The paper gives a brief overview of safety net mechanisms in Eu countries (before enlargement), outlining eligibility conditions after social protection adjustments and reforms in the 90s and the current trends in the activation of minimum income beneficiaries. By analysing the policies of European states, there emerges a prevalent model which foresees the activation of the beneficiaries of safety net mechanisms with rigid access/exclusion conditions. The excessive use of restrictive, conditional tools risks the re-emergence of the idea of «culpable» poverty, hence undermining the achievements of social inclusion policies.only subscribers can see the full article