Combating child poverty : better targeting of Commission support required; Special report No 20, 2020

Child poverty remains a serious issue in the EU with almost one out of four children at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Studies have repeatedly highlighted that investing at a relatively low financial cost during childhood can yield a lifetime of gains. We decided to carry out this audit as the fight against child poverty remains a challenge across many Member States. Our objective was to determine whether the Commission had made an effective contribution to Member States' efforts to reduce child poverty. We found that the relevance of the Commission's non-legally binding instruments is limited by nature, but it has more powerful tools at its disposal. However, the lack of available information directly related to child poverty means their effective contribution to Member States' efforts to reduce child poverty was difficult, if not impossible, to assess. ECA special report pursuant to Article 287(4), second subparagraph, TFEU.