Regina Doherty: Europe Can End Child Poverty - 20 Billion Needed
Regina Doherty addresses the Commission and highlights the persistent reality of child poverty across the European Union and the concrete measures that work to end it. She argues Europe can afford to end child poverty but needs the political courage and at least 20 billion euros in sustained funding to act at scale.
Current situation
Regina Doherty outlines how millions of EU children wake up in homes that struggle to afford food, heating, school supplies or secure housing. She stresses that this is unacceptable in a union founded on opportunity, fairness and solidarity, and that child poverty determines lifelong outcomes for education, health and employment.
What works
Doherty lists proven policy responses: early childhood education, affordable childcare, hot school meals, decent housing, strong family supports, universal health access and secure employment for parents. She presents these as practical, constructive measures already known to policymakers across EU institutions and member states.
Funding and political choice
Doherty calls for the European Child Guarantee and the anti-poverty strategy to be backed by a minimum of 20 billion euros. Her core point: Europe has the means to end child poverty; the real failure is the choice not to provide the necessary funding and political commitment.
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Thank you Chairperson. Commissioner, across the European Union we rightly take pride in being one of the most prosperous, educated and socially developed regions in the world and yet every single day millions of our children are waking up in homes that are struggling to afford food, heating, school supplies or even a secure home, a roof over their head and I have to say that should be a shame on every single one of us. Child poverty is not inevitable and it's not a mystery that needs to be solved because we absolutely know what works. Early childhood education, affordable child care, hot school meals, decent housing, strong family supports, access to health care and supporting parents in secure employment. The real question is whether we have the political courage backed by the financial commitment to consistently act at scale required. No child chooses the circumstances that they're born into and the union built on opportunity, fairness and solidarity. It is simply unacceptable that a child's future can still be determined by the area, their parents income or the member state that they happen to be born in. We must also recognise that poverty in childhood doesn't end in childhood, it follows people throughout their whole lives affecting education, health, employment opportunities and social mobility and if we are really serious about Europe's competitiveness and our long-term prosperity then investing in our children is not charity, it's common sense and that's why initiatives like the European Child Guarantee and the anti-poverty strategy are so important. They're practical, constructive but 20 billion euros is what we need as a bare minimum. Europe can afford to end child poverty, the failure is choosing not to.
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