Urgent call for adequate minimum income in the EU

Following the Council Conclusions on “Strengthening Minimum Income Protection to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond”, Caritas Europa, together with the European Anti-Poverty Network, the European Trade Union Confederation, Eurodiaconia and Social Platform, has called on the European Commission to respond with courage and propose a legally binding EU framework for Minimum Income.

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the weakness of European welfare states, as gaps leave people unprotected, in vulnerable situations without any sources of income. One of the best ways to prevent people falling into poverty is to build individual and societal resilience. Strong social protection systems are the cornerstone of such resilience. Minimum income bridges the gap for those ineligible to access other rights and who do not have any other, or only insufficient, income. In that sense, Member States should invest in preventing as much as possible that people end up in a minimum income scheme, which should be used only as a last resort.

This call for an EU framework directive on minimum income, launched by Caritas Europa and partner organisations, received the support by 45 members of the European Parliament, 42 academics and 28 EU Civil Society Organisations.