European fight against poverty begins in February

It’s to be the EU’s major battle for 2010.

But Portuguese unionists are dubious about the initiative.

“If the concern demonstrated by politicians for the salvation of the financial system – which actually created the worst crisis since the 1930s – had existed for poverty, poverty would have been eradicated” said the leading trade’s union CGTP-IN, on the eve of their official opening in Madrid.

In a statement to the press dated 20th January, the central union claimed that only “in Portugal, poverty affects almost 2 million people – and the distribution of earnings and wealth is among the most unequal in the European Union.

The richest 20 per cent of the country earn 6.1 times more than the poorest 20 per cent.

In 2000, 10 per cent of families controlled around 74 per cent of active stock”.

Nonetheless, CGTP-IN considers the initiative an opportunity to end with the “elevated tolerance of society for these kind of problems, and promote structural changes” in the country.