Parliament’s proposals to eradicate poverty in the EU by 2035

MEPs call on the European Commission to recognise poverty as a violation of human dignity in its future anti-poverty strategy and to work towards eradicating it by 2035 at the latest. In an own-initiative report, adopted with 385 votes in favour, 141 against and 53 abstentions, the plenary also calls for funds to combat poverty in the EU’s long-term budget and for greater coordination between the EU and Member States.

Child poverty

In view of the growing number of children at risk of poverty, Parliament calls for greater support for EU countries to implement the European Child Guarantee and ensure access to free care, healthcare and education, as well as healthy food. In this regard, MEPs are calling for a minimum allocation of €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee. According to the text, Member States should allocate at least 5% of the European Social Fund to specific projects to combat child poverty, and 10% in countries with levels of child poverty and social exclusion above the European average.

Combating poverty through employment

Full employment and social protection, according to MEPs, should be general objectives of social and economic policies, and the European Commission and Member States should promote policies to protect labour rights and decent wages, as well as equal pay. To tackle poverty among people in employment, MEPs are calling for improved access to child health services and personalised career guidance.

Universal access to public services

The Commission and Member States must invest more resources in policies for universal access to housing, food, water, sanitation, energy and transport. These measures would help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and boost social and labour market inclusion.

Parliament also wants an action plan to end homelessness across the EU by 2030, with specific measures for children and families, people who have lost their jobs and women.

Finally, the report calls for measures to boost the political participation of people experiencing poverty, to involve them in decision-making processes and in the development of policies that affect them.

Statement by the rapporteur

João Oliveira (The Left, Portugal) said: “The strategy to combat poverty must be ambitious. It must address the structural causes of poverty, promote a fairer distribution of wealth, improve working conditions, ensure solid investment in public services and guarantee access to decent housing for all. The active participation of people experiencing poverty in policy design, as well as an adequate budget, are essential to achieving this.”

Background

According to data from the European Commission, 93.3 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, 20 million of whom were children (a quarter of the child population across the EU). In 2021, Parliament called for a European strategy against poverty with ambitious targets to reduce poverty and extreme poverty by 2030.

Under the 2021 European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU committed to reducing the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 15 million by 2030, including 5 million children. As part of this commitment, the European Commission is developing the first European strategy against poverty, which is expected to be presented in 2026.

More information: European Parliament