Justice for all: Ensuring that Europe delivers for all children

This effort is underpinned by the wider drive to build a more just and inclusive Europe. Justice is a key tenet of many of the main EU initiatives. There is, for example, a Just Transitions mechanism in the areas of environment and climate action to ensure no-one loses out in the transition to net zero. The pursuit of justice also drives the national minimum targets for the reduction of poverty and social exclusion for children to be achieved by 2030.

So how is Europe as a whole faring when it comes to meeting these targets? Are things moving in the right direction?

At first glance, it would seem things are relatively good. If we look at the percentage of children who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) – Figure 1 below – we see that the EU average AROPE rate is lower in 2022 than in 2015. This is largely due to a catch-up process, with countries that were lagging in 2015 (such as Hungary) reducing AROPE rates for children faster than countries that had lower rates at the start (such as Sweden). Disparities in performance between countries also decreased over time.

Figure 1: AROPE rates for children, EU27, 2015–2022 (%)

Rising child poverty since the pandemic

But a deeper dive into more recent developments tells a somewhat different story. Since 2019, the average EU27 AROPE rate has, in fact, risen, reflecting to a large degree the high cost to many children of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.

As the cost of living crisis continues and inflation remains an issue, there is a clear danger of this negative trend continuing unless active and concrete steps are taken now to offset child poverty across the EU. One critical element is ensuring that key services are fully mobilised to support the children and families most in need. Access to some of these services – such as education and healthcare – is the main objective of the European Child Guarantee. Even when services are universal, some groups of children seem to be failed time and again, because they do not get enough of the services they need, or the services they receive are of poor quality.

Widening gaps in access to early childhood education and care services

Access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) is one important aspect of this, which has been the subject of much attention at EU level. In her 2023 State of the Union speech, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that lack of access to ECEC caused millions of parents to struggle to reconcile work and family. The ECEC participation rates of children under three years of age is one of the indicators monitored by the European Semester in tracking Member States’ progress in the social domain. Participation of all children under age three in ECEC is one of the Barcelona targets, which were established to enhance the provision of childcare in the EU.

Measuring the participation of all children is important, but aggregate measurements do not tell the whole story. What about children at risk of poverty or social exclusion? While data on the participation rates of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in ECEC are not readily available, a recent Eurofound policy brief provides, for the first time, findings on ECEC participation of these children and how it has changed over time.

• Publication: Guaranteeing access to services for children in the EU

Figure 2 shows that the participation of children under three in ECEC for at least one hour a week on average has increased since 2015. The rise in participation was lower, however, in the case of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion (up from 21% in 2015 to 23% in 2022, an increase of around 12%) than for children outside this group (which rose from 33% to 40% over the same period, an increase of around 20%). This means that the gap in participation rates between these two groups of children has widened over time, which is a very concerning development.

Figure 2: Participation rates of children under age three in ECEC, by AROPE status, EU27, 2015–2022 (%)

Differences between these two groups at Member State level cannot be documented, due to gaps in the data available. In any case, trends at EU level are evidence of the need to put in place measures to close this gap. This can be done by providing additional resources to support the inclusion of children in vulnerable situations. Eurofound in earlier research documented examples of evidence-based initiatives with this goal; most of the measures identified centre on adequate training of the workforce delivering services to disadvantaged children and families. As for funding, measures could be financed through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), one of the main sources of funding for the European Child Guarantee. A deeper involvement of the social partners in the Guarantee would help in identifying the most suitable measures to ensure that EU targets are met in a more efficient and just way, given that trade unions and employers know the needs of staff.

So where does that leave children? Are we doing enough to lift those most disadvantaged groups from poverty and avoid further stigmatisation and exclusion? Notwithstanding the many initiatives being implemented at EU and national levels, the data points to serious concerns in current trends. Immediate and ongoing action will have to remain a priority if we are to ensure that the youngest and most vulnerable members of society receive the support and protection they deserve – that what we do in practice is more than lip service to ‘leaving no-one behind’.

• Publication: Early childhood care: Accessibility and quality of services

Further reading

• European Parliament: Analysis of the Child Guarantee national action plans: Trends in Member States and support for refugees

• Publication: Early childhood care: Accessibility and quality of services

• Eurofound convergence monitoring hub: European Child Guarantee

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