The EU Alliance for Investing in Children welcomes the European Parliament’s EMPL Committee vote in favour of a clear and ambitious commitment to finance the European Child Guarantee in its INI Report on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. This is a significant breakthrough and reflects the persistent advocacy efforts of child rights organisations. The Committee has endorsed the Alliance’s key demands, in particular a dedicated €20 billion budget for the Child Guarantee in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the requirement that Member States invest at least 5 per cent of ESF+, and 10 per cent in countries with above-average child poverty rates, in measures aimed at reducing child poverty.
This result demonstrates that ambitious solutions are both possible and necessary. The real test now lies ahead. As the report moves to the January 2026 plenary, there is a concrete risk that these commitments will be weakened or removed. It is essential that all Members of the European Parliament uphold the ambition set by the EMPL Committee and ensure that the Child Guarantee receives the scale of investment required to succeed.
This decision matters. Child poverty remains one of the EU’s most persistent and damaging challenges, affecting more than 19 million children and their families, or 1 children in 4, far above the poverty rate for adults. Between 2019 and 2023, child and family poverty rose by 4.2 per cent, driven by the cost-of-living crisis, entrenched inequalities, and the long-term effects of the pandemic. Growing up in poverty leads to lifelong inequalities affecting education, employment, health, housing, mental well-being, and social participation. According to the OECD, the economic cost of childhood disadvantage amounts to 3.4 per cent of GDP annually, undermining Europe’s long-term growth, competitiveness, and social cohesion. Poverty is also the most common underlying risk factor that leads to children being separated from their families and institutionalised.
This week’s vote is an essential step towards stronger national-level policies to fight child poverty. Four years into its implementation, and supported by ESF+, the European Child Guarantee has already delivered tangible results, from expanded school meal programmes to innovative inclusion initiatives and structural national reforms. These developments have helped place child and family poverty higher on political agendas, improve coordination across policy sectors, and promote a holistic, intersectional approach to reducing poverty and social exclusion.
For this reason, the Alliance calls on all MEPs to defend the ambition of the EMPL vote, resist any attempt to water down key funding commitments, and ensure that the EU’s promise to its children is backed by sustainable, adequate, and long-term investment.