On Wednesday 6 May, the European Commission announced the strengthening of the ‘European Child Guarantee’ to complement the first European strategy to combat poverty that it has presented (see EUROPE 13862/1), with the aim of taking account of new challenges and strengthening synergies between the bodies responsible for its implementation.
“It is unacceptable that more than 19 million children - almost one child in four in the EU - remain at risk of poverty and exclusions”, said the European Commissioner for Social Rights, Roxana Mînzatu. “In spite of everything we have done so far, we see limited improvement” in terms of poverty reduction, she admitted.
According to the Commissioner, the ‘Child Guarantee’, in place since 2021 (see EUROPE 12740/17), has certainly made it possible to “expand access to essential services” - such as housing, food, education and healthcare - that a child needs to thrive. “But we must go further and ensure it delivers real change” in the life of every child who benefits from it, said Ms Mînzatu.
The Commission is therefore inviting Member States to revise their national plans implementing the ‘Child Guarantee’ in order to incorporate new challenges, such as mental health and the safety of children in the face of online threats.
A pilot programme will also be set up, on a voluntary basis for Member States, to test a digital card designed to facilitate access by children benefiting from the ‘Child Guarantee’ to various services, and to increase cooperation between the relevant authorities.
This digital tool will make action on the ground “more visible, better coordinated and more effective”, according to Ms Mînzatu.
Synergies will also need to be built between the ‘Child Guarantee’ and the ‘Youth Guarantee’, which helps young people over the age of 15 without education, training or employment, to ensure continuity in the services provided to the people concerned.
See the Commission communication on a strengthened ‘Child Guarantee’: https://aeur.eu/f/lte ; and the review of progress made since 2021: https://aeur.eu/f/ltk
The fight against child poverty also involves improving the economic situation of the family unit in which a child grows up. Access to work for parents “remains the best way out of poverty”, noted the Commissioner.
The EU institution believes that action can be taken at European level to bring people who are excluded from the world of work because of a lack of qualifications or because they have to look after young children. In the second half of 2026, it will consult the social partners on possible measures to encourage people to return to work.
According to Ms Mînzatu, this consultation will be “the first step” towards the potential presentation of “a directive setting minimum standards for the provision of support services to vulnerable population groups”, such as childcare, care for people with disabilities and support for migrants.
Reacting on behalf of the S&D group, German Gabriele Bischoff described the announcement as “promising”, calling on the Commission to initiate this process rapidly with a view to presenting a legislative initiative. She also called for a minimum budget of “€20 billion” for the ‘Child Guarantee’, in line with the European Parliament’s position on the EU’s post-2027 budget (see EUROPE 13858/1).
As far as employment is concerned, it may also be the case that some workers earn too little to escape precarious employment. The EU institution intends to address this phenomenon by proposing, in 2027, a Commission recommendation that will provide policy guidelines for: - identifying the factors behind in-work poverty; - define good practices to encourage longer working hours; - make tax and social systems more coherent so that more hours worked translate into higher incomes.
Housing exclusion. The European Anti-Poverty Strategy devotes particular attention to the issue of housing, in addition to the ‘European Affordable Housing Plan’ presented in late 2025 (see EUROPE 13774/23).
In particular, the Commission presented a proposal for an EU Council recommendation aimed at improving the fight against homelessness. The text calls on the Member States to take measures focused on those most at risk, including the creation of early warning systems, debt counselling and targeted rental assistance.
“We are proposing a new approach (...) moving from emergency intervention to prevention and long-term solutions”, said the Commissioner.
See the Commission’s proposal for a recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/ltl
See the European Anti-Poverty Strategy: https://aeur.eu/f/ltn; and the summary document analysing the main trends in this area: https://aeur.eu/f/ltm (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)