The informal meeting of the EU27 ministers and ministerial representatives responsible for social affairs and employment on 12 and 13 February in Nicosia will place its focus on the Commission’s future EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Representatives will also be invited to discuss the major challenges associated with ensuring access to high-quality long-term care that meets the evolving needs of ageing as well as so-called quality and fair jobs, on the basis of a note from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Poverty. This week in Strasbourg, the European Parliament will also be discussing the EU’s first-ever strategy to eradicate poverty, scheduled for the second half of 2026, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU will be asking participants to express their expectations of this strategy, which is intended to tackle the root causes of poverty and guarantee access to essential services and protection.
The Commission’s objective is to “eradicate poverty by 2050”, said Ursula von der Leyen last September. The 2021 European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan had already set targets for 2030 in terms of employment, skills and poverty reduction.
The EU committed to reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, including at least 5 million children.
But the risk of falling into poverty has become even more acute, given the increasing cost-of-living pressure, followed by large-scale economic challenges, Cyprus acknowledges in a working paper.
“In this context, addressing poverty is a crucial choice for Europe” and “requires combining a strong remedial and preventive approach”.
Although progress has been made towards achieving the EU’s 2030 poverty reduction target, efforts must be stepped up.
In 2024, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion has fallen by 2.9 million compared to 2019, bringing the absolute number to 93.3 million people. But the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion has risen slightly.
Combating poverty is also an economic necessity for the EU, Cyprus stresses.
The anti-poverty strategy will provide an opportunity to strengthen policy coherence and political momentum at European and national level. It will also provide an opportunity to address the role of structural discrimination in perpetuating poverty cycles.
The discussion should therefore focus on measures combining adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality social services. Combating child poverty and social exclusion and eradicating them in the longer term will be a priority. Social investments promoting inclusive growth should also be duly taken into account and protected in the Union’s future Multiannual Financial Framework, Cyprus says in its working paper.
Long-term care. The number of people aged 65 and over likely to need long-term care could rise from 17.5 million in 2022 to 26 million in 2050, and EU public spending on long-term care is expected to increase from 1.7% of GDP in 2022 to 2.3% of GDP in 2050.
This demographic shift requires “determined action to strengthen long-term care systems, that already face significant structural challenges, such as workforce shortages, fragmented governance arrangements, insufficient affordability, quality and availability, including territorial disparities, often driven by underfunding of the sector”.
At the same time, “it highlights the necessity of moving beyond reactive models that primarily respond to care needs, towards systems that actively promote autonomy, prevention, participation and well-being throughout older age”, the Presidency is expected to explain.
The discussion will also focus on the workforce shortage in this sector. “Persistently low wages, demanding working conditions, high occupational health and safety risks, limited career prospects and insufficient opportunities for further training and retraining, as well as complex procedures for recognising skills or qualifications” are all aggravating factors.
“Addressing the workforce shortage is therefore an essential social investment to enable the development of person-centred long-term care”, according to Cyprus. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)