For a legally binding EU framework for Minimum Income

12.11.2020

Common Statement. 116 voices - organizations, MEPs and academia - ask following:

Following the Council Conclusions on Minimum Income, it is time for the European Commission to respond with courage and propose a legally binding EU framework for Minimum Income.

Before the coronavirus crisis, one in five people were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. That is nearly 110 million people without enough money to make ends meet and to live a dignified life. This failure to meet the Europe 2020 poverty target threatens the credibility of Social Europe, with millions more expected to be dragged into poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is no time for business as usual.
One of the best ways to prevent people being dragged into poverty is to build individual and societal resilience – and strong social protection systems are the cornerstone of such resilience. In this context, adequate, accessible and enabling Minimum Income schemes have an essential role to play as an ultimate safety net. The EU Council recognised this on 12 October, issuing Council Conclusions on “Strengthening Minimum Income Protection to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond”. These Conclusions invite the Commission to “initiate an update of the Union framework to effectively support and complement the policies of Member States on national minimum income protection”.
This invitation is a recognition that EU soft policy mechanisms currently in place have had limited impact, failing to provide incomes at an adequate level to respect the rights and dignity of millions of people. Only two Member States currently pay benefits close to the poverty threshold, while schemes in many countries barely reach 20% of the threshold.  This is no time for business as usual.
We add our voices to the Council’s invitation. We know from our work that the lack of adequate, accessible and enabling minimum incomes is a key priority for people experiencing poverty throughout Europe. These Council Conclusions are the long-awaited springboard to move forward on a legally binding Framework Directive on Minimum Income, which would guarantee everyone’s right to an adequate minimum income and enable their full participation in society across the whole life span. We call on the European Commission, and specifically Commissioner Schmit, to respond to the Conclusions by making an ambitious proposal for an EU Framework Directive to guarantee an adequate, accessible, and enabling Minimum Income.
This proposal would be one of the key EU initiatives in the upcoming Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, due to be launched early in 2021. It is a proposal which could reunite the EU Member States around a shared political and moral commitment to end poverty and social exclusion, to a Europe that promotes decent living, decent working conditions and social rights. It is a proposal which could help restore faith in the European project. It is a proposal which is legally and politically feasible, building on existing EU competencies in the social and cohesion policy fields, fully respecting principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and thus protecting national competencies.
The EU must find ways to ensure that the Social Pillar has a real impact on people’s lives. A Framework Directive on Minimum Income would be remembered as the new Commission’s flagship initiative that guarantees a right to an adequate income to the people in the poorest and most vulnerable situations, demonstrating to all that the EU delivers on its promises and prioritises protecting people as well as planet, in its commitment to a social, inclusive and sustainable recovery.
Further Resources

Caritas Europa: Position on Minimum Income

EAPN: Position paper on minimum income (summary), Expert study on a binding EU framework for adequate national minimum income schemes, Op Ed on Minimum Income, 2020 national Poverty Watch reports

ETUC: Resolution on Minimum Income, Discussion paper on Minimum Income, Action programme for welfare and social protection 

Eurodiaconia: Adequate Minimum Income – Recommendations For An Active Inclusion Strategy

Social Platform: Position on a Framework Directive for Minimum Income

Supported by the following European level civil society organisations No

Organisation

1

AGE Platform Europe

2

ATD Forth World

3

CEDAG

4

Civil Society Europe

5

ECDN European Consumer Debt Network

6

EFFAT

7

Emmaus Europe

8

ENSIE

9

ESAN

10

European Disability Forum

11

European Federation of Older Persons, EURAG

12

European federation of public service unions (EPSU)

13

European Network Against Racism (ENAR)

14

European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network

15

European Womens Lobby

16

European Youth Forum

17

Friends of the Earth Europe

18

International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW Europe)

19

Make Mothers Matter

20

Mental Health Europe

21

Observatoire social européen (OSE)

22

SMES-Europa Mental Health and Social Exclusion

23

SOLIDAR

24

The Good Lobby

25

The Salvation Army, Europe

26

Transgender Europe

27

Volonteurope

28

WeMove Europe

 

Supported by the following Members of the European Parliament No

MEP

Political Group

1

Cindy Franssen

EPP

2

Dennis Radtke

EPP

3

Benoit Biteau

Greens

4

Bricmont Saskia

Greens

5

Caroline Roose

Greens

6

Ciarán Cuffe

Greens

7

Claude Gruffat

Greens

8

Damien Carême

Greens

9

Daniel Freund

Greens

10

David Cormand

Greens

11

Diana Riba i Giner

Greens

12

Ernest Urtasun

Greens

13

Grace O'Sullivan

Greens

14

Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield

Greens

15

Karima Delli

Greens

16

Katrin Langensiepen

Greens

17

Kira Marie Peter-Hansen

Greens

18

Marie Toussaint

Greens

19

Michael Bloss

Greens

20

Mounir Satouri

Greens

21

Romeo Franz

Greens

22

Sara Matthieu

Greens

23

Salima Yenbou

Greens

24

Tatjana Zdanoka

Greens

25

Terry Reintke

Greens

26

Yannick Jadot

Greens

27

Alexis Georgoulis

GUE

28

Clare Daly

GUE

29

José Gusmão

GUE

30

Leïla Chaibi

GUE

31

Marc Botenga

GUE

32

María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop

GUE

33

Marisa Matias

GUE

34

Agnes Jongerius

S+D

35

Alicia Homs Ginel

S+D

36

Brando Benifei

S+D

37

César Luena

S+D

38

Elisabetta Gualmini

S+D

39

Estrella Dura Ferrandis

S+D

40

Gabriele Bischoff

S+D

41

Juozas Olekas

S+D

42

Manuel Pizarro

S+D

43

Marc Angel

S+D

44

Miapetra Kumpula-Natri

S+D

45

Pierfrancesco Majorino

S+D

 

Supported by the following academics No

Academic

Institution

1

Kristel Driessens

Bind-Kracht (Master of social work)

2

Anne Van Lancker

Consultant European Social Policy

3

Dubois Jean-Luc

French Research Institute for Development (retired Emeritus Research Professor)

4

Lena Schulz

Institut Goettingen e.V. (Sociological Research)

5

Mahmood Messkoub

International Institute of Social Studies (Erasmus University of Rotterdam), The Hague, NL.

6

Corveleyn Jozef

KU Leuven

7

Idesbald Nicaise

KU Leuven (HIVA)

8

Dr Jeremy Leaman

Loughborough University (Emeritus)

9

Ann-Christine Hartzén

Lund University

10

Mary Murphy

Maynooth University

11

Prof. Dr. Benjamin Benz

Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe, Bochum (Germany)

12

René Lehwess-Litzmann

Soziologisches Forschungsinstitut Göttingen (SOFI)

13

Rüdiger Mautz

Soziologisches Forschungsinstitut Göttingen (SOFI)

14

Dock

UCLouvain-Fopes

15

Françoise BARTIAUX

UCLouvain, Belgium

16

Michel Vandenbroeck

UGent

17

Luis Ayala

UNED

18

Carlos García-Serrano

Universidad de Alcalá

19

Sergio Tirado Herrero

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)

20

Philippe Bocquier

Université catholique de Louvain

21

Van der Linden Bruno

Université catholique de Louvain

22

Patrick Italiano

Université de Liège

23

Dijon

Université de Namur

24

Xavier May

Université Libre de Bruxelles

25

Bea Cantillon

University of Antwerp

26

Ane Aranguiz

University of Antwerp

27

Herwig Verschueren

University of Antwerp

28

Jill Coene

University of Antwerp

29

Julie Vinck

University of Antwerp (Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy)

30

Luc Goossens

University of Antwerp

31

Sigrid Leitner

University of Applied Sciences Cologne

32

Tim Goedemé

University of Oxford

33

Andrea Dischler

34

Andrea Hense

35

Elisabeth Buchner

36

H. Noordegraaf

37

Hugh Frazer

38

Knut Tullius

39

Luca Ratti

40

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kädtler

41

Tess Penne

42

Ortrud Leßmann

 

Also supported by Oliver Ropke, President of the EESC Workers' Group