(ANS – Brussels) – As a member of the European Alliance for Investing in Children, Don Bosco International (DBI) welcomes the adoption on February 12 by the European Parliament of the INI report on the development of a new EU strategy against poverty. The document places the protection of vulnerable children and adolescents at the heart of the European social and democratic project, alongside strengthened efforts to combat child poverty.
This achievement is significant because it shows that, even at a time when political debate is dominated by competitiveness and security, the European Parliament can still choose a different path—one that views poverty as a violation of human dignity and human rights and recognizes the need for coordinated and comprehensive solutions involving all levels of government and civil society.
For the Alliance and its members, this also marks a milestone in their advocacy efforts. Through ongoing engagement with stakeholders in the European Parliament, they helped secure a strong chapter on child protection and child poverty.
The main outcome is Parliament’s call to allocate a dedicated budget of at least €20 billion to the European Child Guarantee in the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034 (the European budget), to be implemented through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). This is accompanied by a strengthened commitment requiring Member States to allocate at least 5% of ESF+ resources to structural projects and investments aimed at combating child poverty, with at least 10% earmarked for Member States where child poverty and social exclusion exceed the EU average. This reflects exactly the ambition long advocated: predictable, ring-fenced, multiannual resources proportionate to a crisis affecting approximately one in four children in the EU.
Importantly, Parliament’s appeal also recognizes that the European Child Guarantee is already producing tangible results. National action plans, ESF+ investments, biennial reporting, and coordinated implementation have expanded school meal programs, strengthened inclusion measures, and supported innovative social models that would not exist without this European framework. The report underscores a clear commitment to prevention and child well-being across essential services: improving the quality of early childhood education and care through adequate financial and human resources, strengthening after-school programs, and addressing early school dropout by enhancing staff training and early warning systems. Such early and preventive investments are not “optional social spending,” but the most effective way to reduce lifelong inequalities and break the cycle of poverty.
The report also promotes a child- and youth-centered approach to social protection, including targeted benefits and practical measures such as family allowances, school meal programs, and cost-reduction initiatives for cultural, sports, recreational, and extracurricular activities. This aligns with calls for welfare systems that prevent deprivation, support families, and reduce long-term social costs.
Equally important is Parliament’s strong emphasis on prevention and child protection. It calls for safeguarding every child’s right to family life, ensuring that poverty is not used as the sole reason for institutionalization, and investing in family- and community-based care, including safe foster care systems. The report condemns violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect, and urges investment in integrated child protection systems, including efforts to combat online bullying and violence, which disproportionately affect children in vulnerable situations.
Finally, the report reiterates a longstanding principle: ending poverty requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach involving Member States, local and regional authorities, social partners, and civil society. This parliamentary victory must now be translated into decisive action by the European Commission, which is preparing to strengthen the European Child Guarantee.
Read the statement of the European Alliance for Investing in Children.