No C 20 8 /10 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.8.84 
Proposal for Council Decision on specific Community action to combat poverty 
COM(84) 379final 
(Submitted to the Council by the Commission on 19 July 1984) 
(84/C 208/12) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 235 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas under Article 2 of the Treatly the task of the 
Community is to promote throughout the Community 
a harmonious development of economic activities, a 
continuous and balanced expansion, an increase in 
stability, an accelerated raising of the standard of 
living and closer relations between the States 
belonging to it; 
Whereas the persistence of poverty within the 
Community is incompatible with this objective; 
Whereas the instability of employment, a 
phenomenon which has worsened in recent years, is 
equally incompatible with this objective; 
Whereas national economic and social policies and 
Community action in the field of employment can, by 
attacking the structural causes of poverty, make an 
effective contribution to the fight ^against it; 
Whereas in addition to anti-poverty measures which 
may be implemented in connection with the 
establishment of the various Community policies, 
more specific Community action is necessary to 
achieve the objective referred to above; 
Whereas the Treaty does not provide the powers 
necessary for such action, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
1. Within the limits of the appropriations entered 
to this end in the Community budgets for 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989, the Commission may, in order 
to provide the Member States and the Community 
with concrete information, 
(a) promote or provide financial assistance for 
various types of measures (research, seminars, 
public awareness campaigns, etc.) 
— which test and develop new methods of 
helping persons beset by or threatened with 
poverty in the Community, 
— which are drawn up and carried out as far as 
possible with the participation of the persons 
concerned, 
— which are of significance throughout the 
Community in that they correspond to 
problems common to several Member States; 
(b) promote, provide financial assistance for or carry 
out studies which, in the context referred to 
above, are aimed at improving understanding of 
the nature, causes, extent and mechanics of 
poverty in the Community and collecting on a 
regular basis comparable data on poverty in the 
Community; 
(c) promote or provide financial assistance for the 
dissemination and exchange of knowledge, and 
the transfer of innovative approaches between 
Member States. 
2. For the purposes of this Decision, 
— the poor shall be taken to mean persons or groups 
of persons who have inadequate available 
resources and an uncertain social status and are 
excluded from the dominant (material and 
cultural) way of life; 
— resources shall be taken to mean income in cash, 
goods and services available in the public and 
private sectors; 
— extremely underprivileged areas shall be taken to 
mean all those regions whose synthetic index, as 
shown in the list prepared by the Commission 
(Doc. COM(84) 40 final of 13. 3. 1984), is 1 
standard deviation below the Community average, 
as well as Greenland, the French overseas 
departments, and all regions of Greece. 
8.8.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 208/11 
Article 2 
Community financial assistance for research projects 
may not exceed 50 % of the amount of the estimated 
cost, provided that this amount has been actually 
spent. However, this limit may be raised to 70 % in 
the case of extremely underprivileged areas. 
For other types of activity, financial assistance may 
exceed 50 % of the estimated cost provided that this 
amount has been actually spent, where such activities 
are of excpetional interest for all or part of the 
Community. 
Article 3 
1. Research projects and studies for which 
Community financial assistance has been requested 
shall be forwarded to the Commission by the Member 
State on whose territory the projects are to be carried 
out. 
2. The Commission shall inform the Member State 
concerned of its decision to grant or refuse the 
financial assistance requested. 
3. Both public and private bodies shall be eligible 
for financial assistance. Article 4 
The Commission shall obtain the agreement of the 
Member State or States on whose territory the 
research project or study is to be carried out. 
Article 5 
1. The Commission shall consult the repres­
entatives of the Governments of the Member States 
and, where appropriate, the coordinators for the 
themes to be dealt with and independent experts on 
all matters of importance concerning the 
implementation of this Decision. 
2. The Commission shall arrange for the body 
responsible for each type of action in question to 
report back to it at regular intervals on the progress 
or outcome of the action and to convey any other 
information which the Commission considers appro­
priate. 
Article 6 
At the end of 1987, the Commission shall submit to 
the Council and the European Parliament an interim 
report on the first available results of the various 
operations carried out with financial assistance from 
the Community. 
Article 7 
This Decision shall be published in the Official 
Journal of the European Communities. It shall take 
effect on the fifth day following its publication.