120 million of Europeans are living in extreme poverty or insecurity. As the crisis hits hard in several countries, the number of people living in poverty or uncertainty will not decrease over the coming years.

Social security is under pressure or threatened in all European countries. Savings plans are very severe. And in all countries, the governments aim to simplify the job market or want to organize less protection for workers. However, all studies indicates that we need more instead of less social protection.

We need a social policy to reduce poverty. We need a more equal society where everyone has equal rights. Poverty reduction is then the outcome of a broad struggle for social protection, for a equal society for all. Therefore we need new visions and new hopes for a better future. Poverty reduction therefore requires a commitment of all. The responsibility for a poverty reduction policy should therefore not only rest on the shoulders of the grassroots organizations. It is a responsibility of civil society in collaboration with those organizations.

This is the basic idea of alliances for poverty reduction. Together we are stronger to demand more social protection in order to reduce poverty effectively.
In Dublin we discussed two topics:

– the consequences of the EU economic policy

– the housing policy of differnet countries and EU

A torn Europe. The Dublin Seminar: the presentations

• part 1: introduction to the seminar and two cases
• part 2: country case-studies continuation
• part 3: Brian Nolan, Ramon Pena Casas, …
• part 4: Robert Salais, Mary Murphy, Cécile Barbier and Mahmood Messkoub
• part 5 : introduction to housing and country case studies
• part 6: homelessnes and sustainable housing policy

Changed presentations

• Le logement en Europe: un résumé et les défis – worddoc. Michel Debruyne
• Synthése des interventions de Robert Salais, Mahmood Messkoub et Mary Murphy – worddoc
• New economic governance. Is there any alternative to the TINA? – ppt. Cecile Barbier
• The Netherlands and the housing crisis – ppt. Marja elsinga

Necessary texts

• The dangerous consequences of misdiagnosing the crisis. Jeremy Leaman.
• The politics of labour and capabilities and deliberative democracy. Robert Salais.
• Building alliances in our common interest. Mary Murphy. Youtube. Trade Union TV.