Eurochild welcomes members of the new European Parliament
Today, Eurochild hosted a Meet and Greet to welcome new and returning Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) setting the stage for a strong alliance of child rights advocates in the 2024-2029 legislative cycle.
For 20 years, Eurochild has led efforts to address child poverty, structural inequalities and child rights violations. Over the last legislative cycle, global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and rising inflation rates have shaped Eurochild’s advocacy work. Despite these crises, Eurochild has remained dedicated to supporting, influencing, and advocating for children’s rights across Europe. At the beginning of the 2024-2029 legislative cycle, we welcome the commitment of many MEPs and their advisors who joined our event to champion children’s rights. In this view, “We look forward to working together with the European Parliament to ensure that all children grow up happy, healthy, confident, and respected as individuals.” – H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Eurochild.
H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, also reflected on significant efforts at the EU level to protect the most disadvantaged children, such as the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee. She also announced Eurochild’s flagship report on the state of children’s rights in Europe, which will be published in November.
Eurochild as a member of CRAG promoted and realised the Vote for Children campaign and Child Rights Manifesto. During the event, Slovak MEP Veronika Cifrova Ostrihonova, spoke about her motivation to support the establishment of the Children’s Rights Intergroup. Its mission is to mainstream children’s rights across all EU policies and legislation, ensuring that children’s voices are heard and their needs addressed at the highest levels of decision-making. She urged the MEPs to join the Intergroup.
The event continued with roundtable discussions between MEPs and Eurochild Secretariat staff on the key areas of our work: children’s rights and child participation, child poverty and social exclusion and the reform of the child care and protection systems, mental health of children, early childhood development, children’s online safety and wellbeing. Eurochild members also had the opportunity to present the work they do with children on the ground in the EU Member and enlargement countries.
The European Parliament plays a key role in ensuring all children can reach their full potential within Europe and beyond, and Eurochild look forward to further collaboration to advance legislation and policies that upholds and strengthens children’s rights. Through these discussions, Eurochild aims to create a Europe where every child grows up happy, healthy, and respected as an individual with inherent rights.
