The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament firmly believe that ensuring Europe’s security also means preserving its unique social model. To achieve this, it is essential to protect and strengthen the European Social Fund - the only EU fund entirely dedicated to social priorities, including the fight against child poverty. 

It is therefore shocking that the European People’s Party (EPP) has once again chosen to align with the far right - this time to undermine the European Parliament’s long-standing call for a dedicated budget of at least €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee, a key tool in combating child poverty.

Gaby Bischoff, S&D vice-president for social Europe, said:

“The EPP’s decision to abandon the fight against child poverty is outrageous. At a time of monumental geopolitical shifts and existential social challenges driven by climate change, digitalisation and the rising cost of living, Europe should be strengthening its social model, not dismantling it.   

“In this context, the European Social Fund - including the dedicated budget of at least €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee - must play a crucial role and remain the primary instrument supporting member states in ensuring high employment levels and strong social protection.

“The European Parliament must send a clear message to the European Commission that no actions should endanger the fund’s future or undermine its impact. We deeply regret that conservatives fail to recognise the urgency of this.” 

Marit Maij, S&D MEP and European Parliament’s rapporteur on the European Social Fund, added:

“Currently, 25% of children in the EU - almost 20 million - are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. We have set a goal to reduce child poverty by at least five million by 2030. To achieve this, a dedicated budget at an EU level is essential. 

“It is therefore incomprehensible why conservatives chose to align with the far right to remove the reference to a dedicated budget of at least €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee from the report. This decision undermines the very foundation of our social Europe.

“More broadly, the S&Ds firmly oppose any attempts to split or merge the existing European Social Fund+ with other funds, as this would pose serious risks to the effective implementation of its objectives.   

“We call for a strong, reinforced and separate fund with a significantly increased budget in the 2028-2034 financial framework. This is essential to preserving its mission of providing support to the most vulnerable, lift people out of poverty and social exclusion, and drive greater social investment.”

Note to editors:

Today, the European Parliament voted on the report on the future of the European Social Fund+ (ESF+). The aim is to set clear priorities for the fund in preparation of the next multiannual EU budget 2028-2034. As one of the key cohesion funds, the ESF+ is crucial because it is the only EU fund entirely dedicated to social priorities.

The European Child Guarantee, established in 2021, aims to prevent and combat social exclusion by ensuring that children in need have effective access to free early childhood education and care, free education (including school-based activities and at least one healthy meal per school day), free healthcare, healthy nutrition, and adequate housing.