DOCSLIB.ORG

ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studies in Religion and Society 5

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studies in Religion and Society 5 ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studies in religion and society 5 Welfare and Values in Europe Transitions related to Religion, Minorities and Gender National Overviews and Case Study Reports Volume 2 Continental Europe: Germany, France, Italy, Greece Anders Bäckström Coordinator This research project was funded by the European Commission 6th Frame- work Programme. The project was also supported by the Foundation Samariterhemmet, the Faculty of Theology at Uppsala University, and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation. Information regarding the project is available at http://www.crs.uu.se/ or http://cordis.europa.eu/fp6/projects.htm Project office: Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre Thunbergsvägen 3D SE-751 20 Uppsala Phone +46 18 471 2171 E-mail: [email protected] © Authors and CRS 2012 ISSN 1654-630X ISBN 978-91-554-8274-9 Typesetting: Anna Row Printed in Sweden by Edita Västra Aros, Västerås 2012. Distributor: CRS Contents Contributors to this volume ......................................................................... vii 1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Anders Bäckström 2 Germany 2:1 Overview of the National Situation ........................................................ 13 Ilona Biendarra, Annette Leis-Peters 2:3 Reutlingen Case Study Report ................................................................ 55 Annette Leis-Peters, Anika Albert 2:3 Schweinfurt Case Study Report .............................................................. 85 Ilona Biendarra 3 France 3:1 Overview of the National Situation ...................................................... 121 Corinne Valasik 3:2 Evreux Case Study Report .................................................................... 148 Corinne Valasik 4 Italy 4:1 Overview of the National Situation ...................................................... 176 Adriano Cancellieri, Valentina Longo 4:2 Padua Case Study Report ...................................................................... 205 Annalisa Frisina,Adriano Cancellieri 5 Greece 5:1 Overview of the National Situation ...................................................... 237 Nikos Kokosalakis, Effie Fokas 5:2 Thiva Case Study Report ...................................................................... 262 Effie Fokas Appendices 1:1 The WaVE team .................................................................................... 296 1:2 The Consortium of the WaVE project .................................................. 298 2 Development of methodology (Workpackage 2) ..................................... 300 Contributors to this volume Introduction Anders Bäckström, Faculty of Theology, Uppsala University, Project Coor- dinator Germany Reutlingen Heinz Schmidt, Diakoniewissenschaftliches Institut, Heidelberg University Annette Leis-Peters, Researcher for the German case study in Reutlingen Anika Albert, Researcher for the German case study in Reutlingen Schweinfurt Hans-Georg Ziebertz, Institute of Practical Theology, University of Würz- burg Ilona Biendarra, Researcher for the German case study in Schweinfurt France Danièle Hervieu-Léger, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris Corinne Valasik, Researcher for the French case study Italy Chantal Saint-Blancat, Department of Sociology, University of Padua Annalisa Frisina, Researcher for the Italian case study Valentina Longo, Researcher for the Italian case study Adriano Cancellieri, Researcher for the Italian case study Greece Nikos Kokosalakis, Centre for Social Policy, Panteion University Effie Fokas, Researcher for the Greek case study vii Chapter 1 Introduction Anders Bäckström Welfare and Values in Europe This book is the second in a series of three from the research project Welfare and Values in Europe: Transitions Related to Religion, Minorities and Gen- der, WaVE for short. The WaVE-project responded to a call by the Euro- pean Commission’s 6th Framework Programme for research on ‘values and religions in Europe’. The call invited studies aiming ‘to better understand the significance and impact of values and religions in societies across Europe and their roles in relation to changes in society and to the emergence of European identities’. The Commission sought an exploration of how religion is used as a factor in solidarity or discrimination, tolerance or intolerance and inclusiveness or xenophobia. It was looking for insight on ways to ensure the peaceful coexistence of different value systems through a comparison of various policies and practices employed in European countries, and through a consideration of their relative degrees of success. It was the positive re- sponse by the European Commission to our proposal in 2005 that enabled the European research group to carry out this project successfully. The pro- ject ended formally in March 2009 with an international conference at Upp- sala University; the work on these volumes has been completed since then. The background to the study The WaVE-project should be seen as part of a wider development of re- search in religion and society at Uppsala University. It started in the 1990s with a project on church and state in which, amongst other areas, the so- cial/diaconal function of the Church of Sweden was investigated.1 The sepa- ration of church and state in Sweden in the year 2000 was analysed as part of the increasing separation between religion and society, but the study also included investigations into the deregulation of the welfare state and the 1 The project was part of a broader initiative by the Swedish Research Council under the title ‘The State and the Individual: Swedish Society in the Process of Change’. The title of the project is: From State Church to Free Folk Church. A Sociology of Religion, Service Theo- retical and Theological Analysis in the face of Disestablishment between the Church of Swe- den and the State in the year 2000. The results are summarized in the final report: Bäckström, Anders and Ninna Edgardh Beckman and Per Pettersson (2004). Religious Change in North- ern Europe. The Case of Sweden. Stockholm: Verbum. 1 increase of poverty resulting from the financial crises in Europe at the be- ginning of the 1990s. This development sparked a new interest in the organi- zations and associations of civil society, of which churches and religious organizations are part. After its separation from the state the Church of Swe- den became the largest organization within the civil society in Sweden. The study formed the background for the inauguration of a Centre for the Study of Religion and Society at Uppsala University, an enterprise developed in conjunction with the Foundation Samariterhemmet.2 As part of the work on the church-state project an international reference group was formed. This group became the core of a new network with a clearer focus on the place of religion in the different welfare regimes of Europe. In 2003 the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation accepted a second project entitled Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective. A Comparative Study of the Role of the Churches as Agents of Welfare within the Social Economy (2003-2009) – it is known as WREP. The aim of the project was to analyse the function of majority churches as agents of welfare in a comparative European perspective. Its motivation lay in an awareness of common developments observed around Europe, such as an aging popula- tion, growing migration and an ever greater strain on the economy. The WREP-project included four different welfare models together with four different majority church traditions with theologies that are ‘incarnated’ in the respective locality. That is a) the social democratic model of the Euro- pean north which has developed within the context of Lutheran state churches (Sweden, Finland and Norway), b) the liberal model typical of Anglo-Saxon countries (England with its established Anglican Church), c) the conservative or Christian Democratic model found mainly in continental Europe, where the Catholic Church is dominant (France, Italy and to some extent Germany with its special history and bi-confessional status) and fi- nally d) the countries of southern Europe where the state plays a weaker role compared with that of the family (Orthodox Greece but also Italy, at least to some extent). In total eight countries were covered by the project. In order to make the project feasible and at the same time collect reliable and compara- ble data, the study focused on one middle-sized town, in which different kinds of data were collected including printed material of various kinds and interviews with representatives of the local government, the churches and the wider population. The project brought together different areas of society (a new idea at the time), namely the fields of religion, welfare, gender and social economy. The project revealed the interconnectedness between different welfare regimes of 2 An agreement between the Foundation Samariterhemmet and Uppsala University to develop research within the social/diaconal sphere of society was signed in 1999. The Centre has now changed its name to the Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre and has moved to new premises at Uppsala University, see www.crs.uu.se for more information. 2 Europe and their background in both social/political and religious circum- stances. The study also shows that care within religious organizations, as within the welfare organization of the state, is normally carried out by women. Our data
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Grieving Process During the Economic Crisis in Greece
    Journal of Economics, Business and Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, November 2014 The Grieving Process during the Economic Crisis in Greece Kotsopoulou Anastasia and Koutsompou Violetta-Irene economic crises. Its causes were: The imbalance in the U.S. Abstract—In life, people face many complicated situations economy, which was caused by: and experience a number of changes either positive or negative. 1) The relative overproduction of raw materials for In both cases, people are asked to address them, to make agricultural products which led to falling prices and decisions and to work with them in a psychological level in declining purchasing power of farmers order to accept them and enhance them in their present and future way of life. The main purpose of the presented article is 2) The overoptimistic industrial investments in areas such to reveal how Greek people experience and cope with the as automobile production and electrical appliances 2 current unpleasant economic situation in their country. The fragile global economy, due to the fact that: Through the literature review conducted here, as well as 1) The international economy was already weakened by the through everyday interaction with a large percentage of people, World War it has been proven that there is a huge difficulty in dealing with 2) American protectionism and the insistence on repayment the existing circumstances since Greeks are not able to move forward in the steps of the grieving process. of all loans that had been given to the European countries worsened the problem. Index Terms—Crisis, economy, grief, loss, survival. The chain collapse of companies and banks brought the global economic downturn.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Policy Report Unanima International
    MAY 2019 Eleftheria Photiou Jingsi (Joyce) Huang Ritika Pathak Acknowledgement Research has been supported by UNANIMA International and the Program of International Relations at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New York University. Supervisor: Professor Michael John Williams 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 SECTION: 1 5 What is Family Homelessness? 5 Definitions of Family Homelessness in Greece, the U.S. & India 5 Greece: Family Homelessness in Greece as defined by FEANTSA 5 United States: Conflicting Federal Definitions of Family Homelessness 6 India: Homelessness as defined by Census 2011 7 SECTION: 2 9 The Characteristics of Family Homelessness 9 Greece 9 United States of America 9 India 12 Root Causes of Family Homelessness 14 Greece 14 United States of America 18 India 19 SECTION: 3 21 Current policy response and strategies 21 Greece 21 United States of America 26 India 29 Good Practices 31 Greece: SolidarityNow, Women Shelters & Trauma-Informed Practices 31 United States of America: Public Libraries & Trauma-Informed Model 32 India 35 SECTION: 4 38 International Laws, Sustainable Development Goals & Family Homelessness 38 Greece 38 United States of America 40 India 42 SECTION: 5 44 Policy Recommendations 44 Greece 44 United States of America 45 India 47 Conclusions 49 ANNEX 1 50 2 Abstract Homelessness is a global epidemic, which varies in nature and characteristics among both developed and developing countries. According to a recent report from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, an estimated 1.8 billion people lack proper housing. 1 This research article examines the evolution of global family homelessness critically and holistically, evaluating the causes and experiences of homeless families in three countries: Greece, the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of Homelessness Laws
    The Forum September 2020 Is a House Always a Home?: A Survey of Homelessness Laws Marlei English J.D. Candidate, SMU Dedman School of Law, 2021; Staff Editor for the International Law Review Association Find this and additional student articles at: https://smulawjournals.org/ilra/forum/ Recommended Citation Marlei English, Is a House Always a Home?: A Survey of Homelessness Laws (2020) https://smulawjournals.org/ilra/forum/. This article is brought to you for free and open access by The Forum which is published by student editors on The International Law Review Association in conjunction with the SMU Dedman School of Law. For more information, please visit: https://smulawjournals.org/ilra/. Is a House Always a Home?: A Survey of Homelessness Laws By: Marlei English1 March 6, 2020 Homelessness is a plague that spares no country, yet not a single country has cured it. The type of legislation regarding homelessness in a country seems to correlate with the severity of its homelessness problem. The highly-variative approaches taken by each country when passing their legislation can be roughly divided into two categories: aid-based laws and criminalization laws. Analyzing how these homelessness laws affect the homeless community in each country can be an important step in understanding what can truly lead to finding the “cure” for homelessness rather than just applying temporary fixes. I. Introduction to the Homelessness Problem Homelessness is not a new issue, but it is a current, and pressing issue.2 In fact, it is estimated that at least 150 million individuals are homeless.3 That is about two percent of the population on Earth.4 Furthermore, an even larger 1.6 billion individuals may be living without adequate housing.5 While these statistics are startling, the actual number of individuals living without a home could be even larger because these are just the reported and observable numbers.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Policy Challenges for Homeless People with Mental Illness: Views of Greek Mental Health Professionals Panagiota Fitsiou and Nikos Kourachanis
    Research Notes 163 Social Policy Challenges for Homeless People with Mental Illness: Views of Greek Mental Health Professionals Panagiota Fitsiou and Nikos Kourachanis Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences \ Abstract_ This research aims to highlight the key challenges facing housing support services for homeless people with mental illness in Greece. After an interpretative overview of the form of housing support services, the field research aims to uncover the main challenges that they face. The research findings, such as the indirect and immediate impacts of the crisis on the worsening availability of housing services for the homeless, as well as the focus on emergency practices, show that the current form of the social protec- tion system excludes these people from access to housing support. Some basic lines of reform are proposed in the conclusion. \ Keywords_ Social policy, homeless with mental illness, Greece, crisis. Introduction This research explores the key challenges facing housing support services for homeless people with mental illness in Greece during the economic crisis. This will be attempted through exploring the perceptions of Greek mental health profes- sionals. The discussion will be developed at three levels of analysis. First, through a short effort to interpret the general characteristics of housing services for this vulnerable group in Greece. Secondly, by highlighting the impact of the economic crisis on this social problem. Third, through the challenges emerging in the area of housing support services for mentally ill individuals during the economic crisis. ISSN 2030-2762 / ISSN 2030-3106 online 164 European Journal of Homelessness _ Volume 13, No.
    [Show full text]
  • Caring for the Homeless and the Poor in Greece: Implications for the Future of Social Protection and Social Inclusion»
    «Caring for the Homeless and the Poor in Greece: Implications for the Future of Social Protection and Social Inclusion» Executive Summary Arapoglou V.P., Gounis K., Assistant Professors, Department of sociology University of Crete With the assistance of Siatitsa D., PhD candidate, National Technical University of Athens Rethymno, October 2014 Acknowledgement: Research has been supported by the Hellenic Observatory at the LSE and the National Bank of Greece - Research Innovation Fund on South East Europe (NBG Research Call 2- 2013). The views expressed in this text are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Hellenic Observatory or the National Bank of Greece. The final report of the project is available upon request from the authors or the Hellenic Observatory. This is the executive summary of the report presenting findings from the study “Caring for the homeless and the poor in Greece: implications for the future of social protection and social inclusion,” which was supported by the Hellenic Observatory at the LSE and the National Bank of Greece Research Innovation Fund on South East Europe Crete. The research was carried out between November 2013 and October 2014. The aim of the research, divided into two distinct work packages, was: a) in “WP1: Mapping homelessness, shelter and service provisions in Athens,” to provide estimates of housing deprivation and homelessness and to map their spatial distribution,in connection with the services that are addressed to the affected populations, in the metropolitan region of the city of Athens; and b) in “WP2: Exploring the efficacy of existing provisions and social innovation strategies,”to highlight innovative policies to tackle homelessness, which have been introduced during the last decade in the US and Europe, and discuss the applicability of diverse forms of supported housing schemes to Greece.
    [Show full text]
  • Syn Sto Plyn” Program Overview
    Stavros Niarchos Foundation “Syn sto Plyn” Program Overview 26th May 2014 Table of Contents Introduction 6 Social Housing Overview 15 Day Centers Overview 34 Syn sto Plyn Sustainability 51 3 Important Notice This report has been prepared by Deloitte under commission by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (hereafter referred to also as the “SNF” or the “Foundation”) and presents main findings of the overall review of the“Social Housing” Program and the “Day Centers” Program (hereafter referred to also as the “Syn sto Plyn”), run by the non-profit organization Praksis and funded by SNF. The report focuses on the main outputs, outcomes and impact of the “Syn sto Plyn” program. The overall program review was based on information and data provided to Deloitte by SNF and Praksis in order to assess the performance of the Programs under a methodological frame which was discussed and mutually agreed in advance by all parties involved. Accordingly, no other purpose is intended or should be inferred as far as the use of this report is concerned. It is highlighted that Deloitte has not independently reviewed, audited or examined, in any way the information and data (including results from primary research conducted) provided by Praksis and SNF, both in written form or in the course of interviews held. Consequently, Deloitte expresses no opinion, or provide any other form of assurance or make any representation of any kind, regarding the accuracy and completeness of the enclosed data, or other information, or the reasonableness of any projections, assumptions or opinions, if any, contained in this report, nor does Deloitte assumes any responsibility or liability of any kind with respect thereto Deloitte cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions that might result from the use of the analyses contained herein.
    [Show full text]
  • Social and Spatial Dimensions of Homelessness in Athens
    Title: Social and Spatial Dimensions of Homelessness in Athens: Welfare Networks and Practices of Care Professionals By Vassilios Petrou Arapoglou The London School of Economics and Political Science 2002 Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) UMI Number: U171992 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U171992 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 POLITICAL f44£:S£-S F 961+73,0 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements go to my friends, family, and teachers for their support and advice. I would also like to extend my appreciation to all the people who gave so much of their time in interviews and to the homeless people who talked to me about some of their experiences in shelters and in institutions. To my friend Dimitris Christopoulos I owe the greatest debt because he has constantly provided support from the very beginning to the very end of the thesis and he encouraged me to continue in many difficult moments of this endeavour. Thanks go to my former colleagues in the ‘actual workplace* and particularly, to those who contributed to this research by sharing their information, linkages, and expertise: Sofia, Maria, Angeliki.
    [Show full text]
  • Homelessness Policies in Crisis Greece: the Case of the Housing and Reintegration Program Nikos Kourachanis
    Part A _ Articles 1 Homelessness Policies in Crisis Greece: The Case of the Housing and Reintegration Program Nikos Kourachanis Panteion University, Athens, Greece \ Abstract_ The article attempts to explore the planning and implementation of the Housing and Reintegration Program through semi-structured interviews, as well as its influence on the philosophy of addressing homelessness policies in Greece. After outlining the main forms of housing support, an attempt is made to correlate them with Greek policies that focus on the changes ushered in by the Housing and Reintegration Program. The empirical section evaluates the pilot implementation of the Program as well as the broader impact of the features of homeless policies. It should be noted that, despite the various omissions and ambiguities, this is the first complete intervention made by the Greek state to tackle this particular social problem. \ Key Words_ Homelessness, housing and reintegration, social policy, Greece, crisis, social exclusion Introduction This article investigates the design and implementation of the Housing and Reintegration Program, tracing its influence on homelessness policies in Greece. This will be attempted through an examination of the attitudes of the main actors involved towards the strong and weak points of the Program during its pilot imple- mentation. In order to develop the argument, the basic approaches to supported housing will initially be presented. Here an attempt will be made to link the Program to the developing European dialogue around ‘Housing-Led’ schemes. This will be ISSN 2030-2762 / ISSN 2030-3106 online first 2 European Journal of Homelessness _ Volume 11, No. 1, May 2017 followed by a discussion of the nature of social interventions for homeless people in Greece in recent decades, along with an outline of the objectives and content of the Housing and Reintegration Program.
    [Show full text]
  • 2003Review of Statistics on Homelessness in Europe
    European Observatory on Homelessness 2003Review of Statistics on Homelessness in Europe By Bill Edgar, Joe Doherty, Henk Meert November 2003 European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless European Observatory on Homelessness Review of Statistics on Homelessness in Europe Contents Why collect statistics on homelessness?........................................................................ p. 3 Measuring Homelessness ................................................................................................. p. 4 Official Sources and Methods of Data Collection........................................................... p. 8 NAPs/Incl and Developing indicators on homelessness at EU and national level .... p. 11 Statistical update on homelessness in the European Member States....................... p. 13 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... p. 25 Appendices Appendix 1 The FEANTSA definition of homelessness................................................... p. 27 Appendix 2 The European Observatory on Homelessness Correspondents.................. p. 28 Appendix 3 Homelessness Statistics by Country – sources and summary.................... p. 29 Tables Table 1 Definition of homelessness employed in primary data sources ......................... p. 5 Table 2 The domains of homelessness............................................................................ p. 6 Table 3 The operational definition of homelessness.......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Indiana Yesterday, As Well As Inches of Snow on Friday, Terry Said
    SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015 SAFAR 10, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Vet: Not enough Why a mother Warhol, Pollock, Suarez, Neymar awareness on entrusted her Rothko on humiliate need to control family to people rare display Real in 4-0 stray animals4 smugglers8 in39 Tehran ‘Clasico’20 romp Brussels on lockdown in Min 10º fear of Paris-style attack Max 23º High Tide 07:59 & 20:48 Minister wants door-to-door hunt in Molenbeek Low Tide 02:05 & 14:25 40 PAGES NO: 16705 150 FILS BRUSSELS: Brussels was on terror lockdown yesterday in fear of a Paris-style attack, with a gunman wanted KAC suspends over the deadly rampage in the French capital a week ago still on the run. The Belgian capital closed its metro Beirut flights system and shuttered shops and public buildings as a terror alert was raised to its highest level over reports of By Meshaal Al-Enezi an “imminent threat” of a gun and bomb attack similar to the horror seen in Paris. Investigators are working KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways yesterday said it was suspend- around the clock to track Brussels resident Salah ing its Beirut flights “as a precautionary measure”, but Abdeslam, one of the gunmen still on the loose after a most other flights were arriving and leaving normally, coordinated wave of attacks on Parisian nightspots that after Moscow requested airlines avoid an area over the left 130 people dead on Nov 13. eastern Mediterranean. In a precautionary measure tak- Belgium-based jihadists are increasingly at the heart en to ensure passengers’ safety, Kuwait Airways can- of the Paris investigation and police have multiplied celled four flights to and from Beirut over the past two raids in the city’s immigrant districts in a rush to stop a days.
    [Show full text]
  • Alternative Understandings of Homelessness in Developing Countries
    Alternative Understandings of Homelessness in Developing Countries Working paper No. 49 Dr. Suzanne Speak Global Urban Research Unit School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape [email protected] 1 Introduction This working paper focuses on urban homelessness in developing countries in a context of urban and economic policies which increasingly distance themselves from the poor and marginalise them from the urban arena. It argues that we need to find new ways to conceptualise the phenomenon of homelessness if we are to try to reduce or prevent it. In industrialised countries there has been a shift in understanding of homelessness from ‘agency’ and ‘pathology’ explanations to ‘structural’ explanations (Neale 1997). Earlier agency approaches located the causes of homelessness either in an individual’s inadequacy, for example, learning difficulty or mental health problems, or in their behaviour, such as alcohol or drug abuse. From the late 1990s the structuralist view was adopted, placing the responsibility for homelessness outside the control of the homeless person and suggests wider structural causes. It has become increasingly dominant in the theoretical debates around homelessness (Neale, 1997; Kennett and Marsh, 1999). It remains unclear whether these structural factors are a result of the failure of the housing market to provide adequate, affordable housing, or are underpinned by wider, global economic factors. However, in a context where poverty remains a critical and defining issue, it is easy to simply take a structural approach and ascribe homelessness to housing system failure or poverty. In developing countries, formal housing systems fail for all but the very few (see for example Keivani and Werna 2001 a & 2001b; Mukhija 2004) but not all people could be said to be homeless.
    [Show full text]
  • National Analytical Study on Housing
    National Analytical Study on Housing RAXEN Focal Point for Greece ANTIGONE - Information & Documentation Centre Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos October 2003 1 DISCLAIMER: This study has been compiled by the National Focal Point of the Racism and Xenophobia Network operated by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). The opinions expressed by the author/s do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the EUMC. No mention of any authority, organisation, company or individual shall imply any approval as to their standing and capability on the part of the EUMC. This study is provided by the National Focal Point as information guide only, and in particular does not constitute legal advice. 2 1.Executive summary Access to decent housing was recognised as a fundamental universal human right in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25 -1): “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well being of himself [or herself] and his [or her] family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services… ”. The European Union has no common policy on housing and EU Treaties do not bring housing under the competence of the European Commission. Nevertheless, housing policy is gradually becoming an important part of the European political agenda: This trend is confirmed by significant political events, such as the Pan-European Ministers conference on “sustainable housing policies” planned for the second half of 2004 together with the significant proposal of Italy to explicitly deal with “Housing and the European integration” as a special theme at the next Housing Ministers conference in the second semester of 2003.
    [Show full text]