Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Implementation of the Barcelona objectives concerning childcare facilities for pre-school-age children {SEC(2008)2597}
Date: 2008-10-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: child care, gender equality, job access, member country, position of women, social facilities

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.10.2008 
COM(2008) 638 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Implementation of the Barcelona objectives 
concerning childcare facilities for pre-school-age children 

{SEC(2008)2597} 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Implementation of the Barcelona objectives 
concerning childcare facilities for pre-school-age children 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  March  2002  the  European  Council,  meeting  in  Barcelona,  took  the  initiative  of 
inviting Member States to "remove disincentives to female labour force participation 
and  strive,  taking  into  account  the  demand  for  childcare  facilities  and  in  line  with 
national  patterns  of  provision,  to  provide  childcare  by  2010  to  at  least  90%  of 
children  between  3  years  old  and  the  mandatory  school  age  and  at  least  33%  of 
children under 3 years of age" 1. These "Barcelona objectives" form an integral part 
of the European Strategy for Growth and Employment and are intended to increase 
the rate of employment of young parents, especially women, and thus help achieve 
greater gender equality.  

The development of childcare facilities gives parents more freedom to choose how to 
organise their time and thus better reconcile their working life with family life. This 
applies  in  particular  to  women,  who,  faced  with  inadequate  childcare  options,  are 
more  likely  than  men  to  have  to  give  up  work  or  to  choose  working  arrangements 
which  prevent  them  from  fully  exploiting  their  talents.  The  European  economy  is 
thus  deprived  of  their  productive  potential,  at  a  time  when  it  is  having  to  contend 
with economic and demographic challenges.  

This  report  reviews  the  progress  made  towards  achievement  of  the  Barcelona 
objectives  in  the  Member  States  and  identifies  the  obstacles  and  challenges  with 
regard  to  the  development  of  childcare  facilities  for  pre-school-age  children.  It  fits 
within the context of the actions provided for in the "Roadmap for Equality between 
Women  and  Men  (2006-10)"2  and  provides  a  basis  for  the  ideas  and  initiatives 
presented by the Commission to promote a better work-life balance3. 

2. 

CHILDCARE, A CENTRAL PLANK OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE POLICIES  

A political commitment reaffirmed on several occasions 

As  long  ago  as  1992  the  Council  adopted  a  Recommendation4  highlighting  the 
importance of developing affordable, accessible and quality childcare services while 
at  the  same  time  encouraging  flexibility  and  diversity  in  these  services  in  order  to 
meet  the  needs  and  preferences  of  parents  and  their  children.  The  2002  Barcelona 

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Presidency conclusions, Barcelona European Council, 15-16/03/2002, document SN 100/1/02 REV 1 
COM(2006)92 
COM(2008)xxx 
92/241/EEC 

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objectives  are  essentially  concerned  with  promoting  access  to  employment  and 
enabling  parents,  particularly  women,  to  remain  in  employment,  thus  supporting 
gender  equality.  The  European  Council  reiterated  this  commitment  in  the  March 
2006 "European Pact for Gender Equality"5. 

In the Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men (2006-10)6, the Commission 
undertook  to  "support  the  achievement  of  the  Barcelona  targets  on  childcare 
facilities".  The  Commission  has  also  welcomed  the  introduction  of  the  European 
Alliance  for  Families7,  which  will  provide  a  platform  for  exchanges  between 
Member States on European pro-family policies, and which it will support through a 
variety  of  mechanisms8.  The  Structural  Funds  have  also  provided  cofinancing  for 
measures  to  facilitate  the  reconciling  of  work  with  family  life,  including  the 
construction  of  childcare  facilities,  the  training  of  personnel  and  the  provision  of 
childcare  services  for  parents  seeking  employment.  Over  the  period  2007-2013  an 
estimated  half  a  billion  euros  from  the  Structural  Funds  and  the  European 
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development will be available for developing childcare 
facilities, while 2.4 billion euros will be available for funding measures to facilitate 
the  access  of  women  to  employment  and  the  reconciliation  of  working  life  with 
family life, including access to childcare. 

An active contribution by the European social partners 

The  European  social  partners  have  contributed  actively  to  the  production  of  this 
report and recognise that they have a key role to play alongside public policies in this 
field.  They  emphasise  the  importance  they  attach  to  ensuring  the  availability  of 
accessible,  affordable,  quality  childcare  facilities,  this  being  a  priority  area  in  the 
framework  for  action  for  gender  equality  that  they  have  been  implementing  since 
2005. Thus they have developed practical tools and launched innovative initiatives to 
support  the  development  of  childcare  facilities,  both  in  terms  of  availability  (e.g. 
company crèches) and cost (e.g. financial allowances to parents). They are actively 
involved in the decision-making and legislative process concerning work-life balance 
policies, and in the implementation of the Structural Funds. Finally, they state their 
intention of encouraging exchanges of good practice and of innovative experiences, 
as well as the use of the Structural Fund programmes available at national level. 

Support for employment 

Better  reconciliation  of  work  and  private  life,  and  in  particular  the  development  of 
childcare services, is essential if the objectives of the European Strategy for Growth 
and  Employment  are  to  be  achieved.  Accordingly,  there  is  a  specific  guideline 
devoted to this subject9. There is a direct connection between availability of childcare 
facilities and the scope for parents to engage in paid employment. Childcare facilities 
allow  parents  to  take  a  job  and  keep  it,  thereby  improving  their  quality  of  life  and 
removing  a  major  obstacle  to  their  freedom  to  organise  their  time.  In  the  EU  more 
than 6 million women in the 25 to 49 age-range say they are forced into not working, 

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Presidency conclusions, 7775/1/06/ REV 1. 
COM(2006)92 
EU Council document 9317/1/07 REV 1  
COM(2007)244 
Employment Guideline 18. 

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or can only work part-time, because of their family responsibilities10. For more than a 
quarter  of  them,  the  lack  of  availability  of  childcare  facilities,  or  the  cost  of  such 
facilities,  is  the  problem.  If  this  demand  were  met,  the  overall  rate  of  female 
employment could be increased by at least one percentage point.  

Despite this, although  some Member States  have committed themselves  to creating 
more childcare facilities, most of them are still below the targets set in the Barcelona 
objectives  or  do  not  even  mention  them  in  their  national  reform  reports11. 
Consequently,  the  Council  has  made  several  specific  recommendations  to  the 
Member  States  on  this  subject  within  the  context  of  the  European  Employment 
Strategy.  

Support for gender equality 

There is still a huge imbalance between men and women in the sharing of domestic 
and  family  responsibilities,  leading  women  –  much  more  so  than  men  –  to  opt  for 
flexible  working  arrangements  or  even  give  up  work  altogether.  Although  these 
working arrangements may in part reflect personal preferences, they have an impact 
on  women's  career  development,  on  the  continuing  wage  gap  between  men  and 
women and on the accumulation of pension rights. For example, approximately one 
third  of  women  work  part-time,  compared  with  fewer  than  one  in  10  men,  and  the 
employment rate falls by 12.4 points for women when they have children under 12 to 
care for, while it rises by 7.3 points for men. 

Access  to  good-quality,  affordable  childcare  facilities  operating  at  hours  to  suit 
parents and children is therefore a key element in facilitating women's access to paid 
employment  that  utilises  their  abilities  to  the  full  and  thus  boosts  their  economic 
independence. This is a challenge that the Member States need to address. 

Support for social inclusion and for the achievement of family plans  

Full participation by a parent/parents in work with decent pay can also help to avoid 
in-work poverty and helps to combat the risk of poverty in lone-parent households, 
who suffer a much higher poverty rate (32%) than that applicable to all households 
with child (17%)12. Access to childcare facilities can also improve the social situation 
of very young parents.  

For  the  children  themselves,  increased  family  well-being  offers  better  protection 
against child poverty, whilst providing a framework which allows them to develop in 
a  safe  and  stimulating  environment  during  their  first  years  of  life.  In  its 
communication  on  efficiency  and  equity  in  European  education  and  training 
systems13  the  Commission  emphasised  the  need  to  invest  more  in  pre-primary 
education as an effective means to establish the basis for further learning, preventing 
school drop-out, increasing equity of outcomes and raising overall skill levels. 

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Eurostat, Labour Force Survey 2006 
Joint Employment Report 2007-08, Council document no 7169/08 
Eurostat, EU-SILC 2006 
COM(2006)481 

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Finally, against the background of the current demographic slowdown in Europe, the 
availability  of  childcare  facilities  provides  encouragement  for  people  to  plan  a 
family.  It  transpires  that  the  Member  States  which  currently  have  the  highest  birth 
rates  are  those  which  have  also  done  most  to  facilitate  the  work-life  balance  for 
parents and which have a high rate of female employment.  

3. 

REVIEW OF PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVEMENT OF THE BARCELONA OBJECTIVES  

The Commission has developed techniques for monitoring the Barcelona objectives, 
particularly through statistics. This report provides, for the first time, harmonised and 
comparable  data  on  the  use  of  "formal"  systems  of  early  childcare  in  the  Member 
States.  These  data  provide  a  mid-term  snapshot  of  the  progress  made  towards 
achievement of the Barcelona objectives. They relate to the use by parents of existing 
childcare facilities, not the number of places existing in each Member State, which is 
difficult to compare at European level.  

Childcare  provision  for  pre-school-age  children  differs  widely  between  Member 
States, depending on the systems in place and the different national approaches and 
priorities accorded to reconciling working life and family life. Nevertheless, there are 
certain  challenges,  in  terms  of  availability,  cost  and  quality  of  childcare  structures, 
that are common to all Member States.  

3.1. 

Availability and accessibility 

The  Barcelona  objectives  identify  two  age-groups  of  children,  each  with  very 
different  needs  and  requiring  very  different  types  of  services.  For  the  under-3s  the 
demand is primarily for crèches or other childcare services. These are usually paying 
facilities, with only a handful of countries (FI, DK, SE) offering guaranteed access. 
In addition, cultural considerations and family traditions also play a role in the choice 
of  childcare,  formal  or  otherwise.  Finally,  maternity  and  parental  leave  systems 
(duration,  financial  compensation,  flexibility)  can  also  influence  demand  for 
childcare  services,  depending  on  whether  or  not  parents  choose  to  look  after  their 
children  themselves,  bearing  in  mind  the  financial  and  career-development 
implications of choosing to do so. 

As  regards  the  over-3s,  however,  many  children  begin  pre-school  education  in 
nursery school, in systems that are usually at least subsidised if not entirely free, and 
may combine this with attending an after-school childcare centre. 

The analysis of Member States' progress towards achieving the Barcelona objectives 
is based on the coverage rates for children provided by formal childcare systems (for 
the year 200614). The figures relate to the use made by parents of existing childcare 
provision,  not  the  number  of  places  offered  in  each  Member  State.  Also,  it  is 
important  to  differentiate  the  coverage  rates  in  terms  of  the  number  of  hours  for 
which children attend childcare facilities (over or under 30 hours per week) since this 
determines how much scope parents have for working full-time. 

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The data for BG and RO will only be available as from the reference year 2007.  

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Regarding the lower age-group (0 to 3 years), only five Member States (DK, NL, 
SE, BE, ES) have surpassed the Barcelona objective of a 33% coverage rate, while 
five  others  (PT,  UK,  FR,  LU,  SI)  are  approaching  this  target.  In  most  of  the  other 
countries,  much  still  needs  to  be  done  to  meet  the  demand  for  childcare  facilities. 
While  seven  Member  States  (FI,  IT,  CY,  EE,  DE,  IE,  LV)  have  reached  an 
intermediate level of coverage (between 16 and 26%), eight Member States (EL, HU, 
MT, SK, LT, AT, CZ, PL) show a coverage rate of 10% or less. Nevertheless, these 
coverage rates relate to all children, irrespective of how many hours per week they 
attend  a  childcare  facility.  Attendance  hours  vary  widely  from  one  country  to 
another,  and  in  numerous  countries  a  particularly  high  proportion  of  childcare 
facilities  operate  on  a  part-time  basis  only15.  The  Netherlands  and  the  United 
Kingdom  are  prime  examples,  with  under-3s  attending  childcare  centres  almost 
exclusively on a part-time basis.  

Regarding  children  between  3  years  old  and  the  mandatory  school  age,  eight 
Member  States  (BE,  DK,  FR,  DE,  IE,  SE,  ES,  IT)  have  surpassed  the  Barcelona 
objective of a 90% coverage rate16, while three others (UK, NL, CY) are approaching 
this target. Seven Member States (EE, SI, HU, FI, PT, SK, AT) have a coverage rate 
that  is substantial but  nevertheless  still some way short  of the target,  between 70% 
and  85%.  Moreover,  in  many  countries  a  high  proportion  of  childcare  facilities  for 
children  in  this  age-group  operate  on  a  part-time  basis  only.  For  example,  the 
coverage rate for full-time attendance is below 50% in more than half of the Member 
States  and  not  even  30%  in  a  third  of  Member  States.  Any  interpretation  of  these 
figures  must  take  into  account,  however,  different  countries'  particular  ways  of 
organising  nursery-school  education  and  the  availability  or  not  of  after-school 
childcare services.  

Thus,  the  demand  for  formal  systems  of  childcare  is  far  from  being  met  in  most 
Member  States,  hampering  parents  (especially  women)  from  participating  in 
employment.  The  situation  could  be  improved  both  by  opening  new  childcare 
facilities and by professionalising informal childcare, for example by setting quality 
standards for childcare, improving conditions of employment and remuneration, and 
staff training. In addition, the more specific needs of parents with atypical working 
hours or sick children must also be met.  

3.2. 

Cost and financing 

Indissociable from the issue of childcare availability is the issue of cost. For parents, 
a  place  in  a  crèche  or  childcare  centre  may  as  well  not  exist  if  it  is  not  financially 
affordable. This issue must also be viewed in a wider perspective, namely that work 
must be made financially worthwhile: the cost of childcare should not be a deterrent 
to  parents  returning  to  employment.  From  the  point  of  view  of  social  inclusion, 
measures are also needed to ensure that childcare facilities are also available to the 
lowest income households.  

The affordability of childcare differs widely from one Member State to another. And 
even within a single country the cost can vary, depending for example on the type of 

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Less than 30 hours a week. 
When all children attending for at least one hour per week are considered.  

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service  used,  on  whether  it  is  public  or  private,  or  on  whether  means-testing  is 
applied. 

For parents, it is childcare for the youngest children (the under-3s) that is likely to 
involve the biggest financial outlay. Various types of public financing exist for this 
type of childcare, ranging from universal access based on direct public funding and 
means-tested  parental  contributions,  through  to  tax-concession  systems  or  voucher 
systems. In this latter case the accent is on freedom of choice and the private sector 
plays  an  important  role  here.  In  most  Member  States  these  different  "models"  co-
exist.  Various  childcare  possibilities  thus  exist  side  by  side,  at  different  prices. 
Beyond  these  differences  in  systems,  the  net  cost  of  childcare  services  for  families 
(i.e. the actual price minus the various subsidies) varies considerably, ranging from 
5% to more than 30%. In some Member States, despite means-testing, childcare costs 
consume  a  significantly  bigger  slice  of  the  budgets  of  low-income  families  than  of 
the better-off. And there is a growing dichotomy between, on the one hand, crèche 
places provided by the public sector, which are affordable but not readily available 
(with  long  waiting  lists,  for  example)  and,  on  the  other  hand,  private-sector  crèche 
places, which are readily available but not easily affordable. 

Regarding children between 3 years old and the mandatory school age, in most 
Member  States  these  are  covered,  at  least  for  two  years,  by  pre-school  education 
services financed from the public purse and often free of charge to parents.  

Overall,  the  share  of  GDP  public  expenditure  allocated  to  pre-school  childcare 
facilities has increased in most Member States in recent years. Nevertheless, it still 
varies  widely  within  the  EU  and  is  well  below  the  level  achieved  in  the  Nordic 
countries. This is especially true as regards expenditure on childcare facilities for the 
under-3s, compared with the pre-primary structures for the over-3s.  

In conclusion, the cost of childcare facilities, principally for the under-3s, remains a 
major  obstacle  to  their  take-up  by  parents  in  more  than  half  of  the  Member  States. 
And it is the main factor cited by women who have been compelled to restrict their 
participation in the labour market (involuntary part-time working, or not working at 
all) through lack of childcare facilities17. 

3.3. 

Quality of childcare facilities and conditions of employment 

For  parents,  quality  is  a  key  factor  when  it  comes  to  choosing  which  childcare 
facility  to  entrust  their  children  to.  This  covers  such  considerations  as  the  type  of 
service on offer, quality standards, staff numbers and staff qualifications. Ensuring a 
certain  basic  level  of  quality  for  everyone  is  also  a  question  of  equality  of 
opportunity, for both children and parents. The Commission has already emphasised 
the need to promote the quality of social services of general interest, which of course 
include  early  childcare  services,  notably  through  the  development  of  voluntary 
quality standards18.  

Some  Member  States,  chiefly  those  that  have  already  achieved  a  certain  level  of 
childcare facilities, in quantitative terms, are now focusing on improving the quality, 

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Labour Force Survey, module 2005, Reconciliation between work and family life.  
COM(2007)725 

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particularly  as  regards  staff  training.  The  need  for  improvements  in  this  field  has 
been  recognised  at  Community  level19.  However,  there  is  a  marked  difference 
between childcare services (which tend to be for younger children) and nursery-type 
education  (for  children  aged  3  and  older),  except  in  those  countries  which  have 
created  an  integrated  service  extending  all  the  way  from  early  childhood  to 
mandatory school age. This impacts not only on how childcare is planned but also on 
the  levels  of  training  required  and  the  average  wages  of  childcare  workers,  which 
vary  widely  between  countries  and  even  between  the  different  types  of  service 
provision within a single country. 

For  example,  carers  for  very  young  children  are  generally  required  to  have  been 
trained to technical secondary level, or even have a higher education diploma. Their 
actual level of training, however, depends very much on the type of childcare facility 
they work in, and some self-employed child carers have no specific training in this 
field. In contrast, most individuals working in pre-school education services have a 
graduate qualification, in the same way as primary school teachers.  

The  number  of  jobs  in  the  early  childcare  sector  has  increased  very  markedly  in 
recent years in the EU due to the strong demand. However, in some cases the terms 
of employment (for example part-time contracts or atypical contracts) do not attract 
workers to this sector, which is characterised by a shortage of qualified staff and very 
high  staff  turnover  rates20.  Moreover,  this  is  one  of  the  most  female-dominated 
professions  (males  account  for  less  than  5%  of  the  workforce  in  most  Member 
States) and this may be an impediment to the sector achieving a higher-status profile 
and combating gender stereotypes.  

Another  factor  affecting  the  quality  of  childcare  services  is  the  ratio  of  adults  to 
children, which varies widely between Member States, ranging between 1 to 3 and 1 
to  7  for  the  younger  age  group  and  between  1  to  6  and  1  to  19  for  the  older  age 
group. There are also wide differences between Member States as regards mandatory 
ratios and compliance with them in practice.  

As regards the other quality standards, the State usually has an important regulatory 
and  monitoring  role  to  play,  even  if  these  powers  are  nowadays  increasingly  being 
devolved to decentralised levels. There is also a trend towards more diverse forms of 
childcare, especially private crèches or home carers, which gives parents more choice 
but does not make procedures for monitoring the quality of childcare any easier. 

Improving  the  quality  of  childcare  demands  an  adherence  to  strict  standards,  with 
enforcement  through  official  checks,  but  it  also  demands  all  childcare  workers 
having  a  specified  minimum  level  of  training,  better  working  conditions  and  more 
opportunities for continuing training, and being given proper recognition, especially 
in terms of remuneration.  

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See Council documents 14136/07 and 6706/07 
EFILWC, The childcare services sector – what future?, 2006 

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4. 

CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES  

Six  years  on  from  the  adoption  of  the  Barcelona  objectives,  and  with  the  2010 
deadline  approaching,  it  looks  as  though  most Member  States will fail to reach  the 
targets. Although there has been some progress made, a lot still needs to be done to 
achieve satisfactory levels of childcare provision, particularly for the under-3s. 

In  addition,  childcare  facilities  are  not  always  financially  affordable,  and  their 
opening  hours  are  not  always  compatible  with  full-time  employment  or  with  jobs 
involving  atypical  hours.  This  prevents  parents,  especially  women,  from  achieving 
their full productive potential.  

Finally,  there  must  also  be  a  focus  on  improving  the  quality  of  childcare  facilities, 
including ensuring that childcare workers are better trained and more highly valued.  

The Commission has no direct powers in the field of childcare but will continue to 
monitor  the  Barcelona  objectives  regularly  as  part  of  the  Strategy  for  Growth  and 
Employment,  providing  support  through  the  timely  provision  of  good-quality 
comparable  statistics,  and  making  specific  recommendations  to  certain  Member 
States  where  necessary.  In  addition,  the  development  of  childcare  facilities  and  the 
contribution  they  make  to  gender  equality  will  be  analysed  in  the  annual  report  on 
equal opportunities for women and men which the Commission submits to the Spring 
European Council. 

The  Commission  will  also  promote  exchanges  of  national  experiences  relating  to 
childcare  facilities,  through  its  programme  for  the  exchange  of  good  practice  on 
equal  opportunities  between  women  and  men  launched  in  2008,  through  the 
exchange  platform  connected  with  the  European  Alliance  for  Families  and  through 
the  High-Level  Group  on  Gender  Mainstreaming  in  the  Structural  Funds.  The 
Commission will also encourage research into working conditions in the pre-school 
childcare sector and into ensuring that jobs in this field are more highly valued. 

Nevertheless, the centre of gravity remains very largely national, or even regional or 
local.  All  stakeholders,  in  particular  the  national  and  local  authorities  and  social 
partners,  will  need  to  play  an  active  part  in  developing  the  provision  of  accessible, 
affordable and quality early childcare services. Consequently, it is essential that the 
cofinancing  opportunities  offered  by  the  Structural  Funds  and  the  European 
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development be fully exploited in promoting measures 
to  facilitate  the  work-life  balance,  and  in  particular  to  create  better  childcare 
facilities. The Commission applauds the commitment and active involvement of the 
European social partners towards achieving the Barcelona objectives. 

This  report  reflects  the  Commission's  own  commitment,  within  the  limits  of  its 
powers,  to  supporting  the  achievement  of  the  Barcelona  objectives  and  the 
development  of  affordable,  accessible  and  quality  childcare  services  in  order  to 
eliminate  the  obstacles  to  parents'  participation  in  employment,  to  foster  social 
inclusion and to promote equality of opportunity between women and men. 

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