04/03/2026
On 12 February, the European Parliament voted on a report that for the first time sets out recommendations to combat poverty and social exclusion across the EU, ahead of the launch of the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. With more than 93 million people still at risk, the urgency is clear: Europe needs a strong, coherent and rights-based approach.
Tackling poverty in the EU
While tackling poverty and social exclusion is primarily the responsibility of Member States, the EU has long recognised that this is a shared political duty. It is written into the Union’s foundations and reflected in its social agenda, which allows the EU to support and strengthen national efforts.
In recent years, poverty reduction has regained relevance through the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). Under its action plan, the EU committed to reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, including at least 5 million children.
Yet progress has been slow, and in some cases, poverty has even increased for the most vulnerable groups. This is why the European Commission is now preparing the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, which will provide essential protection to people and tackle the root causes of poverty. It is a crucial opportunity to turn commitments into concrete, structural change. The Commission is expected to launch the Strategy on 6 May.
Combating poverty – but not for all
The adopted report calls for tackling child poverty, ensuring equal pay for equal work and universal access to basic necessities, as well as setting the goal of ending homelessness across the EU by 2030. However, while adoption of the report is an important step forward, many organisations, including members of the Coalition on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, expressed concern about the diluted form of the adopted report. The worrying amendments include:
- Exclusion of migrants and undocumented people from the list of vulnerable groups.
- Rejection of amendments to strengthen the link between environmental policies and poverty eradication.
- Left out proposal for dedicated budget and a new work plan for the European Platform on Combating Homelessness (EPOCH).
The weakening of key structural proposals results in a more limited scope and raises questions about the inclusivity of the Strategy. The exclusion of migration and environmental aspects reflects a broader shift toward conservative values, which may shape the future direction of the EU’s social agenda. Moreover, failing to recognise the key role of EPOCH, a platform intended to foster collaboration between EU institutions and civil society organisations on poverty eradication, highlights the growing sidelining of CSOs in EU policymaking.
If the report rightly recognises poverty as a violation of human dignity, it must avoid creating divisions among those affected by it. To achieve the ambitious goal of eradicating poverty across the EU, the Strategy must adopt an inclusive approach that guarantees equal consideration, support, and protection for all those affected, leaving no one marginalised. As responsibility shifts to the Commission, The Good Lobby joins the call for a collaborative and inclusive approach to systemic poverty eradication in the EU.