Conference Report: European Anti-Poverty Network, Ensuring the Poor Don't Pay for COVID-19
by Abriel SCHIEFFELERS
The Salvation Army European Affairs office attended an online conference hosted by the European Anti-Poverty Network on July 14th to launch their new study on the effects of COVID-19 on people living in poverty. The full report which spanned 25 countries and took place from April to June of 2020 can be found here. The conference focused on the theme of “how to ensure the poor don’t pay for COVID-19,” and presented the main findings and recommendations of the study, as well as input from key stakeholders.
Report Findings
The report emphasizes that before the pandemic there were already significant challenges in most countries that prevented health coverage for all, particularly the poor and other vulnerable groups. Social protection systems are underfunded in half of the surveyed countries, and nearly all countries presented important problems of coverage as well as inadequacy of social protection systems to meet the needs of residents. During the last decade there has been a tightening of eligibility criteria of social protection, driven by austerity measures as well as measures to deter migration.
Although European countries took swift action in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, these actions often had a negative impact on people already experiencing poverty and social vulnerability. Those who needed the most support struggled to deal with the catastrophic economic consequences of the pandemic, including the elderly, frontline workers, the homeless, low-income households, Roma, and migrants and asylum seekers. Civil society was also negatively affected by budget cuts, changes and reductions in service delivery, and in some countries were not offered PPE by local government. Many governments did acknowledge the needs of those most affected by the crisis and stepped up their support for those with the least resources. This sets an example to look back on beyond the scope of the crisis, showing that it is possible to ensure support to the most vulnerable on a long-term basis as well.
Recommendations
EAPN recommendations include short, mid, and long-term recommendations, including urging for immediate action to protect workers and people at risk of poverty, the reinforcement of quality public health and social care services, the adoption of an integrated EU anti-poverty strategy, and ensuring that EU recovery plans benefit the poor and vulnerable. Detailed recommendations can be found in the report linked above.
Input from the EU Commission and UN Special Rapporteur
Nicolas Schmidt, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, commented that unfortunately, the poor are already paying for COVID-19, which can be seen in the findings of the EAPN report. The EU is addressing this by working to ensure adequate minimum wage, addressing precarious working conditions, ensuring minimum income, and focusing on ending child poverty and energy poverty. He noted that “social policy needs to be viewed in a new way – as an investment.”
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights echoed this statement and noted that there is a gap between the rights people have on paper and the ability of people to take up these rights due to being poorly informed, shame, or fear of contact with social services. He urged that these hidden dimensions of poverty be considered and said that the move towards strengthening social protection must be inclusive of all people in all situations of life, including people working in the informal sector, in precarious employment, or who are self-employed. He mentioned three key priorities, which are to build inclusive labor markers, ensure fair minimum wages, and ensure that the financing of social protection is equitable and sustainable.
The Salvation Army stands with the recommendations made the in the EAPN report and recognizes that this is a key moment in time when the interests of the poor and most vulnerable groups must be recognized and prioritized in the short and long-term recovery from COVID-19.
Tags: Europe