L 298/20 Official Journal of the European Union 7.11.2008 DECISIONS ADOPTED JOINTLY BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL DECISION No 1098/2008/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 October 2008 on the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion (2010) (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 137(2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (), Whereas: (1) The fight against poverty and social exclusion is one of the key commitments of the European Union and its Member States. (2)  The Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 added new provisions on the fight against social exclusion to the existing fields of activity covered by the social policy provisions of the EC Treaty, in particular Articles 136 and 137, and provided a new legal framework and basis for new policy commitments in this area. (3)  The European Council meeting in Lisbon on 23 and 24 March 2000 recognised that the extent of poverty and social exclusion was unacceptable. Building a more inclusive European Union was thus considered to be an () O] C 224, 30.8.2008, p. 106. (%) Opinion of 18 June 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (}) Opinion of the European Parliament of 17 June 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 2 October 2008. essential element in achieving the Union's 10-year strategic goal of economic growth, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. The Lisbon European Council invited Member States and the Commission to take steps to make ‘a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty’ by 2010. The Lisbon European Council thus agreed to adopt an Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in this area. From the outset, the OMC on Social Protection and Social Inclusion has been an important tool for supporting this political commitment and strengthening the capacity of the EU to support Member States in their drive for greater social cohesion in Europe. The OMC helps to deepen mutual learning and has increased awareness of the multidimensional nature of exclusion and poverty. The OMC thus creates the conditions to produce more impact on the ground and to make the EU’s attachment to social values more visible to its citizens. Despite these achievements, significant parts of the popu- lation are still suffering from deprivation or limited and unequal access to services, or are excluded from society. The Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008 highlights the fact that 78 million people in the European Union live at risk of poverty, 19 million of whom are children. The gender gap is approximately two percentage points. In addition, wealth inequalities and severe poverty are matters of growing concern across the Union. There is a need, in the interest of social and economic cohesion, for support to be provided for less-favoured regions, for areas with permanent structural disad- vantages, for outermost regions, for certain islands and island Member States and for areas that have been affected by recent deindustrialisation or industrial conversion.