Regions and cities call for specific measures to fight poverty in the EU

The CoR study highlights uneven progress and rising poverty in some developed EU member states, including France and Germany.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion on the forthcoming EU anti-poverty strategy at its plenary session on 14 October, following a debate with Roxana Minzatu, executive vice-president for social rights and empowerment. Led by Yonnec Polet (BE/PES), councillor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, the opinion underlines the urgent need for ambitious and coordinated action to tackle the persistent challenge of poverty and social exclusion across Europe, a key objective of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Despite recent economic growth, more than 93.3 million people in the EU, more than one fifth of the population, remain at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Vulnerable groups such as children, young adults, single parents, older people, people with disabilities, Roma communities, migrants and people living in rural or disadvantaged regions are disproportionately affected.

Local and regional representatives call for stronger support including minimum income schemes that keep pace with inflation and reduce the number of non-users of social benefits, decisive action to eradicate child poverty, urgent measures to tackle in-work poverty and investment in affordable housing and homelessness prevention. The anti-poverty strategy must also go hand in hand with the Skills Union strategy to equip people with future-oriented skills. CoR members also stress the need for EU funding to be more accessible and targeted, enabling regions and cities to implement anti-poverty measures tailored to their communities.

Recognising the marked disparities in poverty levels across Europe, sometimes within the same Member State, the CoR urges EU policies and resources to reflect these regional differences. As the European Commission plans to present the first EU Poverty Strategy in early 2026, the CoR calls for an ambitious and realistic plan in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, aiming not only to alleviate but also to eradicate poverty, in line with the recent statement by the President of the European Commission in her SOTEU speech, which called for the eradication of poverty in the EU by 2050.

In support of this, the CoR study ‘Towards a new EU poverty strategy’ examines poverty trends, social protection governance and local case studies in the EU. It shows that while overall poverty has declined since 2015, progress is uneven, and in several developed countries, such as France and Germany, the risk of poverty is increasing. Almost 40% of EU regions suffer from poverty above the EU average, with inequalities according to age, gender, education and employment. The results highlight the crucial role of local and regional authorities in the provision of social protection, as they increasingly manage anti-poverty measures despite reduced national spending.

More information: European Committee of the Regions