Poverty and exclusion  

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In the EU today, poverty and exclusion affects more than 100 million people. Following the economic crisis, those figures are likely to rise even further.

In its Europe 2020 strategy, the EU commits to lift 80 million people out of poverty by 2020. It is the first time that the poverty reduction has been placed so high in the EU’s policy agenda.

Cities have a crucial role to play in reducing poverty. Many of those suffering in poverty live in cities. Every city, to some extent, deals with problems such as unemployment, poor housing and poor access to services. Such challenges are best addressed by comprehensive approaches that cut across different policy areas and require cooperation between different levels of government.

Our work on poverty and exclusion revolves around a number of activities:

•  We enable city administrators to exchange views and experiences on programmes and projects put into practice in their cities. We organise meetings, seminars and conferences and encourage our members to participate in external events.
• Through our meetings and research activities, such as those carried out by the Cities for Active Inclusion network, we gather the expertise of local practitioners and formulate messages directed at European policy makers. These messages shape the main policies designed to tackle problems associated with poverty, exclusion, employment, education, housing and health.
• We monitor and inform local governments on the EU policy developments that affect them and offer our members the opportunity to engage through projects and events.