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 services recognised 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.

We have consistently advocated the inclusion of information on child poverty and children’s social rights in the European Semester, which is now being implemented. We are also shaping the upcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU Affordable Housing Strategy, ensuring that these frameworks are fully integrated into the 2028-2032 Multiannual Financial Framework.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Eurochild is 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.