The 16th meeting of the EU DAG set up under the EU-UK TCA, the last one chaired by Luisa Santos, was mostly dedicated to an exchange of views with Caroline Read, Deputy Ambassador at the UK Mission to the EU, on the implementation of the EU-UK Summit outcomes and the upcoming TCA review.
The EU DAG also discussed internally the end of mandate and the upcoming renewal. Finally, and in the spirit of good cooperation with the European Commission, DG Trade updated the EU DAG with preparations undertaken for the upcoming TCA committees season.
Following the first EU-UK Summit that took place on 19 May 2025, the EU DAG invited Ambassador Pedro Serrano (EU Ambassador to UK) and Mr Jan Hendrik Dopheide ( Commissioner Šefčovič Cabinet Member) for a timely exchange of views on the summit' outcomes.
This 14th meeting of the EU DAG set up under the EU-UK TCA featured the participation of Mr Sandro Gozi, Chair of the EP's Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly - as the result of efforts done to reconnect and engage with the European Parliament and the PPA - as well as of Mr Mike Clancy, Chair of the UK DAG under the TCA, following the increase and improvement of cooperation and engagement with the UK DAG.
The EU DAG set up under the EU-UK TCA met for a debrief on the outcomes of the joint meetings that had taken place in September 2024. Also, in the context of the ongoing structured dialogue with the European Commission, an exchange took place on the TCA implementation and on the outlook on its 2026 review.
The EU DAG also took the opportunity to discuss a restructure of its working methods, including further collaboration with the EU DAK and an increase engagement of DAG members.
With child poverty on the rise in both the EU and its neighbouring countries, EU Member States remain a long way off meeting the target of lifting five million children out of poverty by 2030. Yet, with binding obligations and dedicated funding in the new EU budget, Europe still has the chance to put children’s rights at the heart of its social and economic model, writes Eurochild, Europe’s largest network of organisations and individuals working for and with children.
With child poverty on the rise both in the EU and its neighbouring countries, EU Member States remain a long way off meeting the target of lifting five million children out of poverty by 2030. Yet, with binding obligations and dedicated funding in the new EU budget, Europe still has the chance to put children’s rights at the heart of its social and economic model, writes Eurochild, Europe’s largest network of organisations and individuals working for and with children.
Ending child poverty is not an act of charity, but a moral and legal obligation rooted in human rights. Every child has the right to grow up free from poverty and with access to essential servicesrecognised under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
What the numbers say
The EU Member States are a long way off meeting their 2030 target of reducing the number of children in poverty by at least 5 million. Instead, child poverty is rising. In 2024, 24.2% of children were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The situation is particularly stark in Bulgaria (35.1%), Spain (34.6%) and Romania (33.8%).
In the enlargement countries, the situation is equally concerning. In 2021, 50.1% of children in Albania were at risk of poverty and social exclusion, while child poverty in Ukraine reached 65.6% (UNICEF). Within the EU, the sharpest increases in child poverty since 2023 were seen in Finland (+3.5) and Croatia (+2).
How to tackle child poverty
Ending child poverty and social exclusion is a core priority for Eurochild. Based on the information provided by our members, included in our annual Flagship Report, our advocacy promotes systemic reforms that address structural inequalities. These reforms include:
strengthening social protection systems;
increasing public investment in early childhood services; and
guaranteeing universal access to quality education and healthcare.
Child poverty intersects with factors such as disability, gender, ethnic origin and migrant background. Eurochild advocates a rights-based and intersectional approach that prioritises the most disadvantaged children, focusing on tackling structural discrimination and breaking the cycles of exclusion to ensure equity in all aspects of childhood development.
Together with Save the Children Europe, Eurochild co-chairs the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, a coalition of over 20 European networks committed to ending child poverty. In June, we sent a joint letter to the presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council, calling for a strong social focus in the EU budget. Our demands are clear:
Reinforce the European Child Guarantee. This historic initiative is delivering results. However, it must be strengthened and remain sharply focused on the children most at risk.
Integrate the European Child Guarantee into a stronger EU social agenda. The forthcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, the revision of the European Social Fund Regulation and the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan must put the fight against child poverty at the heart of Europe’s social ambitions. These frameworks require adequate financing and design to support comprehensive, rights-based and intersectional policies.
Back ambitions with robust funding in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Social investment must remain central to the EU’s post-2027 agenda. Europe must protect the social dimension that underpins its cohesion, its legitimacy and its unique strategic advantage.
The upcoming EU budget: an opportunity to tackle child poverty
The new EU budget is an opportunity to make children’s rights a central part of Europe’s social and economic model. Despite progress through the European Child Guarantee and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), gaps persist. The National and Regional Partnership Plans, proposed by the European Commission to replace the ESF+, risk deprioritising child-focused investments.
Eurochild urges explicit commitments to eradicate child poverty, including earmarking for child poverty within the National and Regional Partnership Plans, matching at least the current 5% ESF+ requirement and scaled up for countries with higher child poverty rates.
We also call for stronger safeguards linked to international children’s rights standards, including the UNCRC and UNCRPD, as well as the inclusion of civil society organisations and children in programme design and monitoring. Linking these priorities to the European Semester would ensure accountability and progress tracking through measurable targets and annual reporting.
Without binding obligations, sufficient funding and participatory governance, the EU risks failing to deliver on its own promise: lifting 5 million children out of poverty by 2030 and eradicating poverty by 2050. Failing to act would not only harm Europe’s future cohesion, it would undermine children’s fundamental rights.
Eurochildis Europe's biggest network of national and international NGOs, child rights coalitions, research institutions and professionals advocating for children and wellbeing. It has 225 members in 41 countries. By influencing policies, exchanging good practices and research, and actively involving children in different aspects of their work, Eurochild aims to ensure that every child in Europe grows up happy, healthy and respected, and that children's rights are at the heart of European policies.
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.
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.
By Susana Anastácio, EAPN
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.
