Extending the European Child Guarantee: a milestone for children in enlargement countries

Growing interest and EU support indicate promising momentum to implement the European Child Guarantee in enlargement countries, a goal long advocated by Eurochild.

In the context of the enlargement negotiations and of Chapter 19 of EU acquis, the collection of common rights and obligations that constitute the body of EU law, European Commission’s DG ENEST and DG EMPL drew the attention of candidate countries and potential candidates to the European Child Guarantee (ECG). Letters explaining the scope of the ECG were shared with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Moldova and Ukraine, inviting interested countries to nominate country ECG coordinators.

This development marks a significant step toward extending the benefits of the ECG beyond EU Member States, promoting child rights and social inclusion across the broader European region.

At Eurochild, we have long advocated for the extension of the ECG to the EU enlargement countries. This call was clearly articulated in our 2023 and 2024 flagship report, in our post-European Parliamentary Election Analysis, as well as our contribution to the 2028-2034 new Multiannual Financial Framework.

Although up-to-date data on child poverty for the enlargement countries is scarce, the available figures indicate the need for urgent and coordinated policy responses. In 2020, 39.7% of children in North Macedonia were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. In 2021, 50.1% of children in Albania faced the same risk. In 2022, 40.4% of children in Montenegro were at risk of social exclusion. According to UNICEF, child poverty in 2023 reached 65.6% in Ukraine. In 2024, 39.5% of children in Türkiye were at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

The ECG provides a concrete framework to address these challenges, ensuring children’s access to free healthcare, inclusive education, nutritious food, adequate housing, and early childhood education and care. These services are essential for upholding the basic rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and to lift children out of poverty.

Eurochild, which has championed the establishment of the ECG since 2015, continues to lead civil society efforts to ensure its effective implementation and monitoring. Having tracked the development of National Action Plans, Eurochild is now publishing overviews of the biennial reports on their implementation prepared by Member States.

Eurochild is encouraged by the growing interest and early steps from several enlargement countries toward establishing the necessary infrastructure for implementing the Child Guarantee. We also welcome the EU's support for this process. This momentum signals both political will and the EU’s increasing support to ensure that every child in Europe has access to the rights and services they are entitled to.

This growing attention is also the result of sustained advocacy and the sharing of expertise by Eurochild and its members, who have been instrumental in raising awareness and mobilising political engagement. In some countries, such as Albania, our members are already actively participating in the discussions related to the ECG. The recent training we provided to Ukraine’s Coordination Center also included a specific focus on the ECG.

Promoting the ECG in EU candidate countries and potential candidates would provide a valuable opportunity for enlargement countries to build their systems by learning from the lessons and challenges of tackling child poverty in EU Member States, such as better data collection, sufficient adequate resource allocation, cross-sector coordination, meaningful participation of civil society organisations and children, and addressing the needs of the most marginalised children. The yearly EU Enlargement Package, namely under Chapter 19 on social policy and employment, including input from civil society organisations, presents a key tool for systematically monitoring the implementation of the ECG.

Eurochild stands ready to support this process, drawing from years of advocacy, monitoring, and collaboration with our members.