Debate,- Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

Speech to Parliament                               Strasbourg                          15th Nov 2011


Debate,-  Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

To quote from your own documents,-
"National and local events will take place in every EU Member State, awareness raising campaigns, workshops, school indoctrination and so on and so on..".

The documents also say that this is mainly the responsibility of the member state no EU money is forthcoming, so its member state's money. How do those countries most in need manage that?

Only last month this house voted to raise the take from member states by 5%. Of a hundred budget lines some 20 were for a reduction. With like minded MEPs I supported those, which would have saved European taxpayers 100 million Euros, but was outvoted by most of you, on all except 2 lines, so only 1 million was saved.

If people keep more of their earnings they spend more, helping other businesses to keep going and helping employment.

So the member states who really need help for this program will not get it, where will they find the money, you've already raided their bank balances for bail out funds.

(NB Commissioner Andor speaking at the start said that  EU funds would support this program,  hence the comment in para two)