Second European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty
Date: 9-5-2003
Greek Labour and Social Security Minister Dimitris Reppas opened the sessions of the second European meeting of people experiencing poverty on 10 May, 2003. The meeting, which was held in Brussels on 10-11 May, has been organised by the Greek Presidency.
About 150 persons from all countries of the European Union - who have had direct experience of poverty and social exclusion and collectively take steps to combat the causes and consequences of poverty - participated in the meeting. Members of NGOs and social workers that are in the front line of providing support to people experiencing conditions of poverty and exclusion, as well as observers from the new Member States of the EU also took part.
The aim of this initiative of the Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Security is to secure recognition at a political level and strengthen the social contribution of people who experience poverty and social exclusion, while at the same time providing a forum at which the views of the socially excluded can be heard with respect to the legislative, political and administrative initiatives which are of consequence to them on a daily basis.