ENOC Co-event - Roundtable “Joining Forces: Strengthening Cooperation for Children’s Rights in Europe” at the European Parliament

On February 5th, 2026, ENOC - The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children and Eurochild co-organised the roundtable “Joining Forces: strengthening cooperation for children’s rights in Europe”, hosted by Vice-President Ewa Kopacz, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The hybrid event brought together Independent Children’s Rights Institutions (ICRIs) from across Europe, civil society organisations and EU stakeholders to foster strategic dialogue and strengthen cooperation at both national and European levels.

More than 50 ENOC member representatives from 30 ENOC member institutions including in-person participation from the seven members of the ENOC Bureau and the ENOC Principal and Assistant Coordinators, attended the event.
The interactive debate focused on three key challenges for children’s rights in Europe:

• Combating poverty and social exclusion and access to key services under the European Child Guarantee
• Children’s right to physical and mental health - prevention, protection and promotion
• The rise of anti-rights movements and its impact on independent children’s rights organisations

The discussion was grounded in the Eurochild Annual Report 2025, Unequal Childhoods: Rights on paper should be rights in practice, and ENOC’s 2025 annual theme: Children’s Right to Physical Health.

During the roundtable, ENOC Chair Vasile Coroi presented the ENYA 2025 recommendations on children’s right to physical health developed by more than 230 young persons participating in ENYA 2025.Children’s experiences, proposals and expectations from national and supranational law, policy and decision makers to encourage them to comply with their obligation to protect and promote children’s physical health bring a different perspective to the debate and one that requires adequate action.

Watch the video recording.