TO MARK the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, a number of events will be held in Limassol and Nicosia during “Europe Week”, 3-9 May, jointly organised by the European Institute of Cyprus, the Office of the European Parliament in Cyprus, the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, and the Press and Information Office (PIO).
Cyprus joined the EU six years ago today. The Cyprus Mail took the opportunity to ask Androulla Kaminara, the Head of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, about the impact of EU policy in Cyprus.
Q: What’s the message you are aiming to put across with Europe Week?
A: We have made the focus of Europe Week the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, although we will be doing other things as part of the European Year campaign throughout the year. What is also different this year is that rather than hold events predominantly in Nicosia, we decided to go where the people are – to get away from the idea that Europe only concerns the capital.
The main aim is to sensitise people to the fact that, particularly in the context of the economic crisis, there are certain people who are more affected by the economic crisis. We should not forget the poor in any year, but this is especially true in a year of crisis.
In Cyprus, there are sectors of the population that are more vulnerable than others, for example single-parent families or pensioners. Although poverty is generally not as big a problem here as in other member states, in certain sectors it is. Women pensioners are more at risk of poverty in Cyprus than in any other member state.
Q: Some people will be shocked to hear that in a family-centred society like Cyprus, so many old people have been left to fall into poverty.
A: Exactly. The issue is that in previous times, it was more normal for pensioners to live either near or with their children, so in a sense the danger of poverty from relying only on a pension was covered by the wider family unit subsidising that pension. Increasingly, this is not the case, so those people are increasingly being left to rely on their own means.
But this year, we have launched the Europe 2020 strategy, laying out the EU’s targets for the next ten years. It has been put forward by the Commission, and currently is up for discussion by the European Parliament and the Council. It contains five key areas of targets for the EU to achieve by 2020, one of which is specifically on poverty. Importantly, for the first time sets specific figures, that there should be 20 million less people at risk of poverty.
Another aim is to explode the myth that the people who are at risk of poverty are those that are not working. In the EU, one in ten households do not have anyone who is working. But 8 per cent of the population has a job, but still is at risk of poverty – it is very important to realise that.
Q: As governments try to come to terms with economic crisis, recession and rising unemployment, there is a higher demand than ever for social benefits. At the same time, they are being told by the EU that there should be “fiscal tightening”, stricter control over public spending. Is this not a contradiction? You can’t have both.
A: There is another part of that equation, which is government income. It is quite clear that in a lot of member states, probably in Cyprus too, some of the revenues due to the state have not been followed up closely by governments – I’m talking about combating tax evasion, having a better grip on how spending is done, and making sure that what is included in the annual budget is actually coming in.
Q: It has become more noticeable in recent years that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are being invited to play a more active role in carrying out initiatives proposed by the EU and national governments. Is this a new way of working, since the signing of the Lisbon Treaty?
A: Yes. Learning from mistakes made in the past, we saw that it was only government initiatives that were taking place. It is clear that society is not only moved by the government, but also by citizens and NGOs. So a bigger role and more attention is being given to NGOs – also to local authorities – in everything we do, not just regarding policies on social exclusion. NGOs have a huge part to play, particularly in that area, because they target specific groups, identify their problems and promote their interests in a vital way. A government can make rules, but you need the NGOs to act as watchdogs, to see that they are applied correctly – and to let us know when we need to do things differently.
Q: How healthy would you say civil society is in Cyprus? Our society has been very conservative, so are things changing fast enough here to keep pace with what is happening in Europe?
A: A lot has been done to improve the role of the NGOs in Cyprus – there is an NGO platform, there is a support network between NGOs, there is some EU funding made available – but there is still a lot to be done. We should not forget that Cypriot society is a small society. Because it is small, it is more interlinked, so it tends to change more slowly. Also, being an island means being geographically isolated, which affects the pace of changing attitudes. Nevertheless, I do think there are a number of important and quite militant NGOs – good for them – and we need more of them for the future.
I would say the increasing role and impact of the NGOs is a consequence of Cyprus joining the EU. Part of the equation is the existence of EU legislation and initiatives which prohibit or aim to minimise social exclusion on any grounds: age, sexual orientation, disability, and so on.
For example, a number of NGOs are doing fantastic job in helping to combat human trafficking. Four or five years ago, that could not have happened, because society was just not ready for it. Equal opportunities, animal protection, anti-trafficking, gay and lesbian rights – these are topics that a few years ago could not be openly discussed, but I think we are seeing a change in attitude now, people are becoming more vocal.
Europe Week events
The Europe Week events will include: a photographic exhibition “Photographers in the Fight Against Poverty” (Monday, Limassol); a political discussion on Capital TV about the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion (Wednesday, Nicosia); and a round-table political discussion on the Lisbon Treaty (Thursday, Limassol).
Ending the week on Saturday, there will be a day-long festival in Gregory Afxentiou Square in Limassol, including children’s activities (e.g. face-painting, clowns, art workshop) and a concert featuring jazz, rock and Greek music.
- For more information, telephone 22406800.
