27. Notes that, in its communication entitled ‘Europe 2020: a strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’, the Commission proposes setting five headline targets for the EU, one of which is to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty by 20 million; points out that this target falls short of the initial ambitions of the Lisbon Strategy (to overcome poverty), which, regrettably, have not been achieved; believes that poverty and social exclusion must be eradicated by credible, concrete and binding measures; believes that this target is too low and that the objective of a poverty-free Europe must not be abandoned; takes the view that, in order to achieve this goal, appropriate measures should be taken and this absolute targ ...[+++]et should be combined with a target for reducing poverty in each Member State, in order to encourage every Member State to contribute to the task of achieving it, and should be made more credible with appropriate measures, particularly as regards the effectiveness of policies targeting those in need; believes that this target should be achieved through concrete and appropriate measures, in particular through the introduction of minimum income schemes by all EU Member States;

The outcome, therefore, was agreement, in spite of quite difficult political antagonisms at the start.

The outcome, therefore, was agreement, in spite of quite difficult political antagonisms at the start.

The gaps tend to be more marked where overall the employment rate is relatively low.

Tax changes have to be quite striking to change behaviours, and among other things to raise the labour market participation rate.

– (IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I know I am repeating what others have already said when I say that the tragic attacks of 11 September have changed the course of this century’s history for ever, but I feel that I can never stress enough how true this is, that the international Community is now faced with a crisis that is as great as it is unprecedented and unfamiliar, with rules and trends that not even the most experienced of political analysts is able to predict.