Towards 2026: What to expect from the fi rst-ever EU AntiPoverty Strategy?

In her 2025 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the need for an ambitious EU Anti-Poverty Strategy to help eradicate poverty by 2050, backed by a strong child guarantee. This initiative comes at a moment of persistent poverty and growing political pressure to prioritise competitiveness, defence and security. But what, realistically, can change in 2026?

Set against rising poverty and child poverty rates, the paper argues that the strategy is overdue but risks repeating past shortcomings. While the Commission signals a welcome shift toward a multidimensional, life-course and social investment approach, the strategy risks remaining largely aspirational unless these orientations are translated into concrete policy commitments. The paper highlights key challenges the strategy must confront, including in-work poverty, gaps in social protection, eco-social risks, and the marginalisation of vulnerable groups, and questions the adequacy of current governance, funding and monitoring arrangements. It concludes that without binding objectives, sufficient resources and accountability, the strategy risks remaining aspirational rather than transformative.