There are currently 40 million people in Europe suffering from food deprivation and at least 4 million homeless. There are also 25.4 million children in or at risk of poverty in the 27-member EU , according to EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Laszlo Andor. He told a press conference in Brussels Wednesday that \"the current economic and social crisis has taken a terrible toll on the most vulnerable people in European society. As a result, the situation is getting worse, not better.\" Andor proposed to set up a new fund of 2.5 half billion euros over the period 2014 to 2020 to fight against poverty and social exclusion in the EU.