Vol. 472 No. 2
53 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has availed of his position as President of the EU Council of Social Welfare Ministers to report progress on the Poverty IV Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22285/96]
I first refer the Deputy to the replies I gave to Questions Nos. 66 and 96 on 16 October 1996.
As the House knows, the proposed Poverty IV Programme, which requires unanimity, has been blocked by two other member states. This remains the position.
In addition, as the Deputy may already be aware, the European Commission, in view of the continuing failure to agree a multi-annual programme at Council, had taken the step of setting up schemes to support, by way of once-off grants, anti-poverty projects throughout the Union. Now, following a reference to the European Court by one member state, the Commission's competence to do so, in the absence of the authorisation of the Council, has been stopped, at least for the time being.
In the face of these impediments to the Union's undertaking anti-poverty action under the legal bases in the current Treaty, I had secured the agreement of my colleagues in Government to the advancement by Ireland of a proposal within the Intergovernmental Conference, IGC, to include within the new Treaty a specific provision which would improve the Union's competence to engage in such programmes. I have made it a principal aim of my Presidency to promote our proposal both among fellow member states and among interest groups. To this end I have had, over recent months, bilateral meetings with several of my ministerial colleagues, including the German, Finnish, Greek and Spanish Ministers.
In addition, I have used all opportunities open to me to promote our proposal publicly. Last month, for instance, I urged support for this approach at two major events at the European Parliament. The first of these, on 17 October, was a meeting organised by the European Anti-Poverty Network at the Parliament and attended by both interest groups and members of parliament. On 23 October, I addressed a plenary session of the Parliament which went on to adopt a resolution fully supportive of my plea for action within the Intergovernmental Conference.
Commissioner Flynn attended both events and outlined the related proposal of the Commission for the incorporation into the body of the revised Treaty of the Social Chapter currently annexed by way of a Protocol to the Treaty plus its amendment to include an improved basis for action against exclusion. This would have a similar aim and effect to our proposal.
