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EP urges EU countries to combat child poverty

Xinhua, November 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging European Union (EU) countries to combat child poverty and social inequalities.

The adopted resolution calls on EU countries to make children a priority in their policies. The MEPs also recommended that EU member states guarantee all children have access to free, inclusive, and quality public education at any age.

The resolution was adopted with 569 in favor, 77 against and 49 abstentions.

According to the EU statistical office, Eurostat, about 26 million children (under 18) were at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2014. This represents 27.7 percent of all children in the EU.

Child poverty exists in every EU country. Children are at greatest risk of poverty in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, whereas the risk is much lower in countries such as Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

The problem of malnutrition among children is also growing in Europe. According to the United Nations children's organization, UNICEF, the percentage of children who can't afford to eat meat or fish every second day has doubled in Estonia, Greece, and Italy since 2008. Endit