On 21st February, Eurochild hosted the first official meeting of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, a new form of cooperation bringing together 20 European Organisations to promote the full implementation of the Recommendation “Investing in Children – Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage”, so as to bring an end to child poverty and promote child well-being across Europe.
At a time when over a quarter of the children in the EU face poverty and social exclusion, the added-value of this Alliance is to make the most of the opportunities brought about by EU strategies and funds to support concrete reforms at national level . The European Commission encouraged the EU Alliance to participate in a series of seminars that the Commission will deliver in several Member States this year to monitor the evolution of key policies and reforms, to advise on how best to use EU funds to invest in children, and to facilitate an exchange of best practices. The “Joint Implementation Handbook” that the EU Alliance will develop is seen as a particularly relevant tool to trigger and support reform in policy and practice based on a knowledge exchange to identify what works best for children.
All EU Alliance partners confirmed their commitment to its aims and to joining forces to promote lasting, positive change for all children in the EU, through joint work at European level, and especially through the involvement of their national member organisations at the national and regional levels – where real change can happen through the proper implementation of the Recommendation.