SOCIAL POLICY : EAPN: "SOCIAL IMPACT OF CRISIS SYSTEMATICALLY IGNORED".

• Position: European Anti-poverty Network

The European Anti-poverty Network (EAPN) has raised the alarm over the social impact of austerity packages being deployed by national governments, and is calling on the EU to "defend solidarity rather than unfair competition between countries," pro-actively regulate markets and engage in public intervention that will safeguard respect for citizens' rights.

These are some of the conclusions from the EAPN's second report on the social impact of the crisis - which it says "is being systematically under-assessed and ignored" - and on recovery policies. Published on 23 February, the report calls for fairer policy options and a focus on prosperity for all.

The report underlines that not all member states have been hit equally by the crisis: according to the EAPN, the impact has been most severe in member states which had already embarked on the path of economic and financial deregulation and deconstruction of the welfare state. The situation has been different in countries which have not followed this route, such as the Scandinavian member states and Poland.

The EAPN emphasises the devastating effect of austerity measures put in place by national governments, which it says have further aggravated the situation. It condemns governments that have taken a neo-liberal approach based on the reduction of social benefits and public services via public spending cuts.

"This choice not only penalises the poor and...