A Social inclusion roadmap for Europe 2020

2010 is in many ways a turning point in the fight against
poverty. The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion aims to raise public awareness, to give voice
to the concerns of those experiencing poverty and to renew
political commitment of the EU and its Member States.

The fact that poverty has not decreased in the past decade
necessitates a thorough reflection about the design of the
European economic and social model. The elaboration of
the Europe 2020 strategy is a window of opportunity to put
social inclusion at the heart of the policy of the Union.

The Belgian Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2010
has selected three thematic priorities with regard to social
inclusion: minimum income systems, child poverty and
homelessness – as well as a horizontal priority: the active
involvement of people experiencing poverty and social
exclusion. This book takes stock of the progress made in
the past decade and formulates a series of policy recommendations for the next decade, at EU level as well as in the
Member States.

Hugh Frazer (National University of Ireland, Maynooth),
Eric Marlier (CEPS/INSTEAD Research Institute, Luxembourg),
Ides Nicaise (HIVA and Department of Education
Sciences, K.U.Leuven, Belgium) are members of the EU Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion.