The Relevance of the 2026 Anti‑Poverty Strategy package and strengthening of the EU Child Guarantee for ESF+
In 2026, the EU adopted an ambitious Social Policy Package comprising the EU Anti‑Poverty Strategy (APS), the Communication strengthened European Child Guarantee (ECG), and a refocused EU agenda on homelessness, complemented by renewed momentum in the EU disability rights framework. Together, these initiatives signal a decisive shift toward a preventive, life‑course‑oriented social model.
Key elements include:
- A long‑term, structural approach to reducing and ultimately eradicating poverty.
- Stronger investment in early childhood, education, nutrition, and inclusive services.
- A coordinated EU response to housing exclusion and rising homelessness, including the 2026 Council Recommendation.
- Reinforced attention to accessibility, independent living, and community‑based support for persons with disabilities.
This package raises the level of ambition for Member States and calls on implementation instruments — notably ESF+ — to revisit objectives, adjust intervention logics, and promote innovation in support of the new policy direction.
This online event will help Managing Authorities, stakeholders, and practitioners understand the implications of the 2026 package and explore how ESF+ can best contribute. The event aims to build a shared understanding of the ambition and key components of the 2026 EU Social Policy Package, with particular attention to the EU Anti-Poverty APS and the strengthened ECG, while supporting the dissemination of the APS. It will foster discussion on the relevance and implications of the Package for ESF+ programming, implementation, and monitoring; gather stakeholder perspectives on the APS, the ECG, the EU Homelessness Agenda, and disability-related developments; and encourage reflection on how ESF+ and future National and Regional Partnership Programmes post-2027 can support the preventive, integrated, and community-based approaches envisaged by the APS and the strengthened ECG.
| Time (Local time) | Topic and speaker |
|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:10 |
Welcome and Introduction
Erikas Juchnevičius,
Manager of the ESF+ CoP on Social Inclusion
Luk Zelderloo,
Lead Thematic Expert of the ESF+ CoP on Social Inclusion and the Facilitator of the Event
|
| 09:10 - 10:00 |
The 2026 EU Anti-Poverty Strategy Package
The session will focus on EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, strengthening European Child Guarantee, on EU Homelessness Agenda, Disability Rights and Independent Living from the perspective of the European Commission.
|
| 10:00 - 10:50 |
Stakeholder Perspectives
This part of the event will present short and focused interventions that review the measures to tackle poverty in every age group, measures to address horizontal challenges that aggravate poverty and measures strengthening governance, funding and improved monitoring.
|
| 10:50 - 11:00 |
Comfort Break
|
| 11:00 - 11:50 |
Panel Discussion: Implications for the ESF+
The panel discussion will explore how the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy (APS) may influence ESF+ priorities and intervention logic, including the shifts needed in targeting, outreach, and integrated service delivery. Panellists will consider how ESF+ can better support prevention, early intervention, and community-based models, as well as the implications for monitoring, indicators, and reporting. The discussion will also identify areas where innovation is most needed and examine how ESF+ can help foster and scale innovative approaches.
|
| 11:50 - 12:00 |
Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways
|