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MOTION FOR A RECOMMENDATION on the struggle against exclusion
presented by Mr GUSENBAUER and others
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This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it |
1. The Assembly recalls that economic and social progress is one of the Council of Europe's goals and that safeguarding and developing human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the means of achieving this end.
2. It holds these rights to be indivisible, whether they be civil and political or social, economic and cultural.
3. However, in the majority of member states there is an increase in various forms of exclusion, because the relevant social policies are either lacking or fail to apply to an ever increasing proportion of the population.
4. Exclusion is an affront to human dignity, denies individuals their rights, but it also creates the conditions that lead to a weakening of the democratic foundations of society.
5. The resulting social and economic instability places a burden on states which limits their scope for action by reducing their tax revenues and increasing their social expenditure and mortgages their future by weakening the people's confidence in themselves and their prospects.
6. The Assembly therefore welcomes the Committee of Ministers' proposals to initiate a study into human dignity and exclusion, to be completed in 1997.
7. The Assembly notes that the issues dealt with in its Recommendation 1196 (1992) on severe poverty and social exclusion are unfortunately still matters of concern.
8. It is now recognised that while loss of income is the turning point in the process of exclusion from normal social life, the underlying causes can be varied and much more complex than they seem.
9. Although it is examples of extreme poverty that stand out and are the main targets of social policy, the Assembly considers that attention should be focused on all forms of exclusion and on the many processes that give rise to it.
10. Following the many studies undertaken, the phenomenon of marginalisation is now well known, and today it is possible to give priority to a practical approach.
11. The Assembly recognises the value and effectiveness of initiatives launched by the voluntary sector but considers that political institutions have a responsibility for creating the right conditions for social reintegration and for introducing social policies that will put an end to situations likely to lead to exclusion.
12. The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers urge the governments of member states to use all possible means to combat exclusion in all its forms, with particular attention being paid to their societies' economic, social and cultural machinery with a view to identifying situations that may trigger the exclusion process.
Signed: 1
Gusenbauer, Austria, SOC
Andnor, Sweden, SOC
Belohorska, Slovakia, LDR
Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL
Cox, United Kingdom, SOC
Daniel, France, EDG
Gross, Switzerland, SOC
Hegyi, Hungary, SOC
Jacquat, France, LDR
Jansson, Finland, LDR
Kollwelter, Luxembourg, SOC
1 1 SOC : Socialist Group
EPP : Group of the European People's Party
EDG : European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group
UEL : Group of the Unified European Left