The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child: What does this mean for the EU and Germany?

The European Commission has published a comprehensive and ambitious Strategy that represents a strong focus on the human rights of children and was developed with and for children. It delivers on the promise to create an instrument that promotes, protects, and champions the human rights of 90 million children living in the EU.

The Strategy should not only achieve a better protection of children’s rights at EU and global level, but also at the national one. The Strategy can indeed be used as a basis for conversations with Member States on the implementation of children’s rights at the national and local level. Civil society organisations should also be involved in these discussions.

The European Commission will set up an EU Network for Children’s Rights by the end of 2021, which will include the involvement of various stakeholders, including national representatives, local and regional authorities, as well as children and civil society. The network will aim to reinforce the dialogue and mutual learning between the EU and Member States on children’s rights, and support the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy. At the same time, the Strategy calls on Member States to develop robust and evidence-based national strategies on the rights of the child, where these are not available yet.

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This article will be published in German for an upcoming publication coordinated by our member Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk and it will be part of a compilation of articles supported by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs titled Sammelband Kinderrechte – Von Kommune bis EU.