​Linda Gillham, Member of Runnymede Borough Council and Member of the EA group, presented during the conference on Fighting poverty and social exclusion the results of a survey organized by the CoR EU2020 Monitoring Platform which assessed the implementation of the poverty flagship initiative. Based on responses from regions and cities, the survey shows that greater visibility and awareness have been achieved and that the initiative's actions positively reflect local and regional needs. The most serious challenges faced across Europe were highlighted as being the provision of affordable and decent housing, fighting child poverty, and unemployment.

The event was the first of a series of CoR conferences aimed to assess each of the seven Europe 2020 flagship initiatives at a local and regional level. The conclusions of the conference will feed into the CoR's contribution to the mid-term evaluation of the Europe 2020 strategy.