The European Parliament today adopted with a strong majority a resolution geared at “Strengthening the Child Guarantee, two years on from its adoption.”

Casa, a long-time supporter of the European Child Guarantee, led negotiations on behalf of the EPP Group.

The resolution called for an urgent increase in funding to combat child poverty, with a dedicated budget of EUR 20 billion by 2027 through a budgetary revision and a reinforcement of the multi-billion European Social Fund +, which Casa negotiated on behalf of the European Parliament earlier this mandate.

“The European Parliament has made this call on a numerous occasions, numerous resolutions have been passed, a majority of the Parliament supports this increase. Yet, once again, the Commission failed to include this call in the mid-term revision of the multi-annual financial framework,” Casa stressed. 

The resolution urged governments to improve the quality of their National Action Plans, through which measures are targeted to address child poverty.

“Collecting and sharing of data remains one of the obstacles for the better implementation of the Child Guarantee,” Casa stated. “We need to ensure that the best practices are shared and streamlined among Member States.”

The resolution re-iterates the importance of tackling poverty through a holistic approach, to ensure better nutrition, for instance through hot meals in schools, better access to education and healthcare, and housing.

In his address to plenary yesterday, Casa turned the Parliament’s attention to the vulnerability of children, who also suffered the effects of global crises but were worst equipped to handle them.

“Poverty is something children inherit,” Casa declared. “Our society will not be fair for as long as there are still children who are hungry.

“There is still a great deal of work to be done.”