The 7th European round table on poverty and social exclusion, organized by the French Presidency and held in Marseille on 15 and 16 October, was attended by over 200 key stakeholders, including NGO’s, people experiencing poverty, regional and local authorities, trade unions and employers organizations.

This year the focus was specifically on the Commission’s Recommendation on Active Inclusion. The conference gave strong backing to the prompt implementation of the Commission’s Active Inclusion Recommendation which will be endorsed by the Council in December.

Fintan Farrell, the EAPN Director and General Rapporteur for the Round Table, highlighted that the French Presidency has supported three important innovations in this 7th Round Table:

1. The direct involvement of people experiencing poverty in the plenary and all the workshops, ensuring that the focus stays on real concerns and on the People experiencing Poverty meetings organized each May;
2. The active involvement of national journalists and
3. The link for the first time to a Ministerial meeting on Poverty.

For more information about the 7th round table on poverty and social exclusion click on