EU Study Calls for Stronger Member-State Action on Intergenerational Poverty

A European Economic and Social Committee study released ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty warns that roughly one-fifth of the EU population—about 92.7 million people—faces poverty or social exclusion, and 17.4 % report difficulty covering basic expenses. The analysis introduces an evidence-based definition of intergenerational poverty built around ten key drivers, such as parental education levels and family stability, and evaluates the coverage of these factors by 32 selected EU policy instruments.

It proposes a new research framework to assess future legislation for “poverty-proof” impacts from the drafting stage. Cillian Lohan, president of the EESC civil-society group, called for the EU to back member-state initiatives and to ensure policies reach local communities, offering civil-society expertise. The report also provides country-level data, showing the lowest risk shares in Czechia (11.3 %), Slovenia (14.4 %) and the Netherlands (15.4 %), and the highest in Bulgaria (29.0 %), Greece (27.5 %) and Romania (27.4 %).

Children, young adults, low-educated and unemployed individuals are disproportionately affected, and women experience a slightly higher poverty risk than men. The findings arrive as the European Commission finalises its first European anti-poverty strategy and negotiates the next long-term budget.