No C 113/32 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 7. 5. 80 
Opinion  on the proposal  for a Council  Decision  concerning  an interim  programme  to 
combat  poverty 
The text  referred  to the Committee  has been  published  in Official  Journal  of the Euro-
pean  Communities  No  C 307 of 7 December  1979,  page  10. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 6 December  1979  the Council  referred  the abovementioned  proposal  to the Econ-
omic  and Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Article  198 of the Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Economic  Community. 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the above  matter  at its 
175th  plenary  session  held  in Brussels  on 30 and  31 January  1980. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the Treaty  establishing  the Euro-
pean  Economic  Community,  and  in particular 
Article  198  thereof, 
Having  regard  to the request  made  by the Council  of 
the European  Communities  on 6 December  1979  for 
an opinion, 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by its Bureau  on 
10 December  1979,  instructing  the Section  for Social 
Questions  to draw  up an opinion  on the matter, 
Having  regard  to the opinion  adopted  by the above-
mentioned  Section  at its meeting  on 17 January 
1980, 
Having  regard  to the verbal  report  made  by Mr Car-
roll, the rapporteur, 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 175th  plenary 
session  on 30 and  31 January  1980  (meeting  of 
30 January), 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. General  comments 
1.1. The  Committee  adverts  to its comprehensive 
opinion  on 24 April  1975  on the referral  of 23 Jan-
uary  1975  by the Council  of the European  Communi-
ties of the programme  of pilot  schemes  and studies  to 
combat  poverty. 
1.2. The  Committee  also  refers  to its opinion  on 
28 May  1975  as regards  the appropriate  legal  form  in which  the  Commission's  proposal  should  be pre-
sented  to the Council.  The  Committee  welcomed  the 
requirement  for  the Commission  to submit  to the 
Council  and  to the European  Parliament  before  the 
end of 1976  a report  on its activities  concerning  pilot 
schemes  and  studies  promoted,  carried  out  or as-
sisted  under  the Decision. 
1.3. The  anti-poverty  programme  was  allocated  a 
budget  of 2 5 million  units  of account  in 1975  and 
2-875  million  in 1976. 
1.4. The  Commission  set up an Advisory  Group 
(which  met in March  1976  for the first  time)  compris-
ing nine  government  representatives,  seven  indepen-
dent experts  and  two  members  representing  both 
sides  of industry.  This  Group  was  to be consulted  by 
the Commission  on all matters  of importance  con-
cerning  the development  of the combat-poverty  pro-
gramme. 
1.5. In  November  1975  the Commission  approved  a 
total  of 21 projects  proposed  by the governments  of 
the Member  States  and  two  cross-national  studies 
proposed  by the  Commission  and  agreed  by the 
Member  States  concerned.  Two  of these  pilot 
schemes  were  subsequently  withdrawn,  but the rest, 
together  with  the cross-national  studies,  have  been 
developed  and  implemented. 
1.6. The  cross-national  studies  were  initially  funded 
for only  one  year  and  final  reports  on both  were  sub-
mitted  to the  Commission.  The  national  schemes 
were  initially  funded  for a period  of two  years  but on 
13 December  1977  the Council  of Ministers  agreed  to 
renew  the programme  for a further  three  years.  At the 
same  time  the programme  budget  was  increased  to 
allow  six new  schemes  and  studies  to be adopted,  as 
7. 5. 80 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 113/33 
well as a second  phase  for each  of the two  earlier 
studies.  The  amounts  allocated  for 1977,  1978  and 
1979  were,  respectively,  3 5 million,  5 million  and 
5*75 million  units  of account.  These  developments 
were  approved  in the opinion  of the Committee  of 
22 June  1977  on the proposal  for a Council  Decision 
modifying  the Decision  of 22 July  1975  concerning  a 
programme  of pilot  schemes  and  pilot  studies  to 
combat  poverty. 
1.7. On  29 March  1978  the Commission  adopted  a 
series  of pilot  schemes  and  studies  extending  the pro-
gramme  (SEC  [78]  1360). 
1.8. In  addition  on 6 December  1978  the Commis-
sion decided: 
(a) to continue  the implementation  of schemes  in 
progress,  most  of which  had  been  approved  in 
1975; 
(b) to continue  the implementation  of a pilot  study 
which  had  been  updated; 
(c) to implement  a proposal  concerning  the 'eval-
uation  and  control'  of the programme; 
(d) to implement  a proposal  relating  to the elabora-
tion of eight  national  reports  on poverty  and 
measures  taken  to combat  it in the  Member 
States  of the Community. 
1.9. On  the basis  of Article  6 of the aforementioned 
Decision  the Commission  submitted  to the Council 
and the European  Parliament  a second  report  on the 
results  available  relative  to the projects  undertaken 
with financial  assistance  from  the Community. 1.10.  Upon  completion  of the programme  and  by 
30 June  1981  at the latest  the Commission  will  submit 
a final  report  consisting  of an evaluation  of the re-
sults  obtained  in the context  of the programme  to 
combat  poverty. 
Given  that  this  report  will  be based  upon: 
— a final  report  on each  project, 
— an evaluation  report  on the programme  of pilot 
schemes  and  studies  as a whole, 
— a series  of national  reports  on poverty  and 
measures  taken  to combat  it in the Member  States 
of the Community; 
and given  the importance  of the problem  it is unlikely 
that the Council  will  be able  to draw  up its conclu-
sions  before  the beginning  of 1982. 
1.11.  In  these  circumstances  the Commission  has 
submitted  a new  Council  Decision  defining  propo-
sals for the interim  period  for the purpose  of continu-
ing research  and  action  to combat  poverty  with  ap-
propriations  of 9 million  EUA. 
2. Specific  remarks 
2.1. The  Committee  approves  the  Commission's 
proposal,  as indicated  in paragraph  1.11. 
2.2. The  Committee  wishes  to undertake  an in-
depth  examination  of the Commission's  second  re-
port on pilot  schemes  and  studies  to combat  poverty 
(COM  (79)  537  final)  17 October  1979  at the earliest 
possible  date. 
Done  at Brussels,  30 January  1980. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and Social  Committee 
Raffaele  VANNI