The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution by MEP David Casa geared at strengthening the "child guarantee", two years on from its adoption.

The resolution called for an urgent increase in funding to combat child poverty, with a dedicated budget of €20 billion by 2027 through a budgetary revision and a reinforcement of the multi-billion European Social Fund+, which Casa negotiated on behalf of the European Parliament.

A long-time supporter of the European Child Guarantee, Casa led resolution negotiations on behalf of the EPP Group.

He pointed out that in spite of several calls and resolutions by the EP, the Commission has failed to include this call in its mid-term revision of the multi-annual financial framework. 

The resolution urged governments to improve the quality of their national action plans, through which measures are targeted to address child poverty.

“Collecting and sharing of data remains one of the obstacles for the better implementation of the child guarantee,” Casa stated. “We need to ensure that the best practices are shared and streamlined among member states.”

The resolution reiterates the importance of tackling poverty through a holistic approach, to ensure better nutrition, for instance through hot meals in schools, better access to education and healthcare, and housing.

“Poverty is something children inherit,” Casa declared. “Our society will not be fair for as long as there are still children who are hungry.

“There is still a great deal of work to be done.”