00:00We are joined by Roxana Minsato. Of course, she is the Executive Vice President at the Commission
00:05for Social Rights and Skills. As I say, she joins us from Strasbourg. Commissioner, thank you very
00:11much. Today, you're going to present a plan to combat poverty in the EU. This is a big topic
00:17for Europeans. But I have to ask you first about the politics, because we are seeing big changes
00:22in Bulgaria, a new government perhaps seen as too close to Russia and in your own country,
00:28at Romania. The government is on the brink of collapse, aided by the far right. Are you
00:34concerned that both Bulgaria and Romania are moving away from a poor European path?
00:42Good morning, and thank you for the invitation. Well, I will not comment the political situations
00:48in our member states. But I will say this, that in the end, democracy is the strongest asset of the
00:55European Union. And elections and democratic movements are part of this process, people
01:01being able to express themselves. And this is part of the game, I would say. What we do follow
01:07is the pro-European stance of our citizens. And looking at the numbers in Bulgaria, in Romania,
01:14in Hungary, the very high number of support towards the European Union, the way they understand that
01:20their country has benefited from belonging to the European project. This is something that we see in
01:27Brussels, in Strasbourg. This is something that politicians in the capitals also see. And so their
01:33actions are driven by this pro-European position of their own peoples. I am absolutely convinced.
01:40Just to be very clear on this, because it's a critical point, you're saying that both in Bulgaria,
01:45but also Romania, a country that you know well, you believe that if there's a change in government,
01:49it will stay on a pro-European path. You do not fear a Eurosceptic turn, just to be very clear.
01:57I'm absolutely counting on the pro-European stance of every member state. The country that I know best
02:04is a country with people that are very attached to the European project, different ages, different
02:09social groups. So counting on that to be the main driver of democracy has always been. And beyond
02:17that, Romania has always been a country on which the EU has deeply relied. So really, this for sure
02:24will be the reality in the future as well.
02:27Okay. And it's also critical for security through NATO. Commissioner, let's also now go into the plan
02:35that you're presenting today, because the idea of poverty, this is a growing concern for Europeans
02:40who find that they work, but they cannot make it to the end of the month comfortably. What are you
02:47pitching?
02:50So actually, next week, on the 6th of May, I will present a social package, our first ever European
02:57anti-poverty strategy, looking at a tough reality that one out of five Europeans, that's 93 million people,
03:05are at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Many affected by inward poverty, as you've mentioned,
03:11many living from salary to salary. So obviously, it is important that we present the right tools to
03:17support on a lifelong cycle, and this is new to our approach, people that are not just already
03:23affected by poverty, by low income, by lack of access to services, but to prevent these situations.
03:29And the main rationale beyond everything is that we cannot build competitiveness based on social
03:37fragility. So first and foremost, we need to address this fragility. And you will see the package,
03:43the strategy will present tools that will address, first of all, child poverty, because the earliest
03:49we intervene, the better it is for the way that our societies will evolve. So we will present a
03:56the reinforced child guarantee, which is our main tool to make sure that children are not affected
04:02by their families' vulnerabilities, and that we are helping them go to school, have access to
04:08medical health care, to support services. So this is quite central to the strategy. But as I've
04:14mentioned, inward poverty, people that are active are also be central to this, but also we will look at
04:21people outside the labor market. 50 million Europeans are not looking for a job. They cannot
04:27work. So we also want to tackle these categories with an array of measures that member states,
04:33because indeed, fighting poverty is member states' competence, will deploy.
04:38Indeed. But I just want to ask you, perhaps as a final point here, do you have the means and
04:43the
04:43tools to do this? Because a lot of these policies are driven by the capitals. But also, do you have
04:48the
04:48funding? We're seeing competing interests from defense to hard economy, competitiveness. Do you have the
04:53tools, just financial means, to implement these policies?
04:58It's a team effort. The European Commission and European Union provide, first and foremost, the European
05:04Social Fund as a support for member states. In our proposal for the next MFF, you know, this fund has
05:12an
05:12overall 100 billion budget. Now Parliament proposed an increase. Then you will see in the strategy a number of
05:20solutions while that will be based on European investment products and on leveraging also private
05:29resources. So obviously stimulating member states to invest and having a coherent framework on this.
05:38But what is essential is that we want that the anti-poverty efforts are coordinated at the highest
05:47level, and that they are central to the political agenda. And this is the main work, because as I've
05:52said, we cannot build competitiveness on social fragility. And we need to be engaged with this mindset.
05:59With the memberships, and of course, the working poor, that is an increasing concern for Europeans.
06:03Executive Vice President, thank you so much for joining us on Europe Today.
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