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The Ninth Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion is an event organized by the Belgian presidency in cooperation with the European Commission in the presence of His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium and Her Majesty Queen Paola of Belgium. For two days, participants discussed poverty and how it can be combated. The central theme was the recommendation for active inclusion, with the emphasis on the importance of a minimum income throughout the entire Union as well as the provision of quality social services. The Round Table was followed by an informal meeting of European ministers with a mandate to tackle poverty.

On October 18 and 19, the European Commission organized the ninth Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion in cooperation with the EU presidency. During this meeting at Square – Brussels Meeting Centre, European and national policy-makers, NGOs and other stakeholders met to discuss the problem of poverty in Europe. The participation of ‘hands-on’ poverty experts was crucially important for the Belgian presidency. 

The central subject for the Round Table became the recommendation by the European Commission for Active Inclusion, which aimed to re-integrate people who have been excluded from the labour market into society. The emphasis would primarily be placed on the practical implementation and application of the recommendation: by comparing good and informative practices from the various member states, conclusions can be drawn about which approaches work and which don’t, and why this is the case. Special attention was paid to the minimum income, one of the three mainstays of the strategy, because Belgium strongly believes that having a minimum income is necessary to help people get out of poverty. The other two mainstays, inclusive labour markets and access to high-quality services, were also looked at during the various workshops. The three mainstays of the strategy must not be seen separately from each other: this integrated approach for the strategy will be emphasized.

The recommendation for active inclusion was also examined in the wider context of the new Europe2020 strategy, where the combating of poverty is an important point of attention for the European Union.

Inspired by its founding principle of solidarity, the EU has joined forces with its Member States to make 2010 the European Year For Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The key objectives are to raise public awareness about these issues and renew the political commitment of the EU and its Member States to combat poverty and social exclusion.  

Representatives of Center Amalipe Momchil Baev, Kalin Tanov, Maria Ivanova and Maria Yordanova participated in “Access to quality services – multidimensional approach to the specific situation of children in poor households” workshop, which was rapporteured by Jana Hainsworth, Secretary-General of Eurochild. The Bulgarian delegation brought up topics such as the situation of Bulgarian children with a focus on vulnerable groups and children in Roma households, as well as the quality of social services for children in Bulgaria. Maria Yordanova presented the issue of thousands of children living in social institutions, the process of deinstitutionalization of children and the challenges that the process would impose on the national government, NGO sector and other stakeholders. Mr. Baev spoke on the matter of the educational status of Roma children and Center Amalipe’s experience in working on motivation of children and parents when it comes to education. He emphasized on the trilateral process children - parents - school authorities of integrating and motivating Roma children to participate in the school life. In that matter Mr. Baev shared Center Amalipe’s experience in organizing training for teachers who work in multi-ethnical and multi-cultural environment as he spoke of the necessity of individual approach to children with a consideration of the ethno-cultural specifics of the Roma population.

Kalin Tanov spoke of the importance of higher education for young people and setting good examples for the children. He presented the advantages of Roma health Scholarship Program in which he participates himself as an opportunity for young people of Roma background.

Maria Ivanova presented to the audience the difficulties that young girls face when they become a target of early or forced marriages. In her opinion an early marriage brings after itself lack of education and lack of inclusion in public and social life. Ms. Ivanova explained the importance of working on the awareness and prevention of early and forced marriages in order the young women to have access to better education and respectively to a better social life and status.

During the closing Plenary Session Jana Hainsworth, Momchil Baev and Maria Yordanova presented to all participants in the 9^th Round Table the conclusions and demands that were shaped during the workshop. The highlights of the presentation were:

-      The EU to pressure the national government on developing effective national strategy to combat Roma exclusion – urgently!

-      Motivation of Roma children and families to value education;

-      Training and support for professionals working with Roma;

-      Involve and increase Roma volunteers, professionals, foster careers;

-      Tackle system failures and prejudice in society