Social Europe

  • EU Forward Project
  • YouTube
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

European Child Guarantee: making it a reality

Bruno Ribeiro Barata, Ally Dunhill and Enrico Paolo Tormen 30th November 2022

Portugal, whose national plan is launched today, offers a model for a transversal and localised approach.

Child Guarantee,national plan,national co-ordinator,Portugal,model,Portuguese
A one-month-old baby in Lisbon—can his life-chances be guaranteed, irrespective of background? (Paola A Sousa / shutterstock.com)

On November 20th, we celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the global cornerstone of respecting, protecting and fulfilling children’s rights. Yet today’s mutually compounding crises are taking their toll on the most vulnerable members of society—children in particular.

According to Eurostat, in 2021 24.4 per cent of children in the European Union—almost one in four—were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. That alarming ratio does not fully reflect the detrimental impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis ignited by the conflict in Ukraine, implying increasing challenges. In a union which strives to ‘leave no one behind’, the millions of children deprived of basic rights and equal opportunities must be a priority.

Unanimous adoption

In recent years, the EU has shown commitment to better protection of children’s rights, as reflected in the Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Child Guarantee. The unanimous adoption in March 2021 of the recommendation by the Council of the EU establishing the Child Guarantee was a highlight of the Portuguese council presidency and a fundamental step forward.

The Child Guarantee is a milestone in the fight against child poverty and social exclusion, ensuring the most vulnerable children have access to free education and care, healthcare and healthy nutrition, and adequate housing. It offers an unparalleled occasion to put children’s rights at the centre of the political agenda of member states and EU institutions and to create new synergies among stakeholders—children included. (Indeed, the recommendation reiterates that children must be meaningfully engaged in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the framework.)

The recommendation invites member states to appoint a national co-ordinator to manage and monitor implementation of the framework, while engaging with their peers at the European level. This creates an unprecedented opportunity for national authorities to work together to tackle child poverty, adopt a more comprehensive and integrated approach, and jointly analyse common obstacles and solutions.

The recommendation also requested member states to submit national action plans by March 2022, outlining how they would implement the Child Guarantee. Many did so and those which have not done so as yet can be expected thus to translate the framework into tangible actions for children.

Eurochild and Save the Children members on the ground clearly affirm that this new direction is urgent: we need ambitious and comprehensive action plans in all member states, fully implemented, monitored and evaluated. With rising child poverty and soaring inflation, governments and national co-ordinators must dedicate adequate EU and domestic funds to ambitious measures in the child’s best interest and ensure sustained commitment in the coming years.

Successful example

A successful example is provided by Portugal, with its strong commitment to deepening the EU social dimension. On November 16th Portugal announced it would organise a ‘Porto Social Forum’ next May. This will be an occasion to follow up on the commitments made to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights at the Porto Social Summit, held during the Portuguese presidency, including reduction of child poverty in the EU.

Portugal has also shown political commitment to the Child Guarantee by investing its national co-ordinator, Sónia Almeida, with the competencies of a director general of public administration. It has established a technical and integrated monitoring committee, with representatives from various ministries: Justice; Labour, Solidarity and Social Security; Education; Health, and Housing.

The national plan, which follows extensive involvement of stakeholders, including children, dovetails with vital social policies recently introduced:

  • free access to nurseries;
  • a National Plan for Recovery of Learning to mitigate the effect of the pandemic, providing for all students free digital-education tools and textbooks, and
  • reinforcement of family allowances for all children and allocation of a cash benefit for children in extreme poverty—itself entitled the ‘Child Guarantee’.

These measures show that the European Child Guarantee can stimulate structured and ambitious national reforms protecting children’s rights, as well as providing the occasion to involve civil societies and children in national and local legislative processes.

The Portuguese plan also envisages Child Guarantee structures at the city-council level. This emphasis on proximity aims to ensure implementation of more assertive and ambitious local measures. The plan seeks to put existing structures and resources together in close co-ordination, with a well-defined and shared direction to support the most vulnerable children.

Our collective future

We know that poverty undermines children´s ability to thrive, enjoy equal opportunities and reach their full potential in adulthood. Even temporary exposure to deprivation in childhood can have devastating consequences that last a lifetime, if not generations. Child poverty is a pan-European challenge which concerns us all—a reality we must tackle together.

The European Child Guarantee charts a new path, which can lead the EU to enhanced respect, protection and fulfilment of children’s rights and a stronger society, where indeed no child is left behind. We should walk it together, for our collective future.

Bruno Ribeiro Barata
Bruno Ribeiro Barata

Bruno Ribeiro Barata is counsellor for social policy of the permanent representation of Portugal to the European Union. He chaired the negotiations in the Council of the EU to adopt the European Child Guarantee.

Ally Dunhill
Ally Dunhill

Dr Ally Dunhill is head of advocacy at Eurochild and has over 30 years experience of working with and for children and young people.

Enrico Tormen
Enrico Paolo Tormen

Enrico Paolo Tormen is the advocacy adviser on child poverty at Save the Children Europe, specialising in human-rights protection, migration and EU external relations.

Harvard University Press Advertisement

Social Europe Ad - Promoting European social policies

We need your help.

Support Social Europe for less than €5 per month and help keep our content freely accessible to everyone. Your support empowers independent publishing and drives the conversations that matter. Thank you very much!

Social Europe Membership

Click here to become a member

Most Recent Articles

u421983c824 240f 477c bc69 697bf625cb93 1 Mind the Gap: Can Europe Afford Its Green and Digital Future?Viktor Skyrman
u421983467b5 5df0 44d2 96fc ba344a10b546 0 Finland’s Austerity Gamble: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Pain for the PoorJussi Systä
u421983467 3f8a 4cbb 9da1 1db7f099aad7 0 The Enduring Appeal of the Hybrid WorkplaceJorge Cabrita
u421983ae 3b0caff337bf 0 Europe’s Euro Ambition: A Risky Bid for “Exorbitant Privilege”Peter Bofinger
u4219834676b2eb11 1 Trump’s Attacks on Academia: Is the U.S. University System Itself to Blame?Bo Rothstein

Most Popular Articles

startupsgovernment e1744799195663 Governments Are Not StartupsMariana Mazzucato
u421986cbef 2549 4e0c b6c4 b5bb01362b52 0 American SuicideJoschka Fischer
u42198346769d6584 1580 41fe 8c7d 3b9398aa5ec5 1 Why Trump Keeps Winning: The Truth No One AdmitsBo Rothstein
u421983467 a350a084 b098 4970 9834 739dc11b73a5 1 America Is About to Become the Next BrexitJ Bradford DeLong
u4219834676ba1b3a2 b4e1 4c79 960b 6770c60533fa 1 The End of the ‘West’ and Europe’s FutureGuillaume Duval
u421983462e c2ec 4dd2 90a4 b9cfb6856465 1 The Transatlantic Alliance Is Dying—What Comes Next for Europe?Frank Hoffer
u421983467 2a24 4c75 9482 03c99ea44770 3 Trump’s Trade War Tears North America Apart – Could Canada and Mexico Turn to Europe?Malcolm Fairbrother
u4219834676e2a479 85e9 435a bf3f 59c90bfe6225 3 Why Good Business Leaders Tune Out the Trump Noise and Stay FocusedStefan Stern
u42198346 4ba7 b898 27a9d72779f7 1 Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political LegacyJan-Werner Müller
u4219834676574c9 df78 4d38 939b 929d7aea0c20 2 The End of Progess? The Dire Consequences of Trump’s ReturnJoseph Stiglitz

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe?

In a new Eurofound Talks podcast episode, host Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano about recent changes to minimum wages in Europe and their implications.

Listeners can delve into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the driving factors behind these shifts. The conversation also highlights the broader effects of minimum wage changes on income inequality and gender equality.

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

LISTEN NOW

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

The Spring issue of The Progressive Post is out!


Since President Trump’s inauguration, the US – hitherto the cornerstone of Western security – is destabilising the world order it helped to build. The US security umbrella is apparently closing on Europe, Ukraine finds itself less and less protected, and the traditional defender of free trade is now shutting the door to foreign goods, sending stock markets on a rollercoaster. How will the European Union respond to this dramatic landscape change? .


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss European defence strategies, assess how the US president's recent announcements will impact international trade and explore the risks  and opportunities that algorithms pose for workers.


READ THE MAGAZINE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity”,

Cohesion Policy aims to promote harmonious development and reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between the regions of the Union, and the backwardness of the least favoured regions with a particular focus on rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition and regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, such as outermost regions, regions with very low population density, islands, cross-border and mountain regions.

READ THE FULL POSITION PAPER HERE

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

What kind of impact is artificial intelligence (AI) having, or likely to have, on the way we work and the conditions we work under? Discover the latest issue of HesaMag, the ETUI’s health and safety magazine, which considers this question from many angles.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Social Europe

Our Mission

Team

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Social Europe Archives

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Miscellaneous

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641