As part of the activities held during the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, Angele Deguara, AD spokesperson for Social Development represented the Green Party at a Round Table Event organized by the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family in collaboration with Caritas Malta and the Malta-EU Steering Action Committee on Thursday, 18th November.

Ms Deguara pointed out that in the Maltsese Islands almost 14% of the population live below the poverty line. This amounts to over 57,000 people who have to make do with less than €5,500 annually. Malta’s poverty rate is less than the EU average of 16%. However, this does not mean that we can put our mind at rest that we do not have a problem. Poverty rates are especially high among lone parent families and the unemployed. Children and the elderly have the highest poverty rates in terms of age.

Ms Deguara said, “AD believes that while Malta does not have an alarmingly high rate of poverty, it is important that clear priorities are established especially in the fields of work and education. The net of social protection has to be widened in order to include or better protect certain vulnerable groups. At the same time, we need to strengthen the welfare state and make it more sustainable so that we would be in a better position to address the challenges of our social reality.”

To this end, AD presented a number of proposals such as an increase in the national minimum wage, curbing precarious employment, better investment in the education of disadvantaged groups, better access of vulnerable groups to the labour market, paid and longer parental leave, pension reforms, lower income tax for low paid workers and better efforts to fight discrimination.

Permalink: AD on Poverty and Social Exclusion in Malta and Gozo