The Cyprus Presidency of the European Union hosted a High-level Conference “No Child is Left Behind: Promoting Child Well-Being and Combating Child Poverty” in Lefkosia (Nicosia), Cyprus, on 20-21 May 2026
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Child well-being and investing in children are key European social priorities. COFACE was invited to speak about the childcare gap, highlighting the points of fragmentation which lead to this gap. The gap identifies the hazardous institutional void occurring when the expiration of well-compensated family care leave does not align chronologically with the statutory start of guaranteed public ECEC access.
The recent adoption by the Commission of the first-ever Anti-Poverty Strategy, as well as the initiative on strengthening the European Child Guarantee, underscore the importance of investing in children’s future. Building on this achievement, the Cyprus Presidency continues to place child well-being at the center of its political agenda, recognising that investing in children, in particular the disadvantaged children, is both a social imperative and a strategic driver of Europe’s future competitiveness, cohesion and resilience.
Martino Serapioni, COFACE Senior Research Coordinator for the European Observatory on Family Policy, intervened in one of the panels of the event, focusing on Investing in the Early Years: Ensuring Inclusive Child Services for Children in Need.
Panel: Moderator – Dr. Despina Cochliou – Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Nicosia
➢Dr Konstantinos Makris – Children First Observatory
➢Ms Sabine Saliba – Secretary General of Eurochild
➢Ms Jessica Harmer – CEO of SOS Children’s Villages
➢Mr Ioannis Vassiliades – Director of the Welfare Benefits Administration Service, Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare of Cyprus
➢Mr Martino Serapioni – Senior Research Coordinator, COFACE Families Europe
Martino focused on the childcare gap, highlighting the points of fragmentation which lead to this gap. He stated that the childcare gap identifies the hazardous institutional void occurring when the expiration of well-compensated family care leave does not align chronologically with the statutory start of guaranteed public ECEC access. This systemic fragmentation is caused by distinct legislative paradigms operating in complete programmatic isolation. You can see his full presentation here.
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