The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU launched the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Under the slogan “Stop Poverty Now!”, the campaign aims to put the fight against poverty – which directly affects one in six Europeans – centre stage across the EU during 2010. European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will inaugurate the Year at a launch event in Madrid.

"Combating poverty and social exclusion is an integral part of getting out of the crisis. It is too often the vulnerable in society who end up being hardest hit by the impacts of a recession. That is why the European Year 2010 should act as a catalyst to raise awareness and build momentum for a more inclusive society which is part and parcel of the EU’s future 2020 strategy that I have proposed" said Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso.

Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities added: “One in six people in Europe face a daily struggle to make ends meet, but poverty can also affect the rest of us – and our societies as a whole. While most of the tools for tackling poverty are at national level, three-quarters of Europeans also expect the EU to help. The European Year puts this issue at the top of the agenda so that Europe as a whole can join forces to fight poverty and social exclusion."

Speaking about Ireland's participation, Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social & Family Affairs said “the Government is committed to tackling poverty. Two key objectives of the EU Year are our individual and collective responsibility to reduce poverty and social exclusion and the promotion of public awareness of the benefits for all of society when poverty is eradicated. These objectives are reflected in Ireland’s National Programme for the EU Year which will be launched on 5th February 2010. The Programme has been developed with the guidance of a National Advisory Committee that includes representatives of government departments, the social partners and NGOs, and was prepared following an extensive consultation with various groups at national and local level concerned to tackle poverty and promote social inclusion.”

Minister Hanafin added that “the European Year aims to convey the message that poverty and social exclusion diminish the lives and life chances of those affected and are obstacles to social and economic development generally. It also aims to reaffirm the importance of collective responsibility for reducing poverty among all interests, including those experiencing poverty.A priority in the Irish national programme is to ensure that a voice is given to people experiencing poverty and social exclusion and those who work with them in policy development and its implementation.”

Almost 80 million Europeans – or 17% of people across the EU – currently live below the poverty threshold. The highest at-risk-of-poverty rates in 2008 were found in Latvia (26%), Romania (23%), Bulgaria (21%), Greece, Spain and Lithuania (all 20%), and the lowest in the Czech Republic (9%), the Netherlands and Slovakia (both 11%), Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden (all 12%).

In Ireland, the percentage of the population considered to be at risk of poverty stands at 16%. Amongst those aged 65 and above, the proportion living below the property threshold in Ireland stands at 21% compared to an EU 27 average of 19%.

It should be noted that the at-risk-of-poverty rate is a relative measure of poverty, and that the poverty threshold varies greatly between Member States. For example, in Ireland the poverty threshold is set at 10,900 PPS (Purchasing Power Standards - an artificial reference currency unit that eliminates price level differences between countries). By comparison, in Luxembourg it is set at 16,500 PPS and in Romania at 1,900 PPS.

In order to draw a broader picture of social exclusion in the EU, the at-risk-of-poverty rate, which is a relative measure, can be complemented by the material deprivation rate, which describes social exclusion in more absolute terms. Citizens are said to be materially deprived when they cannot afford basic necessities such as heating, a telephone etc. As an example, an average 10% of the population across the 27 member states cannot afford to keep their homes adequately warm, this proportion rising to 34% in Bulgaria and 25% in Romania - the corresponding figure for Ireland is 4%.

European public opinion is sensitive to these issues, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey on attitudes to poverty. The vast majority of Europeans (73%) consider poverty to be a widespread problem in their country, with 89% calling for urgent action by their government to tackle the problem. While most people consider their national government as primarily responsible, 74% also expect the EU to play an important role.

The 2010 European Year aims to raise greater awareness of the causes and consequences of poverty in Europe, both among key players such as governments and social partners and among the public at large. It also aims to mobilise these different partners in the fight against poverty; promote social integration and inclusion; and encourage clear commitments on drawing up EU and national policies to tackle poverty and social exclusion.

The Year's activities will be largely decentralised, with national programmes drawn up by each of the 29 countries taking part (the 27 EU countries plus Norway and Iceland). A €17 million budget will support awareness-raising campaigns at European and national levels and hundreds of national projects linked to the different national priorities.

The European Year communication campaign will include a journalists’ competition, an art initiative and two 'focus weeks', when various national events around the EU will be concentrated over two weeks in May and in October. The Year will end with a closing conference on 17 December in Brussels, under the Belgian Presidency of the EU.

The campaign website (http://www.2010againstpoverty.eu ) includes a partners' platform to stimulate networking and joint initiatives among key actors, such as civil society organisations, local and regional authorities. The website will also showcase events held in each of the participating countries.