United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: minimuminkomen ook voor ongedocumenteerden

I strongly encourage the presentation of a proposal for a framework directive on minimum income schemes in the EU. It would set out a set of common human rights principles on the adequacy, universal unlimited access and coverage (including coverage of undocumented migrants, and of youth), and enabling character of minimum income schemes, taking as minimum requirements the criteria following from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), and ILO Recommendation (No. 202) on Social Protection Floors.

Minimum income schemes, however, should not be conflated with unemployment protections that incorporate incentives to work; while active labor policies are an important instrument to promote effective inclusion and while social services can play an important role in bringing people back to work, the imposition of conditionalities in access to minimum income is as damaging as it is ineffective. In attempting to assuage political fears of chronic dependency on social assistance, such conditionalities may end up leading to higher rates of non-take-up and to worsening the poverty trap. Minimum income schemes should uphold the principles of universality and equality in protection that are at the core of any system of guaranteed income.

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26693&LangID=E, 29.1.21