After years of negotiations, evidence-based advocacy, and hard work, Eurodiaconia – as part of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children – is delighted to welcome the EPSCO Council adoption of the Council Recommendation establishing the European Child Guarantee today.

The EU has successfully set up an innovative framework which aims at breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and social exclusion by calling on EU Member States to guarantee access to basic rights and services for children in need such as children with disabilities and mental health issues, homeless children, children in migration or with a minority ethnic origin (particularly Roma), children in the alternative (especially institutional) care system and children living in precarious family situations.

The Recommendation has been adopted by all the 27 Member States, which shows the EU’s renewed commitment to tackle child poverty in the EU and to champion the rights of the 18 million children growing up in poverty and social exclusion across the EU.

Member States must take the coming months to develop their national Child Guarantee Action Plans alongside the programming for the next seven-year financial framework. Allocating adequate EU resources for the implementation of the Child Guarantee is not only essential, but part of the ESF+ regulation and a specific requirement of the Recommendation. Eurodiaconia together with its members will continue to actively contribute towards the full implementation of the Child Guarantee.

Eurodiaconia hopes that the new EU headline target of bringing at least 5 million children out of poverty and social exclusion by 2030 will not only be reached but surpassed by millions. For that, we call on Member State governments to adopt an ambitious target that will be part of the Child Guarantee Action Plans and that it will exceed the EU target.

The EU Alliance for investing in children full statement welcoming the Council Recommendation establishing the European Child Guarantee can be found here.

The Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee from 14 June 2021, can be found here.