EAPN has written to the Ministers regarding the impact of the crisis on people in poverty and anti poverty organisations. In their letter, EAPN puts forward short and long term proposals to ensure that the needs of people experiencing poverty are included in the response to the crisis.

EAPN hopes that it will feed into the discussions on Lisbon leading up to the Spring Council.

For EAPN such investment as well as being necessary for people living in poverty is also good for the economy as the investment will immediately be put back into the economy in the form of spending on essential goods and services.