EU Child Guarantee Conference

The European Child Guarantee (ECG) is an initiative by the European Union, endorsed by a Council Recommendation on 14 June 2021. It aims at preventing or breaking the cycle of poverty and social exclusion experienced by disadvantaged children.  Thus, the Child Guarantee aims to prevent and combat the social exclusion of vulnerable children by guaranteeing access to critical services. Inclusive and universal access is vital for ensuring equal opportunities for all children, and in particular those who experience social exclusion due to poverty or other forms of disadvantage.  

The concept of European Child Guarantee

The European Child Guarantee (CG) aims to reduce and prevent child poverty and social exclusion. The concept of being ‘at risk of poverty or social exclusion’ (AROPE) refers to people who are at risk of poverty, or severely materially and socially deprived, or living in a household with a very low work intensity.

The Child Guarantee began in 2015 with a call from the European Parliament to take action ”so that every child in poverty can have access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition, as part of a European integrated plan to combat child poverty”.

This initiative was taken up in 2019 when the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the creation of the European Child Guarantee. Alongside the above actions, three preparatory phases of work were commissioned.

Phase 1 was a feasibility study that gathered data and information from 286 country experts in relation to four key target groups: (a) children in institutions; (b) children with disabilities; (c) children with a migrant background (including refugee children); and (d) children living in precarious family situations. The study reviewed evidence on these children’s living situations under the five thematic areas of the Child Guarantee: housing, health care, nutrition, early years, and education. 

Phase 2 focused on the economic implementation framework of the proposed initiative and its financial foundation. It investigated the potential and cost estimates for free school full meals; free early childhood education and care (ECEC); removing school costs; free regular health examinations and follow-up treatment; and services aimed at preventing and fighting child homelessness. It also looked at cross-cutting initiatives to ensure integrated services. 

Phase 3 aims” to test how the Child Guarantee could work in practice and provide recommendations for its successful design and implementation”. 

UNICEF involvement in ensuring European Child Guarantee

Within the context of the EU, at the time when the Child Guarantee work was initiated, UNICEF had country offices in four countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Romania, and an ‘outpost’ in Italy set up to respond to the Mediterranean refugee crisis. More recently, outposted operations providing refugee and migrant response have also been set up in Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. There are also National Committees in 19 EU countries, including Italy. 

The configuration of UNICEF within the EU-27 explains the way in which Phase 3 of the Child Guarantee was designed. 

During this phase, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provided regular programmatic updates and hosted a few online events to share emerging learning. UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) has partnered with the European Commission to test how the European Child Guarantee could work in practice, which constitutes the third phase of the preparatory action of the ECG. This includes pilot projects in seven Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, and Spain - which will inform the EU-wide implementation of the ECG as well as showcase innovative approaches for the social inclusion of the most disadvantaged children.

European Child Guarantee in Moldova

Moldova’s political commitments have affirmed the path towards European integration and in 2022 Moldova received EU candidate country status. However, many reforms have yet to be developed and implemented to support accession to the European Union. In the context of these changes, there is a need to identify the gaps and develop recommendations on aligning with EU standards and good practices on policies related to and affecting children. 

On 26 September 2024, UNICEF Moldova hosts an international conference to support Moldova's European integration agenda by focusing on policies and reforms that can potentially prevent and alleviate social exclusion, vulnerability, and child poverty.  

More specifically, the conference seeks to: 

• present and discuss international evidence highlighting the importance and impact of the European Child Guarantee in achieving the above goal.
• analyze recommendations and good practices from EU member states implementing the European Child Guarantee, and other relevant contexts.
• identify priorities and strategies for developing the national Child Guarantee framework. 
• agree on a conceptual framework for developing a policy document, ensuring alignment with EU standards and practices, and contributing to the broader Moldova EU Accession Agenda.  

Useful materials for the conference:

Please see the agenda here in English and here in Romanian, and the concept here in English and here in Romanian. 

Please see below the informational factsheets showing the main aspects of the European Child Guarantee in Moldova:

• English versions;
• Romanian versions.

During the EUCG Conference several international and local speakers presented their vision on this topic. The presentations can be downloaded here.

At the end of the conference, a joint declaration was raised by Vasile Cusca, State Secretary, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The declaration represents a clear commitment by all stakeholders - government officials, civil society, international partners and, importantly, the children themselves - to ensure that the principles of the European guarantee for children are integrated into Moldova's national policies.

The conference report can be viewed here.