Workshop on the implementation of the EU CG brings together representatives of two counties

Strengthening the capacities of local and regional self-government units to implement the European Child Guarantee was the focus of a two-day workshop held in Opatija on 7 and 8 October 2026. The workshop was jointly organised by the UNICEF Office for Croatia and the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy as part of the project “Croatia – Strengthening the Framework for the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Council Recommendation Establishing a European Child Guarantee”, financed by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI).

The workshop brought together representatives of local and regional self-government units from Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties, working in the areas of social welfare and child protection, education, health, housing, strategic planning, and data collection and analysis. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen their capacities to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the National Action Plan (NAP CG).

The workshop programme covered several thematic areas, ranging from strategic planning of measures for children at risk of poverty and social exclusion, alignment of county plans with NAP CG measures, and the application of the theory of change as a tool for planning and monitoring, to the policy and framework of the European Child Guarantee and the obligations it entails for EU Member States. Particular attention was also given to monitoring, reporting and evaluation systems, the availability of data on children at risk of poverty, cross-sectoral cooperation, and participatory approaches to involving stakeholders in the development and monitoring of policies for children.

Through presentations, group work, case analysis and facilitated discussions, participants exchanged experiences and jointly identified priorities for further improvements. The workshop also strengthened cross-sectoral cooperation and contributed to a better understanding of the link between national-level measures and concrete services available to children at the local level.