On Wednesday 6 May, the European Commission is preparing to present the first-ever European strategy to combat poverty, aimed at fulfilling the promise made by its President, Ursula von der Leyen, who called for the eradication of poverty by 2050 in her State of the European Union address in September 2025 (see EUROPE 13706/9).
According to a provisional version consulted by Agence Europe, this strategy takes a life-cycle approach - childhood, active adulthood, and old age - to detail the initiatives and measures put forward by the Commission to combat economic and social exclusion, which affects around 93 million people in the EU (20% of the EU population), including 19 million children. Nearly a million of these people are homeless, a figure which, according to NGOs, has doubled in the last decade.
Of the measures listed, few are truly innovative, as they are sometimes part of a work programme on poverty reduction, either already launched or still to come. The Commission is also committed to guiding certain work in progress towards the desired objective.
With regard to the fight against poverty in adulthood, the institution recalls that it will present, by the end of 2026, an act on quality jobs in a constantly evolving economy (see EUROPE 13824/8). With regard to the risks of poverty in old age, a ‘European Care Deal’ will be presented in 2027, which will seek to improve access to care at a time when demand is constantly increasing.
More generally, the EU institution recalls the work initiated as part of the European plan for affordable housing presented at the end of 2025 (see EUROPE 13774/23). Access to public social services is also discussed, and will be the subject of a draft recommendation aimed at facilitating cooperation between these services and reducing administrative complexity. And, in order to involve the private sector more closely in the fight against poverty, the idea has been put forward of setting up a European platform bringing together socially responsible companies and philanthropic organisations.
Furthermore, while 22 Member States have adopted national strategies to combat poverty, the Commission should invite the EU27 countries to appoint national coordinators with dedicated functions.
However, in the opinion of the experts consulted, the Commission’s ambition is hampered by the lack of budgetary resources available at European level. In its proposal for the EU budget for 2028-2034, the institution does not set aside any financial resources for ESF+, contrary to the position of the European Parliament.
Housing exclusion. In addition to this European strategy, the Commission will be submitting to the Member States a proposal to strengthen the ‘Child Guarantee’ and a draft EU Council recommendation on homelessness, in response to the request made by 26 Member States at the end of 2025 to take action against homelessness (see EUROPE 13763/4).
According to a provisional version consulted by Agence Europe, the text will address horizontal recommendations to Member States, inviting them to revise or adopt national frameworks for combating homelessness through person-centred policies, identifying populations in precarious housing situations and offering both preventive and emergency solutions.
In the opinion of experts, this recommendation would have the merit of formalising homelessness as an important issue at European level, provided that the guidelines set are followed up by the Commission.
“A European Anti-Poverty Strategy worthy of the name must tackle the most urgent forms of poverty such as homelessness. There are sufficient hooks in the proposal of the European Commission, especially the proposal for an EU Council Recommendation on Housing Exclusion, to deliver real impact for the more than one million people experiencing homelessness every day in the EU area”, said Freek Spinnewijn on behalf of the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), saying he was ready to work with the Commission to “turn the words into effective action”. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)