The opening conference, to be held on 21 January, will be attended by the Spanish Prime Minister, José  Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durao Barroso. 

Also attending the event at the Spanish Health Ministry, will be the Chair of the Reflection Group on the Future of European Union, Felipe González, and the ministers for social affairs of another five European countries. 

Trinidad Jiménez said social cohesion is “a key policy area for the Spanish Presidency of the EU” and that the conference will mark the beginning of intense work that should be continued by the Belgian Presidency over the following six months.

Despite being one of the most developed regions of the world, the EU has 80 million people living in poverty, which amounts to 16% of the population, according to Eurostat. One in ten Europeans live in households where none of the members are in employment. Furthermore, 8% of citizens that are in employment also live in poverty. 

The European Parliament and the European Council have designated 2010 as European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion with the aim of injecting new life into the commitment of the EU and national governments, and raising awareness among the general public on social exclusion and poverty.    

The Spanish Minister and the European Commissioner agreed on the need to plan the new political cycle launched by the Treaty of Lisbon and to put forward long term objectives for the negotiation of the 2020 Strategy for economic recovery.

According to Mr Spidla, 89% of Europeans want their governments to provide urgent solutions to reduce poverty and 74% believe the EU plays an important role in combating it.  

The Commissioner argued for “encouraging some countries to do more than they have done until now” in terms of social protection and gave the example of his own country, the Czech Republic, which thanks to an effective Social Security system has one of the lowest poverty rates in Europe, at only 8%.