RISK OF POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This paper addresses the poverty risk issues in the context of sustainable development of rural areas. Empirical materials included in this paper are based on EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) partial studies, and provide a reference point for comparing the EU income distribution and social integration statistics. Poverty reduction and counteracting social exclusion are among the key Millennium Development Goals. According to studies, one in four inhabitants of EU rural areas is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. While the highest shares of at-risk population are recorded in Bulgaria (54.8%) and Romania (50.8%), the levels reported by Poland and Lithuania are also above the EU average (by 4.5 and 9.2 percentage points, respectively). At the other end of the spectrum, the risk rate in the Netherlands and Czech Republic is 12.8%. For the households, income is a factor underpinning their economic safety and, thus, their confidence. The amount of incomes affects the objective poverty levels measured with a parametric method. In the EU, persons earning no more than 60% of the national median income are assumed to be at risk of poverty. Therefore, the risk of poverty affects nearly every fifth inhabitant of EU rural areas. Poverty and social exclusion are multidimensional aspects which result in unmet needs in multiple areas: healthcare, education, housing, culture and leisure. While triggering some kind of feedback loop, insufficient incomes are both the cause and the effect of deprivation of needs. Also, they provide favorable conditions for an unsustainable development of rural areas.