Debate: European Child Guarantee
Date: WEDNESDAY, 28 APRIL 2021
Speaker: Nicolas Schmit
Language: EN

You have played a pioneering role in encouraging this ambitious Commission proposal and you have played an active role in our common efforts to reduce child poverty and social exclusion. And we just now heard that this has to be a priority. This is not a question of choice. This is a question of moral obligation, and I was very glad to hear from the Council President that the Council sees that the same way. I do not need to remind you of the shocking reality that in today’s Europe, more than one out of five children face poverty and social exclusion risk. Ms Nicholsonová you have given a name to this shocking reality. You have given a name to these children, with their needs, with their dreams and their hopes, which will stay unfulfilled forever, and their future which will not be, in many cases, a bright future.  I think there is a problem beyond child poverty as such. There is also the issue of communities suffering most from exclusion and especially children from these communities suffering from exclusion. We also all know that the current crisis is particularly affecting children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also from families that have lost their income and single-parent families.  Because we want to build a better and fairer Europe, we need to tackle inequalities, poverty and social exclusion at their roots. We need to break the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, and invest in children now, in their well-being and in their equal opportunities to safeguard their economic and social and, I would say, personal future, but also our future, our collective future.  The European child guarantee is only part of the overall response. Reducing child poverty requires contribution from other initiatives as well. Improving the income situation of families in poverty is linked to improving the performance of our economies, labour market participation, working conditions and strengthening social protection systems, investment in affordable housing and also financial support for families. That is why further implementing the European pillar of social rights, in line with our recent action plan, is key.  We all need to work towards the target set to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 5 million by 2030, and this is an important contribution for our general objective to reduce poverty by at least 15 million.  Social investment requires not only decisive policy actions but also well—devised financial support. The major part of funding supporting the implementation of the child guarantee needs to come from the Member States themselves, obviously. They should realise that if they invest and put in place the right policies now, they avoid much higher costs for individuals and society at a later stage. The EU budget will have different EU funds available to fight child poverty and social exclusion. Those Member States with a level of children at risk of poverty above the EU average for the years 2017 to 2019, meaning above 23.4%, will have to use at least 5% of their European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) resources to targeted actions and structural reforms to tackle child poverty. Eleven Member States are concerned by this requirement.  The remaining Member States should allocate an appropriate amount of their ESF+ resources to targeted actions to combat child poverty. The Commission will assess whether an amount is appropriate depending on each Member State’s particular national situation.  In addition to the ESF, the Commission will call upon the Member States to maximise synergies and make optimal use of the European Regional Development Fund, ReactEU, InvestEU, the recovery and resilience facility, and the technical support instrument.  In line with the objectives set by one of the pillars of the recovery and resilience facility, focusing on children and youth, it is important that adequate investments and reforms are covered in the national recovery and resilience plans with a view to boosting inclusive and quality early—childhood education and care and health care, if we want to create the conditions for more resilient economies and societies. The pandemic has interrupted the education of an entire generation. Children living in poverty pay the heaviest price as inequalities in learning widen. Many children and young people do not have access to remote learning. For those who rely on school-based nutrition programmes, closures of their schools means being cut off from the food they need to learn and thrive. We must do more to reach out to those children and families to understand their needs better and offer them tailor-made support. The child guarantee encourages Member States to develop effective outreach strategies, particularly at local level. It also highlights the role of schools, civil society organisations, the social economy, social and family services, and other actors in raising awareness and encouraging the take-up of the services covered by the child guarantee.  Honourable Members, I appreciate your question on the integrated and multi-dimensional approach to tackling child poverty and social exclusion. This is what the Commission has been strongly encouraging for many years. Now is the time to act more decisively. Child poverty and social exclusion can only be effectively addressed if we put in place a comprehensive strategy encompassing all relevant policy areas, social employment, economic and also transfer policies. The child guarantee offers guidance to Member States on how to build a strong, enabling framework and a multi-dimensional approach to support children in need, and encourages them to develop effective prevention measures based on encompassing national plans and the leading role of national coordinators.  At the European level, we will support Member States in this endeavour through the range of initiatives in the framework of the European pillar of social rights. Finally, the monitoring of the impact of the child guarantee is key. Indeed, the adoption of the recommendation, which we hope to have happen soon – and I appreciate very much the ambition of the Portuguese Presidency – is only a first step in our work. We will need to concentrate on its successful implementation. Supporting the quantitative and qualitative monitoring and evaluation of the child guarantee is crucial and remains a priority for the Commission. The proposal envisages strengthened arrangements in this regard. We will monitor the child guarantee in the framework of the European Semester, supported by the revised social scoreboard and its new headline indicator on children at risk of poverty or social exclusion. We will work closely with Member States and national child—guarantee coordinators. The Social Protection Committee will be our partner in the joint effort to develop a common monitoring framework. In this spirit, the Commission will also review the implementation of the child guarantee if necessary five years after its adoption.