Access to employment is rightly seen by the Commission as the preferred option when dealing with poverty and social exclusion. As regards to income poverty where people in spite of working full-time do not earn satisfactory resources, Caritas Europa stresses that income support is only a second-best solution and calls for decent jobs (including decent wages) giving people the opportunity to lead a dignified life through employment.

For the organisation, 'minimum income' should be seen within a framework of inclusion and participation. Decisions on eligibility and conditions should be taken on a level closest to the person in question, thus ensuring the principle of subsidiarity while at the same time not putting at risk the principle of solidarity.

Finally, Caritas Europa welcomes the mention of  'social economy' but wants to stress that this has actually a wider scope than only insertion on the labour market. 'Social economy' also aims at providing high-quality goods and services according to higher standards and/or in a more inclusive way than purely profit-driven enterprises would do.

For a complete overview, please read the integral version of the Caritas Europa's answer.