10/06/2014 – BMIN (Belgian Minimum Income Network) organized the conference “Towards the progressive realization of an adequate and accessible minimum income.” The first results of the project were presented as well as BMIN’s recommendations for European and national levels. The following political parties took part in the conference: CDH, Ecolo, FDF, Groen, MR, N-VA, PVDA, Sp.a and PS. All parties confirmed the need for a strong minimum income above the poverty line, and recognized the importance of easy access to minimum income, inter alia, through the automatic granting of rights. Several parties also reaffirmed the target to take 530,000 people out of poverty by 2020  If political parties keep their promise, then the punitive conditions that restrict peoples access to minimum income schemes should be removed.   

The Belgian Anti-Poverty Network and the Belgian Minimum Income Network hope to see progress on accessible minimum income schemes backed up with the allocation of sufficient financial resources as part of an ambitious and effective strategy to fight poverty at the heart of the new programme for government.

BMIN is a partnership of networks (& organizations) involved in the fight against poverty, as well as trade unions, Federal Public Service for Social Integration and its Department for the Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion and academics working together to progress on the realization of an adequate and accessible minimum income. This partnership is part of the EMIN (European Minimum Income Network) project coordinated by EAPN and supported by the European Commission.

Interesting presentations and articles:

• The conference presentations:
  • Introduction byJulien Van Geertsom, President of the Federal Public Service for Social Integration
  • The EMIN project by Barbara Helfferich, EAPN Director
  • La European Roadmap by Anne Van Lancker, Political coordinator of EMIN
  • The sthresholds in Belgium related to an adequate and accessible minimum income, byElke Vandermeerschen (policy officer for BAPN) and Jonathan Devillers (BAPN activist)
• Knack press article
• Le Soir press article (accessible to subscribers)

For any question related to the BMIN project, please contact elke.vandermeerschen@bapn.be.