Securing Europe's Future
Eurochild’s Vision for Investing in Children in the 2028-2034 EU Multiannual Financial Framework
The COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, war, and the cost-of-living crisis have worsened inequalities in Europe, pushing millions of children into poverty. In 2023, nearly 25% of children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with the highest rates in Romania, Spain, and Bulgaria. Vulnerable groups, such as children from single-parent households or ethnic minorities, face the most significant risks. This growing issue affects children's health, education, and future prospects, making it an urgent economic and social challenge. Investing in children’s well-being is key to ensuring long-term prosperity and social cohesion across Europe.
Our call to action:
A well-funded, standalone ESF+ should uphold social rights, with 5% earmarked for child poverty across all Member States and higher allocations for high-poverty countries. A €20 billion budget should be dedicated to the European Child Guarantee, with stronger European Semester monitoring to ensure effective implementation and funding. Retaining enabling conditions in the Common Provisions Regulation is crucial to safeguarding children’s rights. Additionally, stronger partnership principle should promote meaningful civil society and child participation, while prioritising child poverty in pre-accession funding by expanding the Child Guarantee model.
