A/HRC/19/64 European Union Agenda for the Rights of the Child, 15 February 2011 Introduction The promotion and protection of the rights of the child is one of the objectives of the EU on which the Treaty of Lisbon has put further emphasis. Notably, Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union today explicitly requires the EU to promote the protection of the rights of the child. The rights of the child are furthermore enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Uniona. Article 24 of the Charter recognises that children are independent and autonomous holders of rights. It also makes the child's best interests a primary consideration for public authorities and private institutions. Promoting the rights of the child is also a result of international commitments. All EU Member States ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).b The standards and principles of the UNCRC must continue to guide EU policies and actions that have an impact on the rights of the child. In 2006, the Commission established a basis for promoting and protecting the rights of the child in its internal and external policies with its Communication "Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child"c. The Commission thereby set up structures d to strengthen the capacity of EU institutions to address child rights issues, laying the foundations for evidence-based policies and stepping up interaction with stakeholders. In view of the strong and reinforced commitment to the rights of the child in the Treaty of Lisbon and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Commission believes it is now the time to move up a gear on the rights of the child and to transform policy objectives into action. The Europe 2020 Strategye sets out a vision for the 21st century of a Europe where the children of today will have a better education, access to the services and to the resources they need to grow up and, one day, lead Europe into the 22nd century. This is why the Commission, with this Communication, advocates "An EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child". The purpose is to reaffirm the strong commitment of all EU institutions and of all Member States to promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of the child in all relevant EU policies and to turn it into concrete results. In the future, EU policies that directly or indirectly affect children should be designed, implemented, and monitored taking into account the principle of the best interests of the child enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the UNCRC. This EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child is based on contributions from a wide public consultationf and on the needs and concerns that children from all EU Member States a b c d e f 92 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, OJ C 83, 30.3.2010, p. 389–403. Available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm. The Optional Protocol of the UNCRC on the Communication from the Commission: Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, COM(2006) 367 final, available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0367:FIN:EN:PDF European Forum on the Rights of the Child and its Steering Group; Commission Interservice Group; Commission Coordinator for the Rights of the Child. Communication from the Commission on Europe 2020 - A Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, COM (2010) 2020 final, available at: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:2020:FIN:EN:PDF. In addition to the public consultation, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/news/consulting_public/news_consulting_0009_en.htm this