contribute to the implementation of the European Commission Communication on the EU strategy on the Rights of the Child and the proposal for a Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee, by ensuring that local and regional authorities, who play a major role in providing basic services in the fight against poverty, take part to the shaping of these policies;
Reiterate the key messages included in previous opinions of the European Committee of the Regions underlying the importance of the role that local and regional authorities play in the fight against child poverty and the promotion of children’s rights;
Issue recommendations to the European Union and its Members States on how existing European measures aiming at combating child poverty and promote children’s rights could be further adapted to local and regional realities, as well as on how to ensure that stakeholders at local and regional levels are better informed on the different policies and measures adopted in that field;
Stress out the willingness and availability of the European Committee of the Regions to take part to future dialogues and cooperation on matters related to child and youth policy, alongside the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, civil society, including children rights associations, and any other relevant stakeholders;
Underline the importance of the efficient use of European funds; issue recommendations on how the European Union could better support national, regional and local authorities which invoke the intervention of European funds in the view of fighting child poverty;
M. Jari Andersson was invited as a keynote speaker to several events where he was abe to promote the vision of the CoR on child poverty and the role of local and regional authorities in increasing the access to basic services for children.
Among these events, M. Andersson was invited as a speaker to the workshop"NoTaboos – What is for the communities in extreme poverty in the EU?" on October 2021, in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities.
M. Andersson was also invited to present his Opinion at the high level conference on "Child Guarantee - Equal Chances for Every Child", organsied by the Slovenian Presidency of the EU, that took place on the 9th November 2021.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- welcomes the European Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation Establishing a European Child Guarantee and the Commission Communication on an EU strategy on the rights of the child, whose objective is to effectively encourage the efforts of the Member States and local and regional authorities to reduce child poverty and improve children's rights to ensure greater fairness and inclusiveness in the Union, and in regions and municipalities/cities. The subsidiarity principle must be respected in the process;
- emphasises the need to define good practices for reducing child poverty and to improve access to key children's services and the enforcement of children's rights; recommends here that local and regional authorities be included in efforts to raise awareness and share good practices across the Union, and suggests that international, national and regional conferences and study visits be organised to this end;
- calls on the Commission and the Member States to guarantee that the EU strategy on the rights of the child is appropriately financed, ensuring that EU internal and external funding, as well as national budgets, adequately support implementation of the priorities set out in the strategy;
- opposes detention of children on migration grounds. The child's best interest must be the guiding principle;
- encourages the European Union and its Member States to step up the promotion of dialogue between national decision-makers and young people. In this regard, proposes the organisation of joint workshops, in cooperation with the local authorities, aimed at involving young people in decision making and taking into account their views regarding policy developments that concern them.