Regions call for stronger EU action to end child poverty

A well-implemented Child Guarantee ensuring access to essential services and child benefits is key to promoting child well-being.

To eradicate child poverty, the EU must commit at least €20 billion to a strong European Child Guarantee, and move beyond isolated financial child benefits towards a policy framework that guarantees children access to housing, healthcare, education and food, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) said in a set of recommendations adopted at its 5 March plenary session.

In the opinion led by Fauzaya Talhaoui (BE/PES), President of the Council of the Province of Antwerp, local and regional leaders warned that despite ongoing efforts, child poverty in the EU remains widespread and in some cases is worsening, with nearly one in four children - 19.5 million in 2024 - at risk of poverty or social exclusion. They emphasised that financial support alone will not break intergenerational cycles of poverty and inequality.

Local and regional leaders were asked for their input by Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is currently chaired by Cyprus, The European Child Guarantee is a commitment by EU Member States to ensure that every child in Europe at risk of poverty or social exclusion has access to the most basic of rights like healthcare and education.

CoR members stressed that child wellbeing policies must be treated as long-term social investments essential to the EU's resilience and social cohesion. They called for an integrated policy approach that combines adequate income support with effective access to essential services such as quality education, healthcare, housing, nutrition and early childhood services, in line with the European Child Guarantee. They also highlighted that children in vulnerable situations should receive universal child benefits complemented by targeted additional support.

Regions and cities stated that the European Child Guarantee is key to ensuring children's effective access to the essential services and urged the European Commission to allocate at least €20 billion in the next EU long-term budget, for 2028-34, to support its implementation, and stressed that its progress must not be weakened by shifting EU resources. They also called for a strong and well-funded European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), distinct and recognisable within Cohesion Policy, the EU's main instrument to invest in people, fight poverty and safeguard social and territorial cohesion.

The CoR underlined that local and regional authorities are often the first to identify emerging vulnerabilities and forms of child poverty and to deliver solutions on the ground, and called for their involvement in the design, implementation and monitoring of child-related measures, including National Child Guarantee Action Plans and the future Anti-Poverty Strategy. Members further called for stronger multilevel governance, territorial monitoring and closer cooperation between EU institutions, Member States, and local and regional authorities to ensure that the European Child Guarantee effectively reaches the most vulnerable children.

To better connect local and regional experience with EU policymaking and scale up effective place-based solutions across the EU, the assembly of local and regional leaders called on the European Commission, in cooperation with the European Parliament, to appoint a dedicated EU coordinator for the European Child Guarantee and to improve transparency monitoring and accountability of public spending for children by introducing a 'child marker' to track EU and national budgets.

Quote:

Rapporteur Fauzaya Talhaoui (BE/PES), president of the Council of the Province of Antwerp: "Nearly 20 million children in Europe are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. If we are serious about breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, we must guarantee every child effective access to housing, healthcare, quality education and nutrition. The European Child Guarantee must be fully funded and properly implemented, with at least €20 billion in the next EU budget and a strong, visible ESF+ at the heart of cohesion policy. Investing in children is not a cost - it is the most strategic investment Europe can make in its resilience, its social cohesion and its future."

Background

• Video and photos from the debate.
• The opinion is expected to contribute to the Council conclusions to be adopted at the March meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO).
• EU strategy on the rights of the child and the European Child Guarantee (CoR opinion, 2021)
• Improving the social inclusion of children by implementing the European Child Guarantee at local and regional level (CoR opinion, 2023);
• An EU anti-poverty strategy (CoR opinion, 2025);
• The Protection of Youth and Minors in the Digital Sphere (CoR opinion currently under discussion).

Contact:

Ângela Machado

Tel: +32 475 41 31 58

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