Press Release: Poverty and social exclusion. Population at risk of poverty in 1999 between 9% in Sweden and 21% in Greece and Portugal. ‘Long-term’ unemployment often means ‘very long-term’ unemployment

The Laeken European Council in December 2001 endorsed a portfolio of 18 statistical indicators - the 'Laeken indicators' - to monitor progress in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Eurostat published on 7 April 2003 a two-part report based on these 18 indicators, giving a multidimensional perspective on poverty and social exclusion.. The first part includes the monetary indicators (financial poverty), the second the non-monetary indicators covering the employment, education and health dimensions of social exclusion. These indicators come predominantly from two major EU-wide surveys: the European Community Household Panel and the EU Labour Force Survey.