Across Europe today, millions of children grow up trapped in a cycle of poverty that began long before they were born. They are raised in households with limited incomes, face unequal educational opportunities, lack access to adequate healthcare or decent housing, and too often end up left behind — their full potential stifled before it even has a chance to flourish.
This is a personal tragedy for each child, but it also reveals a structural failure of our societies. Poverty and social exclusion are perpetuated across generations, eroding the very fabric of our societies and our economic stability. If we are serious about building a stronger, fairer, more resilient Europe, then breaking this intergenerational cycle must be one of our most urgent priorities.
Too often, investment in early intervention programmes and access to quality services for children are perceived as a burden, a cost, or are opposed to other priorities. We need a paradigm shift that considers these interventions as a long-term investment in our most valued human capital.
That is why the European Child Guarantee matters.
The Child Guarantee is the EU’s flagship commitment to ensure that children in need have free and effective access to essential services: early childhood education and care, education, healthcare, healthy nutrition, and adequate housing. It is both a prevention and intervention instrument that responds to the individual and structural challenges of child poverty. It is designed specifically to reach those who need support most: children growing up in alternative care, especially those residing in institutions, children with disabilities, children in precarious family situations, and children with minority ethnic origin, particularly Roma.
As Chair of the European Parliament’s Working Group on the European Child Guarantee, I can witness first-hand the strong demand for this initiative.
For the promise of the Child Guarantee to become a reality, good intentions must be turned into action. We need political will, sustained investment, and greater national ownership. The EU has provided the framework and financial instruments, yet must still deliver an adequate budget to support the development of the Child Guarantee. But it is also up to Member States to implement their national action plans ambitiously, consult with civil society and children themselves to channel programs and investments based on needs.
What’s at stake is nothing less than the future of our Union.
Children who experience poverty are more likely to drop out of school early, face unemployment and marginalisation, and suffer from chronic health issues. They are more likely to be trapped into being the next generation struggling to make ends meet. This is not only unfair, it is economically short-sighted. Many experiences have shown that investing in integrated-child protection systems and access to quality services for disadvantaged children is one of the most effective and sustainable investments a society can make.
Member States are full of positive examples, but these are limited to certain regions, or over time. We need to capitalise on these good practices, exchange on what is working and what is not, and methodically accelerate the EU’s action in the fight against child poverty and social exclusion.
Because child poverty has increased in the European Union in recent years, this is the time to mobilise all support around this initiative. The Child Guarantee must not be dependent on any political majority. It is a constant necessity.
It is a blueprint for action, and a test of our values. Let us strengthen this commitment by concretely making a difference in the daily lives of children’s. Let us ensure that every child, in every corner of our Union, has the opportunity not only to survive, but to thrive.
A society’s integrity lies in the promises it keeps to its youngest.
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