About Eurochild:
Eurochild is a network of organisations and individuals working in and across Europe to improve the quality of life of children and young people. Their work is underpinned by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Eurochild is funded by the European Commission.
Excerpts from the press release:
Europe is facing difficult times but the turmoil must not jeopardise investment in children and families otherwise the losses in human and social capital will be unquantifiable. We should not risk long term investments for short term gains.
The Europe 2020 Strategy provides an opportunity to give a new impetus to the fight against child poverty in the EU with an ambitious goal of taking 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. But this strategy will only succeed if a coherent, inclusive approach to supporting, strengthening and empowering children and families most at risk is adopted.
During the Eurochild Annual Conference several key elements for success have been identified:
- Europe must be prepared to back local, national and regional authorities in their efforts.
- The long awaited Recommendation on Child Poverty and Well-being - which is scheduled for 2012 - will provide a clear framework for the EU and Member States. We urge European and National politicians to give the Recommendation priority attention.
- Eurochild and its members will continue campaigning for a dedicated EU children's budget.
- We - repeatedly - call for a monitoring framework that facilitates up-to-date data collection on a regular basis.
- Eurochild will publish in 2012 a Compendium of Inspiring Practice as the success of all policies depend on how they are put into practice.
Excerpts from position paper:
In this paper Eurochild addresses the demands, challenges and opportunities for children in the EU's multiannual financial framework 2014-2020.
Ahead of the inter-institutional negotiations, and taking the Commission's proposal as a basis, Eurochild identified the following priorities from the view of child well-being and children's rights regarding the next multiannual financial framework:
Eurochild's key recommendations:
- Children's rights need to be mentioned explicitly and mainstreamed in the next multiannual financial framework.
- A specific children's budget line should be created, based on Article 3 of the Lisbon Treaty.
- The fight against poverty and social exclusion needs to be a clear priority within the Budget 2020 and appropriate resource allocation has to be ensured to support the European Platform against Poverty.
- The role of civil society networks working towards the promotion and protection of children's rights and well-being needs to be acknowledged and the next budget needs to be sustained for core funding of their operation.
- The use of structural funds needs to have as a target to further early childhood education and care.
- Eligibility of EU funding for de-institutionalisation needs to be ensured and safeguards put in place that it does not finance institutional child care [child welfare] but rather community-based and family care which includes the promotion of more progressive social services & social protection.
- Macroeconomic conditionalities should not prevent European structural funds from reaching those most in need.
- Stronger involvement of civil society in the allocation of structural funds at national level.