Ongoing advocacy, robust implementation, and commitment from Member States and EU institutions remain critical to fully realise its goals.
21 Nov 2024
It is three years since the European Union (EU) adopted the European Child Guarantee – a landmark initiative to address child poverty and social exclusion across Member States. The result of years of advocacy and engagement by civil society organisations, the European Child Guarantee aims to ensure that all children in need benefit from some key services: free early childhood education and care; free education (including school-based activities and at least one healthy meal each school day); free healthcare; healthy nutrition, and adequate housing.
The European Child Guarantee is a response to disproportionately high levels of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, where, as of 2023, 24.8% of children – around 20 million children, or one in four – are at risk, compared to 20.6% of adults.
EU Member States are now publishing their first reports on the implementation of their Child Guarantee National Action Plans (NAPs) – an opportunity to take stock of action taken since 2021. These should also take into account the EU’s first monitoring framework for assessing progress on the European Child Guarantee, which uses Eurostat indicators, complemented by additional indicators from other sources. The indicators that explicitly focus on very young children mainly refer to early childhood education and care (ECEC). These include the share of children at risk of poverty and exclusion who are in formal ECEC, the age at which there is a legal entitlement to ECEC and the public expenditure on ECEC as a percentage of GDP per child.
At the time of writing, around two-thirds of EU Member States have submitted their biennial reports on their implementation of the Child Guarantee. Overall, countries’ NAPs and biennial reports also include measures, policies and programmes that pre-dated the Child Guarantee. There are also a number of new policy measures such as the national action plans of Italy and Ireland. These are being implemented with support from EU funding from the ESF+, from states’ Recovery and Resilience Plans and other EU funds, as well as national budgets.
As evidenced in the overviews of the biennial reports prepared by Eurochild, several EU countries are making strides in improving the quality of ECEC. Slovakia is implementing the National Development Strategy for Early Intervention and Care Services (2022-2030), while Belgium is working on improving quality and strengthening collaboration among stakeholders. Bulgaria’s Act on ECEC has established a National Quality Framework for ECEC, and Cyprus plans to create a quality framework for ECEC and expand free pre-school education. Denmark is setting minimum adult-to-child ratios in ECEC and subsidising 75% of childcare costs. Estonia has enacted the Early Childhood Education Act, and Ireland is reforming its childcare system while adopting the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021–2028.
There are also efforts to support families and promote inclusion. Denmark’s 1,000-day programme supports vulnerable families, and Ireland is enhancing its National Childcare Scheme, along with the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021–2028. The Equal Start funding model in Ireland supports disadvantaged families, while Poland is revising needs assessments and support methods for inclusive education for children with disabilities.
Member States are also expanding infrastructure and services to meet the goals of the European Child Guarantee. Romania is constructing and equipping 110 nurseries and 358 kindergartens, while Cyprus is subsidising care and expanding the network of early childhood development services. Italy’s 2021–2025 Multi-Year Action Plan is funding the construction and renovation of public buildings for ECEC.
Following the European Parliament elections in June 2024, the EU has a new legislature, with a new team of European Commissioners, who are expected to be confirmed by the new Parliament on 27 November. The new College of Commissioners will start on 1 December. There are concerns that children’s rights issues may be marginalised, as the new legislature focuses on prosperity and security.
The new Commission and Parliament are expected to uphold and reiterate the EU’s commitment to the full implementation of the European Child Guarantee, with an overall progress report expected in 2026. Eurochild is calling for a transparent and inclusive process for stakeholders to feed into this review.
In her speech in the European Parliament, Roxana Mînzatu – European Commission Executive Vice-President designate for People, Skills and Preparedness, whose portfolio will include the European Child Guarantee – stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to implement the Child Guarantee, as a quarter of children in the EU live in poverty and social exclusion.
When Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the team of European Commissioners for the next five years, she also committed to strengthening the European Child Guarantee. Civil society will need to continue to monitor its implementation and advocate for the EU institutions and Member States to step up efforts to address child poverty and exclusion, and to do more to respect and fulfil children’s rights, starting in early childhood.
Contact: Dr Agata D’Addato, Eurochild Head of Programmes
