Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, former president of Malta and current president of Eurochild, urged the European Union to put the issues of child rights and child participation on its agenda and make them a priority.
‘Child participation in decision-making needs to become a reality today and not in the future…It is essential that the European Union listens to children and ensures that they can influence decisions that directly affect them and all of us,’ said Coleiro Preca in her keynote address at the first EU Children’s Summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Her remarks follow news of the results of ‘Europe Kids Want’, a joint Eurochild/UNICEF opinion poll for children and young people. According to the survey, only 8 percent of children believe that adults take their views into consideration when making decisions that impact them.
Children, such as the Maltese 14-year-old Sharon Cilia from the Young People’s Council, and Scarlet Engerer, a 10-year-old member of the Children’s Council, also participated in the summit.