Special Report: European Union food aid for deprived persons: an assessment of the objectives, the means and the methods employed Special Report

In the European Union, around 80 million people, equivalent to 16% of the population of EU-27, are defined as at risk of poverty, while around 43 million people are at risk of food poverty. Food aid for deprived persons was first introduced in 1987 as a reaction to conditions faced by the most vulnerable individuals during a particularly harsh winter. The measure was subsequently made permanent and still applies today. The budget for the programme was 307 million euro in 2008 (for 19 Member States) and has been increased to 500 million euro for 2009.

In this Special Report the European Court of Auditors made an assessment of the management, the resources and the impact of the programme 'European Union food aid for deprived persons'. The audit was carried out in four Member States – Spain, France, Italy and Poland ­- accounting for more than 72% of the annual budgetary appropriations. The main conclusions and recommendations of the report will be presented to the press by Mr Gejza Halász, Member of the European Court of Auditors.

European Court of Auditors: ECA/09/51: Information note concerning Special Report No 6/2009 ─ European Union food aid for deprived persons: an assessment of the objectives, the means and the methods employed http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=ECA/09/51&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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