[FR] Child benefit: the amount should not depend on the country where the child lives

This idea originated in the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU signed in 2016 before the referendum on the country’s membership of the Union. This agreement, which was rendered null and void by Brexit, included a provision for the indexation of family allowances paid to EU citizens and transferred to their children’s country of residence. Although the Commission rejected the idea of changing European rules to provide for such indexation, some EU countries have come out in favour of this measure. In the European Parliament, this issue is also a source of debate and divides MEPs.

In this analysis, Sofia Fernandes, senior researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute, and Justine Daniel, research assistant at the Jacques Delors Institute, outline the terms of the debate and the positions of the various Member States, before explaining why the indexation of child benefits is unjustified and ineffective.