Strengthening families means fighting child poverty effectively

Niels Geuking
3 days ago
2 min read

Today, I had the opportunity to participate in an important discussion at the European Parliament on the future of the European Child Guarantee and the new European Anti Poverty Strategy. The central question was how we can sustainably fight child poverty across Europe and what role strong families play in achieving this goal.

Together with representatives from the European Commission, researchers, parents’ associations and civil society organisations, we discussed how social exclusion can be prevented from the earliest stages of life. For me, one thing is clear: child poverty rarely exists in isolation. It is closely linked to the realities families face every day, including childcare, education, housing and balancing family life with work.

The European Child Guarantee has been an important step towards improving children’s access to education, healthcare, nutrition and childcare. At the same time, we also need to focus much more strongly on how we support parents and strengthen families structurally. Sustainable social policy should not only react once problems already exist. It must start with stable family environments and fair opportunities from the very beginning.

In my intervention, I emphasised that family policy must no longer be treated as a secondary issue. Families need affordable childcare, fair working conditions, greater recognition for parenting and care work, and genuine freedom of choice between family life and career. If we want to strengthen children, we must strengthen parents.

The discussion also highlighted the situation of mothers, who still carry the largest share of care responsibilities in many parts of society while facing significant economic and social pressure. This is why family policy, gender equality and anti poverty measures must be considered together.

If Europe truly wants to fight child poverty effectively, families must be placed at the centre of our policies. Investing in families means investing in social cohesion, equal opportunities and ultimately in Europe’s future.