Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2022)442 - Revision of the Barcelona Targets on early childhood education and care - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2022)442 - Revision of the Barcelona Targets on early childhood education and care. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2022)442  |
| date | 07-09-2022 |
1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL
• Reasons for and objectives of the proposal
In her 2021 State of the Union speech, President Von der Leyen announced a European care strategy in order to support men and women in receiving the best care in different life stages and finding the best work-life balance for them. The initiative consists of a Commission Communication on a European care strategy 1 accompanied by two proposals for Council Recommendations, one on the revision of the Barcelona targets on early childhood education and care (ECEC), and the other on long-term care (LTC) 2 .
The availability of ECEC services is a key driver of women’s labour-market participation. The correlation between mothers’ labour-market participation and enrolment rates in ECEC is particularly strong for mothers whose youngest child is under 3 years old. With this in mind, the Barcelona targets on childcare were set by the European Council 3 in 2002 with the aim of increasing female labour-market participation by enhancing the provision of ECEC. The European Council set two targets, i.e. a participation rate of 90% of children from age 3 up to mandatory school age, and a participation rate of 33% of children under 3 years old 4 . Although the Barcelona targets were on average reached at EU level, some Member States are significantly lagging behind, and differences persist in particular for children from lower income households.
The objective of this Recommendation is to encourage Member States to increase participation in ECEC in order to facilitate women’s labour-market participation and enhance the social and cognitive development of children, in particular for children in vulnerable situations or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Specifically, the Commission proposes to revise the Barcelona targets to create new momentum for fostering further upwards convergence among Member States of children’s participation in ECEC 5 and thus help increase women’s labour-market participation and close the gender employment gap 6 . It also addresses additional dimensions that are relevant to reaching the Barcelona objectives, notably affordability, accessibility and quality of ECEC which are key to respond to parents’ and children’s needs and thus influence the actual uptake of such services. It also invites Member States to take into account the time-intensity of children’s participation in ECEC, which should be sufficient to allow parents to meaningfully engage with paid work, and the share of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion participating in ECEC.
Since 2002, female employment has been increasing steadily, reaching 67.7% in 2021 compared to 60.7% in 2010 7 - though it declined in 2020 (66.1%) due to the COVID-19 crisis. This rising trend is accompanied by a pattern of increasing women’s educational attainment, with more women completing higher education and obtaining advanced degrees 8 .
Despite these improvements, the gender employment gap is still significant and stands at a wide 10.8 percentage points in 2021 9 . Eurofound estimated the loss resulting from the gender employment gap at EUR 320 billion in 2018. Most of this amount consists of earnings and welfare contributions lost to the economy due to women not taking part in employment 10 . The gender employment gap is closely related to caring responsibilities. Women remain the primary caregivers to children and adults in need of care and bear the main responsibility for household chores. This imbalance limits the possibility for them to participate in and allocate time to paid work.
In 2021, in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the EU-27, 27.9% of women aged 25–49 outside the labour force indicated that looking after children or adults in need of care was the main reason for not seeking employment, compared to only 8.0% of men 11 . In pre-pandemic 2019, these figures stood at 32.6% and 7.6% respectively 12 . The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) indicates that caregiving responsibilities keep 7.7 million women in Europe out of the labour market and constrain many women to work only part-time: 29% of women working part-time cited care duties as the main reason for doing so, compared to only 6% of men 13 .
The gender care gap, namely the difference in time devoted to unpaid care work by women and men, is linked to and further reinforces gender stereotypes in both women’s and men’s occupations and roles. Women are still widely expected to provide unpaid care to a greater extent than men, even within dual-earner families. Before the COVID-19 crisis, employed women in the EU with children under the age of 7, living in a couple, spent on average 39 hours per week on unpaid work as compared to 19 hours per week 14 for employed men in the same situation. The gender care gap was higher for women in precarious employment.
With the closures of and restrictions in care services during the pandemic, women were even more called upon to provide care work. The COVID-19 crisis has aggravated gender inequalities in unpaid care 15 , reinforced traditional gender roles and derailed the modest progress in gender equality achieved so far 16 . According to a Eurofound e-survey on living, working and COVID-19 17 , women with children up to 12 years of age spent an average of 62 hours per week on childcare, compared to 36 hours for men in the same situation, and 23 hours on housework, compared to 15 hours for men during the pandemic. Nearly one third of these women (29%) reported that they found it hard to concentrate on their job because of care responsibilities, compared to 11% of men.
The European Pillar of Social Rights states that equal treatment and opportunities between women and men must be ensured and fostered in all areas, including as regards participation in the labour market, terms and conditions of employment and career progression. It also recognises children’s right to affordable ECEC of good quality; children’s rights to protection from poverty; and the right for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to specific measures to enhance equal opportunities.
The European Pillar of Social Rights action plan set a headline target of increasing the overall employment rate to at least 78% of the population (age 20–64) by 2030, and this was welcomed by EU leaders at the Porto Summit in May 2021 and the European Council in June 2021. To achieve that overall goal, Europe must strive to at least halve the gender employment gap compared to 2019 and increase the provision of ECEC, thus contributing to better reconciliation between professional and private life and supporting stronger female labour-market participation.
The 2019 Work-Life Balance Directive 18 created minimum standards for family leave, introducing (i) the right to paid paternity leave and carers’ leave and strengthening non-transferable and paid parental leave, and (ii) the right to request flexible working-time arrangements for workers with care responsibilities, to encourage equal sharing of care between women and men. Provision of high-quality, accessible, and affordable ECEC complements working-time arrangements in allowing work-life balance and is crucial to enable parents, especially mothers, to participate in the labour market.
Public sector support for the ECEC sector is a social investment which brings multiple returns for individuals, society and the economy as a whole. It promotes women’s labour market participation, spurs women’s uptake of full-time jobs, improves children’s development, strengthens social inclusion and fairness and helps break the inter-generational cycle of poverty. In the context of labour shortages and persistent employment gaps, increasing the labour market participation of women, including by enhancing access to ECEC, represents a major opportunity for an inclusive and sustainable growth 19 . Investment in ECEC has also significant job creation potential. Recent research from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) shows that investing 1.1% of GDP in ECEC and 1.8% of GDP in long-term care each year would create an additional 26.7 million jobs in Europe by 2035 20 .
Such investment can generate additional tax and social security revenues. Overall, tax and social security revenue from increased earnings and employment would rise, reducing the total funding requirement of care policy measures from 3% of GDP (before taxes) to a net 2% of GDP (after taxes) 21 . The ILO estimates that the rate at which Member States can recoup investments in the care sector is on average around 55%, depending notably on the amount of investment needed, the labour demand in the Member State concerned and the level of taxation. Member States can improve the fiscal sustainability of investments in ECEC by evaluating the impact on public finances and ensuring cost-effectiveness, including through an efficient design of funding mechanisms that are coherent with the overall sustainability of public finances.
In addition to investing in ECEC, many Member States have introduced a legal entitlement to a place in ECEC, while others have made ECEC attendance compulsory, especially in the last year before primary school. By making it a legal entitlement, public authorities have to guarantee a place for each child whose parents demand it (in the age range covered by legal entitlement); whereas in countries where ECEC is compulsory, public authorities have to ensure a sufficient number of pre-primary places for all children in the age range covered by the legal obligation. In most Member States, such legal entitlement already exists, but the starting age for the entitlement varies significantly. In Europe, there are significant differences in the age at which children have a guaranteed place in ECEC. Only seven EU Member States 22 have introduced a legal entitlement to a place in ECEC for children from an early age (6-18 months). This follows often immediately after the end of childcare leave since, ideally, there should not be a gap between the end of adequately paid family leave and a legal entitlement to a place in ECEC. For children age 3 or older, a legal entitlement exists in 13 Member States 23 and some Member States committed to introducing it in the context of their national recovery and resilience plans 24 .
Evidence shows that the provision of quality ECEC plays a crucial role in improving children’s cognitive, social and educational development from an early age 25 . Such improvements often translate into better learning achievements and employment prospects later on in life 26 . Participating in high quality ECEC is beneficial for all children and especially for those in a disadvantaged situation. It is an essential tool to fight inequalities, tackle possible social disadvantages of children 27 and promote equal opportunities. These aspects are specifically mentioned in the 2019 Council Recommendation on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care 28 and in the European Child Guarantee 29 . Benefits go beyond the children involved. At the individual level, participation in ECEC is associated with greater educational attainment, higher earnings, improved social integration and better health. There are also many benefits on a societal level, ranging from reduced spending on welfare and lower crime rates, to higher tax revenues and improved social cohesion 30 .
Finally, this proposed Recommendation addresses the working conditions in the ECEC sector. Workers in the sector, many of whom are women, often face difficult working conditions and limited career prospects. Improving working conditions requires stronger social dialogue, adequate pay and upskilling and re-skilling opportunities. The promotion of fair working conditions for staff in ECEC should contribute to attracting and retaining workers – both men and women - in the sector, and may equally contribute to tackling gender segregation in the sector and remedy the staff shortages experienced in many countries 31 . It is also an important aspect in ensuring quality of care. The EU is supporting Member States’ investment and reforms in ECEC through its different funding instruments, in particular the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund plus and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. This support is particularly important to tackle territorial inequalities across and within Member States. The EU is also providing direct technical support for reforms under the Technical Support Instrument. The Commission monitors implementation of ECEC policies and assesses progress towards the Barcelona targets in the European Semester and will continue to do so.
• Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area
The revision of the Barcelona targets for early childhood education and care is announced in the 2020-2025 Gender Equality Strategy 32 . It is one of the initiatives presented in the Strategy aimed at promoting women’s economic empowerment and the equal sharing of care responsibilities between women and men. The revision is also announced in the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child 33 , as well as in the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan 34 as part of the efforts to reach, by 2030, the headline target of an overall employment rate of 78% and the complementary goal to at least halve the gender employment gap compared to 2019.
In its Communication ‘An initiative to support work-life balance for working parents and carers’ 35 , the Commission stressed, among other things, the importance of support measures for Member States to improve access to affordable quality ECEC as a way to achieve better work-life balance for workers with care responsibilities.
The Work-Life Balance Directive aims at encouraging better sharing of caring responsibilities between women and men by strengthening legal entitlements to family leave and granting the right to request flexible working-time arrangements. This includes notably 2 months of non-transferable and adequately paid parental leave for each parent. By granting non-transferable rights to family leave, the Work-Life Balance Directive aims to encourage fathers to avail themselves of their rights, thereby facilitating the return of mothers to the labour market.
The 2019 Recommendation on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems (‘ECEC Recommendation’) aims to support Member States in their efforts to improve access to and quality of their ECEC systems. The ECEC Recommendation includes a quality framework to guide Member States in improving access to and quality of ECEC. It provides a common understanding of the meaning of quality in ECEC. This proposal builds upon the ECEC Recommendation and the quality framework by emphasising the elements that are particularly relevant for facilitating female labour-market participation and fostering parents’ trust in ECEC, such as staff/child ratio, staff qualifications and continuous professional training, and governance of the ECEC system.
The 2020 Communication entitled ‘Achieving a European Education Area by 2025’ 36 designates inclusion and gender equality as one of the six dimensions to be consolidated. Based on that Communication, on 19 February 2021 the Council adopted a Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) 37 which includes an EU-level target that at least 96% of children between 3 years and the starting age for compulsory primary education should participate in ECEC. The Resolution also highlights the importance of improving quality, equity, inclusion and success for all in education and training. To ensure consistency, this proposal uses the EEA target as a revised Barcelona target for the age group from 3 years to compulsory primary education age.
The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child 38 , adopted by the Commission in March 2021, pools all existing and future initiatives and actions on children’s rights – including the revision of the Barcelona targets – under one coherent policy framework. The strategy aims to build the best possible life for children in the European Union and across the globe by strengthening children’s participation in society, and fulfilling their rights in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The strategy focuses, among other things, on socio-economic inclusion, health and education of children and addresses ECEC as part of building inclusive, quality education for all children. In its Conclusions of 9 June 2022 on the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Council of the European Union emphasised that all children have a right to non-discriminatory access to key services, such as early education and care, health, nutrition and housing which are important for their development and wellbeing 39 .
The Council Recommendation on establishing a European Child Guarantee, adopted on 14 June 2021, aims at preventing and combating social exclusion and supporting Member State efforts to guarantee access to high-quality key services for children in need, including free and effective access to ECEC. Approximately 27% of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion aged 0-2 participated in ECEC in the EU in 2019. Although this represents an increase of about 11 percentage points on 2010, it is substantially lower than the participation rate of the overall population of children (35%) 40 .
• Consistency with other Union policies
The proposal is complementary to and consistent with a number of other EU initiatives.
It is fully consistent with the EU’s 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial Framework which provides EU funding opportunities under instruments such as the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund plus, including its Employment and Social Innovation strand, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the Just Transition Fund, the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe programmes, all of which play a major role in supporting Member State investment in accessible, affordable and quality ECEC infrastructure and services. The Technical Support Instrument can also support reforms and investment. The proposal is also fully consistent with the Regulation establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility with regard to eligible reforms and investments to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions in the context of the Facility’s objective.
The proposal is also consistent with the Commission’s strategies and action plans to achieve a Union of equality. The EU 2020-2025 anti-racism action plan 41 aims at combating racism through policy and funding programmes in the areas of employment, housing and access to healthcare and education. Among other things, it aims to ensure equal access to education for children of minority racial or ethnic origin. Also, it promotes the training of teachers to work with all children. The action plan provided for a Commission report, published in 2021, on the application of the EU Racial Equality Directive, which prohibits discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin, including discrimination against Roma children, in different areas such as education and social protection 42 .
The EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation 43 , together with the Council Recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation, adopted on 12 March 2021 44 , calls on Member States to fight multiple and structural discrimination against Roma, in particular against Roma children, and to take stronger measures to support Roma children and their families in the interrelated fields of employment, social services, quality, inclusive mainstream education and early childhood education and care, health, housing and access to essential services, nutrition and access to leisure activities. The framework sets the objective of reducing the gap in participation in ECEC of Roma children by at least half by 2030.
The Commission’s action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027 45 focuses on the enabling factors essential for the successful integration and inclusion of migrants and EU citizens with a migrant background, including children, on different levels such as education and training, employment and skills, and health and housing.
Finally, the 2021-2030 strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 46 aims to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in the EU and beyond and to promote their full and equal participation in all areas of life. The strategy addresses participation in all educational levels and forms, including ECEC, on an equal basis with others, and the promotion of independent living and community-based services. This is in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which the EU and all Member States are parties, and which requires parties to take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children. In line with the Strategy, this Recommendation fully takes into account the needs of children and parents with disabilities, in particular in the provisions on accessibility.
The proposal also responds to the Conference on the Future of Europe recommendation on demographic transition (proposal No. 15) and on anti-discrimination, equality and quality of life (proposal No. 29). Proposal 15 calls for “ensuring quality, affordable and accessible childcare across the EU, so that mothers and fathers can confidently reconcile their work and family life” and “guaranteeing the access of children in need to services such as education and care.” Proposal 29 calls to ensure the “creation and facilitation of affordable kindergartens […] and free childcare for those in need 47 .”
Finally, this Recommendation contributes to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 as part of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030, which highlight the importance of gender equality (SDG 5.4 and SDG 8.5) and the relevance of ECEC (SDG 4.2), thus underscoring the need for action in these areas.
2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
• Legal basis
The proposal is based on Article 292 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), under which the Council adopts recommendations on a proposal from the Commission, in conjunction with Article 153 (1), point (i) TFEU.
Under Article 153(1) (i) TFEU, the EU supports and complements the activities of the Member States in the field of equality between women and men with regard to labour market opportunities with a view to achieving the objectives of Article 151 TFEU. Under Article 151 TFEU, the objectives of the EU and the Member States include the promotion of improved living and working conditions, proper social protection, and the development of human resources, with a view to lasting high employment and combating of exclusion. Ensuring equal opportunities for all children living in the EU contributes to reaching those objectives.
The proposal will contribute to the objectives of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), notably to combating social exclusion and discrimination, promoting equality between women and men and protecting the rights of the child (Article 3 TEU).
The proposal will also contribute to implementing the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, in particular its Article 14, which recognises everyone’s right to education; Article 23, which recognises equality between women and men; Article 24, which recognises that children have the right to the protection and care necessary for their well-being; and Article 33, which stipulates that the family must enjoy legal, economic and social protection.
This proposal does not exceed EU’s regulatory power or impose binding commitments on Member States. Member States will decide, according to their national circumstances, how they can make the best use of the Council Recommendation.
• Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)
While policies addressing ECEC and women’s labour-market participation are the responsibility of the Member States, the EU has the competence to support and complement Member State actions.
The proposal ensures that action at EU level has added value. It fulfils a political commitment to make progress on equal opportunities for women and men and in particular on women’s labour-market participation, and to promote the rights, equal opportunities and wellbeing of all children.
• Proportionality
The proposal complements Member States’ efforts in the area of addressing inequality of women and men, and women’s labour-market participation as well as to promote the rights, equal opportunities and wellbeing of all children. It respects Member States’ practices and the diversity of national systems. It recognises that different national, regional or local situations could lead to differences in how the Recommendation is implemented. This will allow Member States to make use of the Recommendation according to their specific context.
Proportionality considerations also played a key role in guiding the choice of the instrument.
• Choice of the instrument
The instrument is a proposal for a Council Recommendation, which abides by the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. It builds on the existing body of European Union law and policy, and is in line with the type of instruments available for European Union action in the area of social policy. As a legal instrument, the proposal signals the Member States’ commitment to the objectives and measures laid down in this Recommendation and provides a strong basis for cooperation at European level in this area, while fully respecting the competence of the Member States.
3. RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
• Stakeholder consultations
The Commission consulted extensively with a wide range of stakeholders on this initiative. All these activities were summarised in the Synopsis Report, published together with this proposal for a recommendation 48 . The consultation activities provided more insights, with no substantial divergences from the broad aim and framing of the initiative. They were taken into account in the preparatory work and enriched the proposal with additional perspectives. The consultation process built on several recent public consultations, namely those for the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan 49 , the Green Paper on Ageing 50 , and the Gender Equality Strategy 51 . Those consultations stressed the importance of high-quality, accessible and affordable ECEC – in particular in under-served groups – to encourage equal sharing of caring activities between parents.
A Call for Evidence was published on the Have your Say portal from 1 to 29 March 2022. A total of 123 contributions were received; most (52%) were from NGOs, the others were from public authorities, business associations, EU citizens, trade unions and research institutions. Comments focused on access, availability, affordability and quality of care services, care workers, socio-economic and territorial inequalities, and the gender dimension.
A number of stakeholders had already called for a strategic and comprehensive approach to ECEC.
The European Parliament has repeatedly called for a holistic approach to care, supporting the revision of the Barcelona targets with a special emphasis on the need to target children with disabilities 52 . In its recent report on the European care strategy adopted in the Plenary Session of 5 July 2022, the European Parliament welcomed the upcoming review of the Barcelona targets and highlighted the importance of ECEC for facilitating female labour-market participation and for closing the gender gaps in care, pay and pension 53 .
The Committees of the European Parliament on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) organised a Joint hearing in preparation of an own-initiative report ‘Towards a Common European action on care’ on 24 March 2022. Members of European Parliament welcomed the European care strategy and stressed in particular the potential of the care sector, currently underfunded and understaffed, in terms of job creation. Better working conditions can contribute to gender equality, while education and training play a key role in ensuring qualified staff and professionalisation. The need to monitor progress and to take into account Member States competence in this policy area were also highlighted.
Similarly, the EESC has repeatedly called for a revision of the Barcelona targets and a holistic approach in several opinions 54 , in which they stressed the need for more investment in high-quality, affordable and available care services and facilities for every family. It also called for investment to be channelled towards social infrastructure, in particular ECEC and after-school care, and to make the Barcelona targets on childcare more ambitious along with covering care of other dependants.
The European Council stressed the importance of considering the gender pay gap and gender care gap together 55 , as they are both largely dependent and a mutually reinforcing phenomena. The Council also called for long-term public investment in high-quality, affordable and accessible care facilities and infrastructure, the development of caring skills, and care services. The Council called upon the Commission to present a revision of the Barcelona targets to enhance upward convergence in the provision of quality early childhood education and care among Member States 56 and emphasised the right of all children to non-discriminatory access to key services, such as early education and care 57 .
At the meeting of the High-level group on gender mainstreaming in January 2022, Member States gave broadly positive feedback on the proposal for a care strategy. In particular, they agreed on the need to address accessibility, quality and affordability of services; improve working conditions in the care sector; reflect on, among other matters, the educational aspect of ECEC; and tackle gender stereotyping in relation to care.
During the exploratory debates with Member States’ representatives in the Social Protection Committee (17 March 2022) and Employment Committee (1 April 2022), Member States shared a number of examples and good national practices and expressed a preliminary broad agreement with the overall aim of the initiative, the analysis of the challenges and the proposed policy objectives. Several Member States pointed out that the initiative should be developed in full respect of national competences, also taking into account the different national circumstances and set-up of the care systems, and avoiding administrative burden. The importance of EU funding, support for mutual learning and improving the evidence base was also highlighted.
On 13 September 2021, the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men adopted an Opinion on ‘The care gap in the EU: a holistic and gender-transformative approach’ 58 . The Opinion supported improving the availability and affordability of quality care and ECEC services for children, revising the Barcelona targets upwards, and setting a policy framework for sustainable LTC through EU funding, including through the National Recovery and Resilience Plans as part of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
A number of targeted stakeholder consultations, exploratory debates and hearings were held to cover the various elements of the initiative in more depth.
The Commission organised a strategic dialogue with more than 50 civil society organisations on 11 March 2022. Civil society organisations welcomed the revision of the Barcelona targets and agreed with the challenges identified by the Commission. They highlighted the need for assessing barriers to participation: to look at further breakdowns of participation rates (e.g. children from migrant background, children with disabilities, etc.); including children and their healthy development in the centre of the policy; fostering investment in early childhood intervention services systems for children with disabilities as a measure to promote their participation in ECEC and thus their mothers’ participation in paid work.
Finally, a dedicated hearing with EU-level social partners was organised on 7 April 2022. Social partners had already delivered in December 2020 a ‘joint statement on childcare provisions in the EU’ that stressed how available, accessible, affordable and quality childcare facilities are essential for parents to work, in particular mothers. Social partners also called for the revision of the Barcelona targets to promote the value of working in the sector, and for good working conditions, including by strengthening collective bargaining and ensuring quality, stable jobs, fair salaries and adequate level of social protection. They also called for action to attract staff to the sector, in particular men. These views were confirmed at the social partners hearing in April. In particular, social partners highlighted the need for an integrated life-cycle approach, and the need to increase investment in the sector and make it more attractive for workers against the background of demographic change and economic outlook.
• Collection and use of expertise
The Commission built on the expertise of its Joint Research Centre (JRC) and external experts to inform the evidence base for this initiative. The related input is made available to the general public together with the current proposal for a Recommendation.
JRC provided an in-depth review of the EU-SILC reference data set in order to test the feasibility of possible refinements of the indicators and robustness of measurement at Member States level 59 . JRC also produced a simulation of the possible impact of different levels of the target for the relevant indicators in terms of female labour-market participation based on the EUROMOD model 60 . Finally, a literature review was commissioned to gain an overview of effective childcare reforms in the Member States 61 .
Furthermore, an expert group 62 with 15 members including individual experts and representatives of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EIGE, Eurofound, ILO, OECD and Unicef provided input on the state of play and country differences in the approach to ECEC, workforce conditions, and quality of ECEC. They also provided input on the measures to enhance ECEC participation, in particular for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and on the elements relevant for enhancing upwards convergence.
• Fundamental rights
The revision of the Barcelona targets will contribute to achieving equality between women and men in all areas, including employment, work and pay. It will contribute to safeguarding the right of everyone to education and the rights of all children to such protection and care for their well-being, and to the economic protection of the family (Articles 23, 14, 24 and 33 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU).
4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS
The proposal has no financial implications for the EU budget.
5. OTHER ELEMENTS
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements
The European Commission will continue to monitor the Barcelona targets in the context of the European Semester, which is a key instrument for monitoring women’s labour-market participation and gender equality, including through the analysis provided in country reports and through country-specific recommendations, where appropriate. It will additionally include in its assessment the intensity of participation by all children in ECEC (number of hours attended per week), and the participation of children from different groups, including children at risk of poverty or social exclusion and, where feasible, children with disabilities, with a migrant background, Roma children and other relevant groups, taking into account the age of the children and specific national features.
In addition, the implementation of the Recommendation will be monitored through the Commission’s Annual Report on Gender Equality and the Gender Equality Strategy Monitoring Portal 63 .
The revision of the targets covers additional dimensions relevant to reaching the Barcelona objectives (accessibility, affordability and quality). Where indicators are available on these dimensions, they will be included in the Gender Equality Strategy Monitoring Portal and the Annual Report on Gender Equality.
In order to enhance the availability, scope and relevance of pertinent data at EU level, this Recommendation invites Member States to develop or improve data collection in a number of areas related to its implementation. Member States should notably improve data collection on the participation of children in ECEC including with reference to children in vulnerable situations or from disadvantaged groups.
The Commission will publish an in-depth report within five years to give an overview of the state of play of the implementation of the Recommendation, based on the Barcelona targets and all relevant dimensions, including policies and good practice examples from Member States.