Eurochild urges Luxembourgish EU Presidency to prioritize poverty reduction

One in four children in Europe are at risk of poverty or exclusion, reaching epidemic levels in countries like Greece where it affects 40% of the child population. High child poverty levels are a good predictor of how our societies will fare in the future. EU leaders can ill afford not to give it their full attention. In view of the upcoming mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy this year, Eurochild calls for specific, comparable, national child poverty targets to end the invisibility of children.

“We welcome Luxembourg’s commitment to a more social Presidency of the EU. A more equal society needs a solid foundation of investment measures, balanced on social and economic needs, neither one weighing over the other. We cannot let our children down by forcing punitive measures that would prevent real investment in the future,” said Eurochild Secretary General Jana Hainsworth.

This week, Luxembourg ratified the Third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child providing children with the opportunity to access justice at international levels. Eurochild urges this Presidency to encourage all member states to follow its lead.

Eurochild’s full set of recommendations to the Luxembourgish Presidency of the Council of the European Union are available here.