The motto of the European Liberal Forum is own the future. But we can’t own the future if liberals fail children in Europe: In 2024, about 24.2% of children (19.5 million) in the EU faced the risk of poverty or social exclusion.
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Liberalism has always put forward the simple promise that liberal democracy will make each generation more secure, more prosperous and freer.
The motto of the European Liberal Forum is own the future. But we can’t own the future if liberals fail children in Europe: In 2024, about 24.2% of children (19.5 million) in the EU faced the risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Eurostat. Beyond economic poverty, European children face overlapping crises in educational outcomes, mental health, and constant digital distractions. The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 results made headlines recently, revealing a historic, widespread decline in basic student skills across Europe. These facts taken together should alarm liberals and Europeans everywhere because they point to a failure in our systems. That’s bad for faith in democracy, for European competitiveness and for society.
At ELF, we have been developing the concept of Caring Liberalism to respond to these failures. Liberal democracy is meant to give equal opportunities for all, but if some children are starting off with less than others and have access to poor education, they will need to fight harder against the odds to do better than the generation before them. This means that in their early years and throughout the life course of a child, liberal democracy must give them the very best chance through education, healthcare, nutrition, access to housing and non-discrimination.
This is the very purpose of the Child Guarantee: to provide targeted and tangible support for children in need, in order to facilitate their access to key services essential to their well-being, overall development, and empowerment. This is not redistribution but powerful long-term investments in equal opportunities and the resilience of our societies.
This is why the Renew Europe Group and the Working Group on the European Child are demanding that the EU ring-fence funding for the Child Guarantee during the negotiations of the EU Budget. Renew Europe is in favour of reforming the EU Budget where it counts, but the wholesale slashing of the budget in some areas could lead to less investment in Europe’s children. That’s not a sound path for liberal democracy. Renew Europe’s Members will be asking to ‘Make one Exception’ for children at an event in the European Parliament on 30th of September 2026.
Register here to show your support for Europe’s children: EVENT | Fund the Child Guarantee