Eurochild analysis of the 2026 European Semester Spring Package
Eurochild calls for putting children at the heart of the European Semester to ensure sustainable investment in children's rights.
Despite growing recognition of children's rights in the European Semester, the EU remains off track to meet its 2030 target of lifting at least five million children out of poverty. Around one in four children across the EU is still at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with child poverty increasing even in several countries with traditionally strong welfare systems.
In its latest analysis of the 2026 European Semester Spring Package, Eurochild assesses the Country Reports and Country-Specific Recommendations for all 27 EU Member States through a children's rights lens. We welcome the continued visibility of children in the Semester, including stronger references to the European Child Guarantee and dedicated recommendations on child poverty for France, Spain and, for the first time, Italy. Education and early childhood education and care also feature prominently in this year's recommendations, reflecting concerns over declining basic skills, teacher shortages and unequal access.
However, our analysis also identifies significant gaps. Child poverty, children's mental health, deinstitutionalisation, digital inclusion and children's participation remain insufficiently reflected in the Country-Specific Recommendations, while access to quality services and social protection continues to vary widely across Member States.
As negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) gather pace, Eurochild calls for the European Semester to place children at the heart of EU economic and social governance. This means systematically integrating the European Child Guarantee into Country Reports and Country-Specific Recommendations, strengthening investment in quality services and social protection, and ensuring EU funding contributes to preventing child poverty and promoting children's rights across Europe.
