'There's only one country where the minimum income is above the poverty line,' said EU jobs commissioner Nicolas Schmit (r) (Photo: European Union, 2022)

Netherlands tops EU social safety net for the poor

Health & Society

by Nikolaj Nielsen, Brussels,

The Netherlands is the only EU state whose minimum income keeps people out of poverty, a new European Commission report shows.

The income is not measured as a minimum wage but rather as a social net, like a cash payment, to ensure people do not become destitute.

The figures published on Wednesday (28 September) come at a time when EU states are grappling

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Health & Society

Author Bio

Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

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'There's only one country where the minimum income is above the poverty line,' said EU jobs commissioner Nicolas Schmit (r) (Photo: European Union, 2022)