The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) has long advocated for an EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. Now that its launch is approaching, EAPN’s Susana Anastácio shares the organisation’s vision of what an effective strategy should look like. For if we truly want a Europe where everyone can live in dignity, promises will not be enough. What is needed is political courage, sufficient funding, and commitment at all levels.

The European Anti-Poverty Network, together with its members, has been advocating for an EU Anti-Poverty Strategy (EU APS) for over 30 years. Since President Ursula von der Leyen announced this initiative in July 2024, we have intensified our efforts to share a clear vision of what an effective strategy should look like. As we approach 2026, the year of its expected release, we do so with both hope and caution. The promise is social justice, but the ground beneath our feet remains uneven.

In her 2025 State of the Union address, President von der Leyen raised the bar by committing to eradicate poverty by 2050. The EAPN has long argued that the goal must be eradication, not mere alleviation, and that this can only be achieved through the meaningful participation of people experiencing poverty at every stage: from design to implementation and evaluation. That is why we call for the creation of a PEP  (People Experiencing Poverty) Committee and a Civil Society Committee in the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.

'Nothing about us without us.' Policies shaped behind closed doors cannot reflect the diversity of people’s realities. Only expertise by experience can bridge those gaps. But participation must be representative, sustainable, meaningful and fairly compensated, otherwise it risks becoming tokenistic.

The EAPN continues to create spaces where people experiencing poverty engage on an equal footing with policymakers, activists and experts. In September, we held the first PEP Consultation ahead of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, bringing together experts by experience from across Europe with representatives from the European Commission, including Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, to discuss concrete solutions to fight poverty in the EU.

On 5 November, we will hold an Anti-Poverty Day organised in collaboration with the European Parliament Intergroup on Fighting Against Poverty, where civil society organisations and people experiencing poverty will actively shape and lead parts of the agenda. It will be followed by the Annual PEP Meeting. This year, our approach is to equip people with the tools to participate through capacity-building workshops as well as meetings with key stakeholders. We all need support to participate meaningfully; people experiencing poverty are no different.

The insights gathered through these processes are not symbolic; they directly inform our policy priorities for the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. The EAPN also sees the EU APS as a unique opportunity to reinforce existing commitments under the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. We have defined five priorities: ensuring adequate income, inclusive labour markets, access to essential services, tackling homelessness and the intersectional aspects of poverty.

However, the added value of the EU APS lies in its ability to go beyond the EPSR principles by tackling the root causes of poverty and recognising its multidimensional nature. Poverty is rooted in systemic injustice, unequal power relations and an unfair distribution of wealth and resources, and it is reinforced by discrimination.

This is why the EAPN has worked to bring an anti-poverty perspective into EU Anti-Discrimination Strategies such as the Anti-Racism, LGBTIQ and Gender Equality Strategies, while insisting that an anti-discrimination lens must be embedded in the EU APS as a non-negotiable condition for its success.

Ending poverty requires real funding and coordinated action across EU, national and local levels. The next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) is therefore one of our main concerns. Without sufficient resources and clear prioritisation of poverty eradication, EU commitments risk remaining empty words. Particularly alarming is the absence of a structural and adequate budget to support the most marginalised communities.

At the same time, there are currently no mechanisms to ensure the adoption of national and local anti-poverty strategies (NAPS and LAPS). The EAPN and its members are bringing this issue to the forefront. The EU may set the direction, but many anti-poverty policies fall under national and local competences. For instance, the EU cannot directly redistribute income through unemployment benefits or pensions, but it can support coordination and set minimum standards.

Our current campaign for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on the need for NAPS and LAPS, drawing on the work of our national members and their National Poverty Watch Reports. In 2026, we will launch the EU Poverty Watch Report with an overview of the current situation across Europe.

At the EAPN, we remain committed to keeping poverty and social exclusion at the top of the EU, national and local policy agendas. We believe in a Europe where everyone can live with dignity, but achieving this requires more than promises. It demands political courage, adequate resources and a shared commitment across all levels of governance.

Susana Anastácio is the Senior Communications Officer at the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), where she leads strategic communications and digital engagement to raise awareness on poverty and social exclusion in Europe. She specialises in translating complex social issues into clear, impactful messages for diverse audiences.

The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is the largest European network of NGOs, grassroots groups and organisations dedicated to fighting poverty and social exclusion. Established in 1990, It brings together 31 national networks and 13 European organisations working toward a more socially inclusive Europe.