Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture
The European Pillar of Social Rights and Reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe
Opinion factsheet
On this page
- Employment and Social Policy
- Labour mobility
- Social protection
Opinion number:
CDR-3141-2017
Status:
Adopted
Objective
to welcome the establishment of a social pillar as a necessary accompaniment to political, economic and monetary union;
to welcome a european social pillar that will enable the delivery of a sustainable and inclusive Europe that empowers its citizens and promotes equal opportunities;
to stresse the added value that LRAs bring to framing and implementing social and economic policies;
to reiterate that a European Pillar of Social Rights support LRAs in their endeavours to implement appropriate employment and social policies;
to call for proper coordination between EU and national economic and social policies ensuring that the regional dimension is better represented.
to welcome a european social pillar that will enable the delivery of a sustainable and inclusive Europe that empowers its citizens and promotes equal opportunities;
to stresse the added value that LRAs bring to framing and implementing social and economic policies;
to reiterate that a European Pillar of Social Rights support LRAs in their endeavours to implement appropriate employment and social policies;
to call for proper coordination between EU and national economic and social policies ensuring that the regional dimension is better represented.
Impact
Following the compromise agreed in Coreper on 20 October with a view of the EPSCO Council, some changes of the wording of the joint declaration go in the direction of the Opinion. Namely: part of AM 2 was taken in preamble 7; part of AM 7 goes into preamble 17; part of Am 7 goes into preamble 19.
On the 6 of December, during the 4th European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities, Commissioner Thyssen started her speach by thanking the CoR for all the support given to the European Pillar of Social Rights.
On the 6 of December, during the 4th European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities, Commissioner Thyssen started her speach by thanking the CoR for all the support given to the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Essential points
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- welcomes the establishment of a social pillar as a necessary accompaniment to political, economic and monetary union and a factor in the successful implementation of the horizontal social clause, which will enable the delivery of a sustainable and inclusive Europe that empowers its citizens and promotes equal opportunities;
- emphasises that the social pillar should contribute to reducing poverty, social exclusion and unemployment – particularly youth unemployment – and to tackling all possible forms of social inequality, including gender-based inequalities. This framework must include the European unemployment insurance scheme, as one of the first joint instruments for tackling employment crises;
- stresses that economic, social and territorial cohesion policy, as one of the most important and comprehensive EU policies, must play a key role in supporting the establishment of the social pillar;
- points out that the social pillar must address the issue of marginalisation and social exclusion, focusing as a priority on policies for people with disabilities and policies for households with several children;
- asks for special attention to be paid to the legal acts affected by the UK's departure from the EU, such as freedom of movement for workers within the EU, coordination of social security systems and EU funds related to employment and social policies;
- regrets the Commission's explicit statement that delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights is a shared commitment and responsibility between the Union, its Member States and the social partners, which completely disregards local and regional authorities’ responsibility and powers in this area;
- reiterates the importance of a strong European social agenda, in which competitiveness and social justice complement each other, in order to avoid all forms of social dumping and to ensure increased employment rates.