The European Commission has presented a package covering poverty reduction, housing exclusion, child poverty and disability rights, setting out a long-term objective to help end poverty in the EU by 2050.
The European Commission has presented a new social policy package aimed at reducing poverty, improving access to housing, strengthening support for children at risk, and updating EU action on the rights of persons with disabilities.
The package, published on 6 May, includes the EU’s first Anti-Poverty Strategy, a proposed Council recommendation on housing exclusion, a communication on strengthening the European Child Guarantee, and an enhanced strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030.
The initiative is framed around the EU’s existing 2030 target of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million, including at least five million children. The Commission also sets out a longer-term objective of helping to end poverty in the EU by 2050.
According to the Commission, one in five Europeans is currently at risk of poverty or social exclusion. For children, the figure rises to one in four. The package links these risks to the cost of living, labour market change, housing pressure and unequal access to services.
The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy is built around three main areas: quality jobs, access to essential services and income support, and better coordination between EU, national and local authorities. The Commission presents employment as the main route out of poverty for those able to work, while also recognising that work alone does not always prevent financial insecurity.
The housing element of the package addresses a policy area that has become increasingly central to EU social debate. The Commission states that house prices have risen by 60 per cent across the EU since 2013, while one in three people at risk of poverty faces housing cost overburden. It also says almost 17 per cent of the EU population lives in overcrowded housing conditions, and that around one million people are affected by some form of homelessness.
The proposed Council recommendation on fighting housing exclusion shifts the emphasis from emergency responses to prevention and long-term housing solutions. The approach includes earlier identification of households at risk, more stable housing for homeless people, increased social and affordable housing, and integrated support to help people remain in secure accommodation.
The child poverty component seeks to strengthen the European Child Guarantee, which was adopted in 2021 to improve access to key services for children in vulnerable situations. The Commission says child poverty has not meaningfully improved over the past five years and warns that growing up in poverty nearly doubles the risk of poverty in adulthood.
The proposed approach for children focuses on family access to quality jobs, childcare and safety nets; access for vulnerable children to services needed for health, education and development; and stronger investment by public authorities and partners. It also refers to risks to children’s safety and wellbeing both online and offline.
The package also updates the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities up to 2030. The Commission says around 90 million people in the EU live with a disability, representing more than one in five Europeans. It identifies persistent barriers in employment, independent living and social inclusion.
The Commission says only half of persons with disabilities participate in the labour market, while 1.4 million still live in institutional settings. It also states that one in three persons with disabilities remains at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The revised strategy will focus on implementation, including the European Disability Card, the European Parking Card for Persons with Disabilities, transport accessibility, independent living, inclusive education, employment and emergency preparedness.
The next stage will depend partly on Member States. The Commission will support implementation of the anti-poverty strategy and the strengthened Child Guarantee, while the proposed housing recommendation will be discussed by national governments for adoption by the Council.
The package does not create a single binding EU social law instrument. Instead, it combines strategy documents, recommendations and policy coordination. Its practical effect will therefore depend on national implementation, funding priorities, local administrative capacity, and the extent to which Member States align their housing, welfare, labour market and disability policies with the Commission’s framework.
For Brussels, the initiative places social policy back on the agenda at a time when economic pressure, housing affordability and demographic change are shaping political debate across the EU. The central question is whether a package based largely on coordination and recommendations can produce measurable changes in areas that remain heavily dependent on national and local policy decisions.
