Jaunimas

This opinion analyses the Commission's proposal for a Council Recommendation on Housing Exclusion and looks at the issue of homelessness among children, families and young people in the EU. It addresses access to dignified housing from a human rights perspective, and recommends that prevention and reduction of homelessness should remain the primary focus of the Council Recommendation, in line with the Lisbon Declaration. It stresses that a preventive approach should be complemented by robust social emergency services, and recommends all Member States to develop a strategic framework to combat homelessness.

This opinion examines the Commission's proposal for a EU Anti Poverty Strategy and sets out the EESC’s priorities. It calls for a comprehensive, rights-based and life-course approach to poverty, addressing its structural causes and the specific needs of groups facing the greatest risks of poverty and exclusion. The opinion stresses the importance of adequate social protection, access to quality essential services and inclusive labour markets, and calls for stronger EU and national action to prevent poverty and ensure effective social inclusion.

This Opinion aims to make inclusive democratic participation a core element of democratic resilience, strengthening meaningful and lasting cooperation between public authorities, citizens, communities and civil society throughout the policy cycle. It emphasises the role of resilient communities and calls for participation to be inclusive, accessible and protected from undue interference. It also promotes civic education, digital literacy and the responsible use of digital tools.

This opinion analyses the Commission's Communication "Breaking the cycle of child poverty - strengthening the European Child Guarantee". It addresses the strengthening of the European Child Guarantee as a child-centred, rights-based instrument to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and social exclusion. It recommends reinforcing access to quality parental employment and affordable and high-quality early childhood education and care, while ensuring that vulnerable groups are not excluded from essential services.

In this opinion, the EESC presents its recommendations on the Communication Enhancing the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030"adopted as part of the so-called Social Package, in which the Commission sets out its initiatives for the second half of the EU Disability Strategy. Despite the progress made, barriers persist across the EU, limiting the full participation of persons with disabilities in society and the economy on an equal basis with others.

In this opinion, the EESC stresses that intergenerational fairness must be made a cross-cutting principle applied to all EU policies and all age groups, with specific and ongoing attention paid to people in vulnerable situations. It recommends that the Commission ensure that the implementation of the strategy explicitly takes into account that its central objective is to reduce social, economic, gender, age and territorial inequalities between generations, and to strengthen solidarity and social cohesion across generations to achieve democratic, resilient, inclusive and sustainable societies. The strategy should set long-term objectives with specific and measurable targets and indicators, clear accountability mechanisms, and arrangements to make intergenerational fairness a formal part of all EU policies.