On 12 February, the European Parliament adopted a groundbreaking position in its Report on the development of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, echoing EASPD’s Position Paper that calls for equal access to high-quality, accessible, and affordable social services, as a key pillar within the Anti-Poverty Strategy

In this report, the Parliament recognises poverty not just as an economic problem, but as a violation of human rights that is complex, multidimensional, intersectional, and systemic. It also recognises that poverty disproportionately affects people in vulnerable situations, including people with disabilities and children in institutional care.

Read our full analysis of the report

Key pillars for a comprehensive Anti-poverty strategy

Housing: A right, not a privilege

First, the Parliament urges the Commission to ensure the European Affordable Housing Plan meets the needs of all, especially children, people in poverty, and marginalised communities. It specifically supports the Housing First approach to prevent homelessness and calls to support deinstitutionalisation.

Investing in early childhood

Early childhood intervention is essential to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The European Parliament calls for universal access to affordable, high-quality healthcare, prenatal to paediatric and targeted early childhood intervention services to promote the development, well-being and social inclusion of children.

In addition, it calls for access to mainstream education with accessible physical infrastructure and inclusive curricula, use of assistive technologies and AI to personalise learning, and training for teachers on inclusive pedagogies.

Aligning with the EU Alliance for Investing in Children’s call, of which EASPD is member, the Parliament asks to strengthen the Child Guarantee with 20 billion euros and a minim allocation of 10% of ESF+ funding per Member States to fight child poverty.

Mental health and wellbeing

The resolution stresses that poverty and mental health are mutually reinforcing. It urges Member States to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support services, and to train adequately resourced professionals.

Employment: Decent work, fair wages, and inclusion

The resolution recognises social economy as a driver of inclusion, providing jobs for marginalised groups, and calls for the Quality Jobs Roadmap to ensure a just transition for all workers, including informal workers. Key demands include equal pay for equal work, lifelong learning, upskilling, and reskilling, as well as recognition of informal skills and stronger public employment services with personalised support for long- term unemployed and low-skilled individuals.

Informal care: Recognising invisible labour

The report stresses that unpaid care work, disproportionately done by women, undermines economic security. It calls for stronger public care systems, for children, older people, and individuals with disabilities. Support for informal carers is also crucial, including financial aid and respite services, and decent working conditions for professional care workers. This aligns with EASPD’s long-standing calls, notably the recent Turin Declaration.

Governance: Adequate funding and coordination and participation

The report outlines key elements to ensure the success of the Strategy:

• Meaningful participation of people with lived experience of poverty in policy design and monitoring.
•  Civil society organisations, NGOs, social enterprises, and advocacy groups should be key partners.
• Adequate, sustained funding through the Multiannual Financial Framework and national budgets.
• An ESF+ budget that support social inclusion and anti- poverty measures, notably to the most deprived (including under the European Child Guarantee).
• Intersectional, multi-level governance, and coordination between EU, national, and local levels.
• Integration with other EU instruments, such as the Child Guarantee and the EU Housing Strategy.

The Parliament’s resolution is not just a political statement: it demands strong and systemic solutions to the Commission and Member States. EASPD will continue to monitor the development of the strategy closely, and to advocate for a strategy that put support services for persons with disabilities at its core.