According to the European Commission, 17 per cent of all Europeans do not have enough money to meet their most basic needs. How to tackle the problem? A new research project at the University of Oldenburg is looking for solutions.
The figures are alarming: 19 per cent of children in the EU live in poverty. 17 per cent of all Europeans do not have enough resources to meet their most basic needs. This is reported by the European Commission "Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion" on its website. "Combating Poverty in Europe" (COPE), the new research project at the University of Oldenburg, asks how poverty can be tackled.
The European Commission is funding COPE with two million euros. The project is coordinated by the Jean Monnet Centre for Europeanisation and Transnational Regulations Oldenburg (CETRO). "We hope to gain new insights that will help to better guarantee the minimum income in Europe so that fewer people have to live below the poverty line," explains Prof Dr Martin Heidenreich (photo), Head of CETRO and initiator of COPE. The project officially starts on 1 February and will initially run for three years.
The researchers involved come from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Poland and Norway. They want to empirically analyse the current situation in Europe. To this end, they are comparing national poverty policies and minimum income systems. They are also investigating the role of public institutions, support organisations and civil society organisations. "We want to paint a comprehensive picture of the opportunities for participation of poor and socially marginalised people in Europe," says Heidenreich. "The question at the centre of this is: How can social assistance and unemployment benefit II be designed in such a way that they reduce the risk of poverty and social exclusion, for example of migrants and the long-term unemployed?"
The European Commission sees the advantage of COPE in its close connection to practice: "The project is not only intended to fulfil scientific standards, but also to flank the discourse on practical solutions," says Marc Goffart, the responsible EU Commission official. "This is why social policy stakeholders are supporting our research project at local, national and European level."
The project partners will soon be coming together in Oldenburg: At the end of February at a kick-off conference to set the course for the joint content-related work over the next three years. Meetings will follow at regular intervals, with external experts on hand to provide advice. The project will end in January 2015 with a major conference in Brussels. Let's see what figures the European Commission then reports on its website.