Two new Flash Reports prepared by the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) are now available and provide information on welfare policies in Denmark and a formal status for informal carers in Portugal.

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• In Denmark, the Social Democrats had formed earlier this year a minority government with the support of three centre-left parties on a programme of making welfare policies more generous and fairer, including in particular, measures to tackle rising inequality and dysfunctional integration, the re-introduction of an official poverty line to monitor inequality and the development of an ambitious reform programme for children. In September 2019, as their first piece of legislation, the four parties agreed on a new temporary child allowance to curb child poverty. A Benefit Commission will be set up shortly to come up with proposals for a major benefit reform.
• In September 2019, the Portuguese parliament put an end to the almost non-existent recognition of informal carers by granting them a formal status. The new law lays down a set of essential rights and measures to support informal carers, promote their work-life balance and improve their social protection. Further steps are however still needed for this new status to be implemented successfully.