Combating poverty 2030

Subject: Combating poverty 2030

As part of the March 2021 European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the EU set a target of reducing the number of people living at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, including at least five million children.

1. Does the Commission have a clear vision of how it aims to meet that target?

2. What measures have already been taken that are having a significant positive impact on reducing poverty within the EU?

3. Will the Commission take additional measures to ensure that the target is met by 2030?

Submitted:26.3.2024

Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission

(4 June 2024)

The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan proposed an ambitious EU target to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, that was welcomed by the Porto Social Summit and the European Council (1). Following the action plan invitation, all Member States have defined their national targets in relation to the EU headline target.

At EU level, several initiatives already adopted relate to the poverty reduction target and their implementation will be key for the achievement of the target.

These include, among others, the European Child Guarantee (2), the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion (3), the European Platform on Combating Homelessness (4), the Council Recommendation on Access to social protection (5), the Commission Communication on better assessing the distributional impact of Member States' policies (6) and the directive on adequate minimum wages (7).

The Commission will also continue monitoring poverty developments over the decade, in particular in the context of the European Semester.

The national implementation of the action plan, including its poverty reduction target, is also supported by EU funding, notably the Cohesion Policy funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

In particular, all Member States shall allocate 25% of their envelope under the European Social Fund+ to social inclusion measures and at least 3% to measures to support the most deprived, and many Member States need to allocate 12.5% to youth needs and 3% to child needs.

InvestEU encourages private investments on social goals. The Technical Support Instrument contributes to improving the administrative capacity of public administrations to deliver on the targets.

1 ∙ ⸱ European Council meeting (24 and 25 June 2021) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/50763/2425-06-21-euco-conclusions-en.pdf

2 ∙ ⸱ Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021.

3 ∙ ⸱ Council Recommendation (EU) 2023/C 41/01 of 30 January 2023.

4 ∙ ⸱ Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness of 21 June 2021.

5 ∙ ⸱ Council Recommendation (2019/C 387/01) of 8 November 2019.

6 ∙ ⸱ COM(2022) 494 final.

7 ∙ ⸱ Directive (EU) 2022/2041.