Put children first: implement the EU child care targets now!

8 May 2007

Regional, national and European politicians united in calling on the EU to honour its commitments to provide children with pre-school care.

At a conference hosted by the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, the PES demanded strong proposals from the European Commission to increase the number, quality and affordability of child care across Europe – as promised five years ago!  

Child care workers joined politicians in slamming the failure of member states to achieve the child care targets agreed five years ago at the EU Summit in Barcelona while welcoming Commissioner Vladimir Spidla’s promise to present concrete proposals next year to encourage member states to meet the EU child care targets.

EU Governments promised in 2002 to provide child care by 2010 for 90% of all children aged 3 and plus and for 33% aged 0-3.

“Breaking a promise to a child is unforgivable“ said PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen “Breaking a promise to millions of children is what the EU is guilty of by achieving such slow progress towards the pre-school child care targets agreed five years ago.”

“Child care is a basic necessity for the 21st century family and an essential requirement for a modern welfare state” said Zita Gurmai MEP and President of PES Women. “The EU should ensure its promises are fulfilled because child care is a very sound investment. It makes good social, economic and educational sense.”

“Decentralised governance is key to attaining both the quantitative and qualitative targets for the provision of pre-school child care services across the EU' said Mercedes Bresso, President of the Piedmont Region and Head of the PES Group in the CoR, urging locally and regionally elected representatives to fight structural and cultural barriers to universal child care.

The PES is running a campaign for child care for everyone who wants it – and sees universal child care as a cornerstone of a new social Europe. 

For more on the PES child care campaign click here 

For more on event hosted by the Socialist Group in the Committee of the Regions click here 


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Olga Fotinou, Press and Communications Officer, PES Group Secretariat
Committee of the Regions, 101 Rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels
Tel +32 2 282 2086,  


Julian Scola, Press Officer, Party of European Socialists,
rue du Trône 98, B-1050 Brussels
Mobile +32 486 117 394,