Brussels, 4 January 2023
See question(s) : E-003352/2022
EN
E-003352/2022
Answer given by Mr Schmit
on behalf of the European Commission
(4.1.2023)
In September 2022, Eurostat published statistics1 on income and living conditions in the EU. These figures show that 21.7% of Europeans were at risk of poverty or social exclusion2 in 2021, pointing to a broadly stable level of poverty despite the pandemic3.
E-003352/2022
Answer given by Mr Schmit
on behalf of the European Commission
(4.1.2023)
In September 2022, Eurostat published statistics1 on income and living conditions in the EU. These figures show that 21.7% of Europeans were at risk of poverty or social exclusion2 in 2021, pointing to a broadly stable level of poverty despite the pandemic3.
The Commission acknowledges that these levels of poverty or exclusion are a concern. That is why, in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, it put forward an EU target to lift at least 15 million people out of poverty or social exclusion by 2030, including at least 5 million children. Subsequently Member States set up their national targets to achieve this joint goal. The Action Plan includes several proposals aimed at tackling poverty, such as the Directive on minimum wages, the European child guarantee and a Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion. The Commission will closely monitor the implementation of these initiatives.
The Commission regularly monitors the socio-economic situation in the Member States through the European Semester. In the latest country report4, it pointed out that, after a downward trend up to 2019, poverty or social exclusion in Spain are increasing, also due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis (27.8% in 2021 vs 26.2% in 2019). In fact, Spain has an important Country-Specific Recommendation in this field5.
To assist Spain in these efforts, the European Social Fund+ directly supports the most vulnerable. Notably, Spain will invest at least 670 million EUR in labour market integration pathways and at least 100 million EUR in the deinstitutionalisation of children in alternative care between 2021-2027. The Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan also supports social inclusion, namely via the national minimum income scheme (C22.R5) among other reforms6.
1 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20220915-1
2 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Glossary:At_risk_of_poverty_or_social_exclusion_(AROPE)
3 See the Joint Employment Report 2022 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/316112f2-fda1-
11ec-b94a-01aa75ed71a1 and proposal for a Joint Employment Report 2023
https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/2023-european-semester-proposal-joint-employment-report_en
4 https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2022-05/2022-european-semester-country-report-spain_en.pdf
5 2020.2 Improve coverage and adequacy of minimum income schemes and family support
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0509&from=EN
6 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10150-2021-INIT/en/pdf
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10150-2021-ADD-1-REV-2/en/pdf
2 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Glossary:At_risk_of_poverty_or_social_exclusion_(AROPE)
3 See the Joint Employment Report 2022 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/316112f2-fda1-
11ec-b94a-01aa75ed71a1 and proposal for a Joint Employment Report 2023
https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/2023-european-semester-proposal-joint-employment-report_en
4 https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2022-05/2022-european-semester-country-report-spain_en.pdf
5 2020.2 Improve coverage and adequacy of minimum income schemes and family support
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0509&from=EN
6 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10150-2021-INIT/en/pdf
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10150-2021-ADD-1-REV-2/en/pdf