Children and Families

In many EU countries, families with children are at a higher risk of poverty than others. What’s more, children growing up in poverty and exclusion are likely to become entangled in a ‘cycle’, transmitting it from generation to generation and addressing the issue is thus crucial to achieving a more sustainable social and economic development in Europe.

Child poverty constitutes a denial of children’s rights as it generally entails a lower access to resources and opportunities, with adverse affects on their health, education and general well-being.

This multi-dimensional problem has been taken to heart by the EU’s Heads of State and Government, who pledged, in the conclusions of the 2005 and 2006 Spring Summits, to significantly reduce child poverty and give all children equal opportunities, regardless of their social background.

Several policy assessments and Peer Reviews have addressed various aspects of this issue.