When the European Commission comes forward with a new 10-year strategy on children’s rights later this month, the S&D Group want to see measures that help alleviate the worst effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on children, including the exacerbation of child poverty in Europe.

Debated in plenary this afternoon, the European Parliament’s report on children’s rights will be voted on tomorrow (Thursday 11 March) following widespread support by political groups in the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee last week.

Javier Moreno Sánchez, S&D spokesperson on the children’s rights strategy, said:

“Growing up in the pandemic has been extremely difficult for children. To guarantee the pandemic does not have lasting effects on these children, either at school or in the home, we need to take immediate action. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, 1 in 4 children were at risk of extreme poverty in Europe and the pandemic is making a bad situation worse: as many as 117 million more children are now at risk of falling below the national poverty lines in the EU. For the Socialists and Democrats, children’s rights must play a central role in member states’ national Recovery Plans for the crisis.

“In the Commission’s strategy we also expect to see concrete measures that invest in eradicating child poverty in Europe, including a well-funded European Child Guarantee. There should be new tools to measure how much governments are investing in children. With more transparency, we will be able to identify investment gaps that need to be closed, and will provide a good estimate of the proportion of the EU’s budget being spent on supporting child rights.    

In the week that marks International Women’s Day, it is also crucial to highlight the gender dimension in children’s rights. We are determined to make the well-being and empowerment of girls a priority in the Commission’s strategy.”