Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty are core values of our European way of life. While levels of poverty have been decreasing in the past decade, inequalities have not followed the same trend. The relative income situation of the most vulnerable has not improved. The pandemic exacerbates existing inequalities, indicating possible gaps in the adequacy and coverage of social protection.

In order to reach by 2030 the target of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million, an integrated approach is essential to address needs at all stages of life and target the root causes of poverty and social exclusion.

Living in dignity

Access to affordable housing is an increasing concern in many Member States, regions and cities. Homelessness is increasing in most Member States. While policies to end homelessness can only be successful through a tailored local or regional approach, many stakeholders have called for a European impetus to end homelessness across the EU by 2030.

On 21 June 2021, at a high-level conference in Lisbon, European leaders launched the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness and signed the Lisbon Declaration on Combatting Homelessness.

EU support to end homelessness

These are some examples of the many EU-funded projects helping the homeless across the EU:

Strategy on the Rights of the Child and European Child Guarantee

The Commission has proposed an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and Council Recommendation establishing the European Child Guarantee to ensure that children at risk of poverty and social exclusion have effective access to key services such as healthcare and education.

The European Child Guarantee, adopted by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 14 June 2021, aims at breaking the cycle of poverty and social exclusion across generations:

Member States should guarantee free and effective access for children in need to:

	early childhood education and care
	education and school-based activities
	at least one healthy meal each school day
	healthcare

They should also guarantee effective access to:

	healthy nutrition
	adequate housing

EU support to children and their stories

These are some examples of the many EU-funded projects helping children in need across the EU:

Promoting health and care

Health and long-term care systems have been under considerable strain during the pandemic, which added to already existing challenges, such as growing waiting times for healthcare, structural staff shortages and growing health inequalities. Reforms and investments in health systems are required to

• increase their resilience and capacity to manage current and future crises
• reinforce primary health care and mental health
• improve access to quality healthcare for all and reduce social, territorial and economic inequalities in health.

The Commission supports Member States in these efforts by providing evidence based information and sharing best practices to strengthen health systems.

The European Health Union Communication of the Commission addresses the resilience,
accessibility and effectiveness of the health systems in the EU.

The Commission also proposed an initiative on Long-Term Care in 2022 to set a framework for policy reforms to guide the development of sustainable long-term care that ensures better access to quality services for those in need.

Making social protection fit for the new world

During the pandemic, many Member States have extended social protection to previously uncovered groups. These exceptional measures can be a source of inspiration for structural reforms that improve the protection of the unemployed, non-standard workers and the self-employed and that ensure their sustainable financing, in line with the 2019 Council Recommendation on access to social protection.