In Europe, 79 million people live below the poverty line and among them, 30 million suffer from malnutrition. (Source: Eurostat and European Congress of Experts on Nutrition, 2009). http://www.eurofoodbank.org/ // http://www.eurofoodbank.eu/portail/index.php?option=com_content&view=article... In fact 18 million people in need, in a context of increasing poverty in most countries in Europe, were threatened by a sharp reduction of 75% of the programme. This "temporary relief" will give thousands of associations delivering food aid a little more time to try to find other sources of supply. But the issue remains unresolved after 2013 // Personal Note : I understand from articles on this topic that it are 6 european countries ( Germany, Denmark, the UK, Czech Republic, Sweden and The Netherlands ) who want the cost of such policies to be taken nationally, arguing , based on a decision of the european court of justice, that the program has deviated from its initial purpose. Germany apparently already has a ( well ? ) functioning system of food redistribution, which leads it to be one of the main contributors to this european program without needing it in addition to its current approaches. Yet, as is currently done to save the current financial system ( including by avoiding national defaults through european schemes ), I can not believe, if plans for prospectively thousands of billions of euros can be set up at a european level, that no european solidarity solutions can be set up to replace the loss of resources planned for food banks ? // french article : http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2011/11/14/01016-20111114ARTFIG00466... Depuis six mois, les associations tremblaient : l'Union européenne avait prévu de diminuer de 80% l'aide distribuée chaque année pour aider les plus démunis à se nourrir. De 480 millions, le budget global devait passer à 113 millions d'euros. Impossible avec une telle réduction de continuer à aider les 18 millions d'Européens qui souffrent de la faim. «L'aide alimentaire ne représente finalement que 1 euro par an et par Européen», nuance Laurence Champier. «C'est une somme dérisoire par rapport aux moyens mis en place pour aider les banques, par exemple». // Also see 2010 RT report : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIA4coQHZ3k