Minimum income policies as a tool for fighting poverty (A8-0292/2017 - Laura Agea)
Rupert Matthews (ECR). – Mr President, this report started life as a perfectly reasonable study into the levels of poverty across the European Union and ways in which they might be alleviated. Due to amendments, the report now demands that a centralised European Union fund be set up to run an EU-wide minimum income scheme which would be laid down centrally. It is yet another power-grab by Brussels at the expense of the Member States, this time set up as a policy against poverty.
The report fails to recognise that each Member State needs to have different measures in order to meet its own unique challenges and different causes of poverty, which is why I voted against the motion.
Once Britain is outside the European Union we will be free to take such measures for ourselves. Just one more reason why I believe that Brexit will be a success.