On October 11, 2022, Eurodiaconia, as part of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children and together with 20 other NGOs, signed a position paper including a comprehensive reaction on the EU Care Strategy. The position paper includes an analysis of the proposal for a Council Recommendation on the Revision of the Barcelona Targets on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) as well as an analysis of the proposal for a Council Recommendation on the access to affordable, high-quality long-term care (LTC).
The Alliance welcomes the European Care Strategy as a key framework to address the needs of children, their families and carers as this strategy aims to ensure available, quality, affordable and accessible care services with better working conditions for carers. Overall, it aims to improve the situation for both carers and care receivers.
However, the Alliance has identified some major shortcomings of the EU Care Strategy, such as the absence of a stronger focus on the transition from institutional care to community-based care and home care. Moreover, as the responsibility now lies with the Member States, it is crucial that the EU supports and urges Member States to implement the Care Strategy by appointing national LTC coordinators and provide them with implementation plans and funding schemes.
Please read the full paper with the Alliance’s recommendations here.