Introduction

• Author: Guio, A-C.; Marlier, E.; Frazer, H.
• Pages: 15-17

Feasibility Study for a Child Guarantee (FSCG) Final Report

15

1. Introduction

1.1 Origins and context for the Feasibility Study for a Child Guarantee

(FSCG)

The number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union (EU)

reached 23 million in 2018, the last year for which this information is available. This figure

had not dropped substantially during the precedi ng years (it was 26 million in 2010).3

The issues of the social inclusion and well-being of children and the promotion of children’s

rights have steadily become more prominent in EU policy as a result of the increased status

given to children’s rights and to the fi ght against poverty and social exclusion since t he

entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009, which has made the EU Charter

of Fundamental Rights4 (CFR) legally binding. The inclusion of a specific target for reducing

the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy

has further helped t o increase the focus on those at risk, including children.5 The EU

Recommendation ‘Investing in chil dren: breaking the cycle of di sadvantage’, proposed by

the European Commission (February 2013) and endo rsed by the EU Council of Ministers

(July 2013), has provided a clear framework for the Commission and EU Member States to

develop policies and programmes to promote the social inclusion and well-being of children,

especially those in vulnerable situations .6 More recently, the adoption of a European Pillar

of Social Rights (EPSR), which was jointly proclaimed by the European Parliament, the

Council of the EU, and the European Commissio n on 17 November 2017, and in particular

Principle 11, reinforces the importance of promoting children’s rights.7 It i s also important

to note that al l Member States have ratified the United Nat ions Convention on the Rights

of the Child (UNCRC)8 and this Convention should thus guide nati onal and (sub-)national

policies and measures that have an impact on the rights of the child. In addition, although

the EU has not ratified the UNCRC, the 2013 EU Recommendation on investing in children

specifically states that: ‘The standards and principles of the UNCRC must continue to guide

EU policies and actions that have an impact on the rights of the child ’.

In spite of the growing political commitment to promoting children’s rights and well-being,

as well as the stronger legal framework and clearer policy guidance, progress has been

slow; and, although there have been some recent reductions in levels of risk of poverty or

social exclusion in those Member States where it is highest, hi gh levels of child poverty or

social exclusion persist in many EU Member States, particularly for some groups of

children. Recent studies on the implementation of the 2013 EU Recommendation, by the

European Commission9 and the European Social Policy Network (ESPN),10 highlight the fact

that much more needs to be done t o ensure its effective implementation. Thi s has b een

reinforced by various reports from key European networks such as Eurochild,11 the

European Anti-Poverty Network, the European Social Network (ESN) and Save the

Children. These various reports also highlight the fact that, in spite of some increase in the

use of EU funds to support families and children from disadvantag ed backgrounds, these

funds could be much more extensively and strategically used. In this context, on 24

November 2015 the European Parliament voted for a proposition to combat child poverty

and social exclusion, and to ensure the effective implementation of the 2013 EU

3 These EU figures are for the 28 countries that were members of the EU up until 31 January 2020.

4 EU (2012).

5 European Commission (2010a). See also: Marlier, Natali, and Van Dam (2010).

6 European Commission (2013).

7 EU (2017). Principle 11 of the EPSR is devoted to children: ‘Children have the right to affordable early

childhood education and care of good quality. Children have the right to protection from poverty. Children from

disadvantaged backgrounds have the right to specific measures to enhance equal opportunities.’

8 UN General Assembly (1989).

9 European Commission (2017a).

10 Frazer and Marlier (2017).

11 See for instance Eurochild (2018) and previous annual reports monitoring the European Semester.