#EUAuditors to examine aid to most deprived people in Europe

The European Court of Auditors is conducting an audit of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The fund seeks to help lift the most deprived people in the EU out of poverty and foster their social integration by combining material and food aid, along with specific advice and social inclusion measures. The auditors will assess the initial set-up of the FEAD and examine whether the member states’ programmes are effective in targeting the most deprived. They will also review the performance measurement put in place by the Commission to determine the fund’s contribution towards meeting the EU’s poverty reduction target.

The auditors have today published a Background Paper on the FEAD. Background Papers provide information based on preparatory work undertaken before the start of an ongoing audit task. They are intended as a source of information for those interested in the audited policy and/or programme.

The principal activities under the FEAD include the provision of:

•             Food support, such as the distribution of food packages and prepared meals to people in seriously deprived circumstances or school lunches for children in danger of poverty and social exclusion;

•             material support, such as hygienic items for adults and children, selected types of clothing and basic household items, and sleeping bags for homeless people;

•             information to alleviate hardship, such as information about basic rights, personal hygiene, nutrition advice and support available from national social welfare institutions, and;

•             support for the social inclusion of the most deprived by improving their access to existing material support and social services, and to activities offered under the European Social Fund.

“The FEAD aims to provide the most basic necessities to people living in poverty”, said George Pufan, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. “So it is crucial that the legislation and the programmes being funded are designed to channel aid to where it is most needed.”

The audit will address the European Commission’s directorate-general for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (which manages the FEAD), as well as the authorities implementing the activities in the 28 Member States.

The audit report is expected to be published in the first half of 2019.

The purpose of this press release is to convey the main messages of the European Court of Auditors’ Background Paper. The full paper is available here.

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