Foreword Child statelessness remains a pressing issue across Europe as it undermines the basic right of every child to a nationality. Lack of nationality has far-reaching consequences for children, depriving them of a legal identity which creates serious obstacles to the enjoyment of such fundamental rights as the right to education, healthcare, legal protection and housing. Statelessness therefore prevents children from leading normal lives and increases their vulnerability. Stateless children are more likely to grow up in a cycle of poverty and hardship or, in the worst cases, to fall prey to human traffickers and other criminal networks. Combatting statelessness has long been a priority of the Council of Europe, driven by the need to guarantee the effective enjoyment of human rights by the most vulnerable persons, including in the framework of its Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum (2021-2025). As the impact of statelessness on children is particularly acute, the Council of Europe is committed to exploring and developing practical, rights-based solutions with a view to ending child statelessness. This compendium of promising practices on access to nationality for stateless children is a reflection of this commitment. The purpose of the compendium is to serve as a source of inspiration to emulate positive legal changes in member states to better address the challenges of child statelessness. By identifying and highlighting promising legal and administrative practices from various member states, it provides concrete examples of how to prevent child statelessness and ensure children have access to nationality determination procedures promptly. The compendium focuses primarily on the critical areas of legal aid and representation, access to information, and access to justice regarding nationality and statelessness determination. This compendium is not only a collection of legal and administrative practices gathered across member states on how best tackle child statelessness but also constitutes a direct contribution to the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), which champions a Europe where all children belong. It also responds to the new Global Alliance to End Statelessness, launched by UNHCR in 2024 and joined by the Council of Europe. Therefore, I invite all stakeholders to make use of this compendium as a tool for driving the necessary reforms aiming to ultimately eradicate child statelessness across Europe. Clare Ovey, Director of Human Rights, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule o Law ► Page 5