17% of EU citizens still have limited resources and cannot afford the basic needs.  This means that more than 80 million Europeans live at risk of poverty, even if the European Union is one of the richest areas in the world.

Poverty is often linked only with developing countries, where a lack of food and clean water is a daily problem. It is true that is not as devastating as in the rest of the world, but Europe is also affected by poverty and social exclusion.

Today, 21 January, the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU are launching the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities said that "Europeans should commit themselves with solidarity and social justice", which are founding values of the European Union. Europe, as a whole, can only exist if each individual’s potential is realized and not only based on progress and growth of economic indicators.

Between the 80 million people that are affected by poverty, children (0-17) are the biggest group (20%).  One parent households and those with dependent children have the highest poverty risk. Other age groups with high risk are young people (18-24) and older people (65+) with older women at much higher risk than men. Of course that these figures do not include some of those in the most extreme situations such as some minority ethnic groups, especially the Roma, immigrants, undocumented migrants, the homeless, people living in or leaving institutions, etc. 

Unemployment is a key factor in people being at risk of poverty. 40% of people who are unemployed are at-risk-of poverty compared to 8% of those at work.  On the other hand, if one considers the overall breakdown of people over 18 who are at-risk-of-poverty more of them are either at work (28%), retired (27%) or otherwise inactive (29%) than actually unemployed (15%).  (in Eurostat)

The European anti poverty network (EAPN) has the opinion that EU is far away from the poverty eradication goal for 2010, but urges the political actors to engage more with civil society and non-governmental organisations that fight poverty, work conditions and social exclusion, and also with individuals. Stereotypes and stigmas should disappear and people experiencing poverty should have a chance to express their needs, in order to promote equal opportunities for all.

The European Year's activities will happen all over Europe, with national programmes drawn up by each of the 29 countries taking part (the 27 EU countries plus Norway and Iceland). A €17 million budget will finance campaigns at European and national levels.

At European level, the Year will embrace a journalists’ contest, an art initiative and two 'focus weeks', whilst various national events around the EU will be intensively concentrated over two weeks in May and in October.