On Tuesday 24 March, the Vice-President of the European Parliament and Coordinator on children’s rights, Ewa Kopacz (EPP, Polish), presented her 2025 annual report to the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), where she sounded the alarm about the multitude of problems that have recently arisen.
She recalled the human consequences of the war in Ukraine, and more specifically those relating to children. “One in five Ukrainian children has lost a loved one in this war, and thousands have been killed, wounded or displaced”, she stated, referring also to the “tens of thousands of illegally deported children” and demanding their “immediate return”.
Taking children’s rights into account in all policies is a guideline for her work, which, in 2025, focused on mental health, online safety, armed conflict and situations of vulnerability.
The report also supports children’s participation in decisions that affect them, in line with the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child adopted in 2021.
Ewa Kopacz also welcomed the gradual introduction of a verification test on the impact of European texts on children’s rights. She hopes that this tool will become compulsory and not just a guideline. She also reopened the debate on whether the European Union should accede to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Cross-border family disputes remain a point of tension. In 2025, nearly 60 cases were handled, mainly involving parental abductions or custody disputes. The Coordinator believes that early mediation could prevent many disputes.
The issue of digital technology featured prominently in the discussions, particularly with regard to the protection of minors online and of their mental health. Several MEPs questioned the implementation of European rules, in particular the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act.
Ewa Kopacz spoke of an approach based on both regulation and education.
The Coordinator, who also argued that responsibility could not rest solely with the platforms – which raises the question of greater involvement of parents, teachers and public decision-makers – advocated a collective approach.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/lc5 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)