Social Europe

politics, economy and employment & labour

  • Projects
    • Corporate Taxation in a Globalised Era
    • US Election 2020
    • The Transformation of Work
    • The Coronavirus Crisis and the Welfare State
    • Just Transition
    • Artificial intelligence, work and society
    • What is inequality?
    • Europe 2025
    • The Crisis Of Globalisation
  • Audiovisual
    • Audio Podcast
    • Video Podcasts
    • Social Europe Talk Videos
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Dossiers
    • Occasional Papers
    • Research Essays
    • Brexit Paper Series
  • Shop
  • Membership
  • Ads
  • Newsletter

EU Social Pillar: A (Potential) New Start For Europe

by Juan Menéndez-Valdés on 14th November 2017 @JuanMenendezEF

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
Juan Menéndez-Valdés

Juan Menéndez-Valdés

When EU Heads of State and Government gather in Gothenburg this week to debate fair jobs and growth, it will be the first such ‘social summit’ in 20 years. At the heart of the agenda will be the formal proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights – 20 principles focused on equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions and social protection and inclusion. It is to serve as a ‘compass for a renewed process of convergence towards better working and living conditions among Member States’ taking account of the changing realities of Europe’s societies and the world of work.

So far, so laudable.

But let us remind ourselves where we are. This is a time when the United Kingdom’s somewhat shambolic exit grabs the headlines. When populist and anti-EU sentiment is present in many Member States. And also when many are questioning the benefits of an EU which had at its core the promise that we would all advance together towards better quality of life and work.

Why then, at this critical juncture – as it battles to respond effectively to the complex new economic and political parameters – does the European Union focus on ‘feel-good’ phrases in a pillar of social rights?

The answer surely lies in the increasingly manifest need for a stronger link between economic and social developments. For the EU’s story is in fact that of upward economic and social convergence among the soon-to-be 27 Member States – in a way that sees all benefit.

Its social model has always differentiated Europe from the rest of the world by explicitly trying to balance both economic and social needs. But populist sentiment perceives the EU as inherently unbalanced, as the vanguard for austerity, as facilitating unfettered migration and mobility and as spawning over-zealous regulation in all aspects of life. The ensuing ills of society are placed firmly at the EU’s door. In reality however, the EU’s mandate in social affairs is limited, and both successes and failures result from responsibility shared with Member States.

Join our growing community newsletter!

"Social Europe publishes thought-provoking articles on the big political and economic issues of our time analysed from a European viewpoint. Indispensable reading!"

Polly Toynbee

Columnist for The Guardian

Thank you very much for your interest! Now please check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

The economy has indeed been the primary vector of the integration process – from the European Economic Community through to the Single Market and Economic and Monetary Union. The logic was that rising prosperity and the intertwining of European economies would make war ‘not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.’

Rules-based markets

However, pan-European markets require rules and much of the social and employment legislation in the Union is related to this process of market-building. Ensuring a ‘fair playing field’ has motivated European legislation on health and safety at the workplace and the principle of equal treatment, not least as regards gender, led to legislative initiatives on the work-life balance, on part-time and temporary agency work, among others. Furthermore, the Collective Redundancies Directive and legislation concerning information and consultation of workers provided a framework for structural change. These European laws have contributed to significant upward convergence in social and employment standards – not least among new member countries.

But if market-building legislation has consistently had more impact on economic and social outcomes, cohesion has also played a role. It has become the EU’s main investment policy via the various Structural Funds, and in recent times has accounted for over half of public investment in some countries. There is little doubt that the policy has met considerable success.

However, the strong growth seen from the mid-1990s up to the onset of the recession in 2007 masked the fragility of various aspects of employment and social protection in many Member States. For example, the pre-recession decades saw a large increase in the number of temporary contracts. The crisis then saw them largely wiped out. In some Member States insurance schemes were ill-equipped to provide income support and cut-backs in social protection expenditures weakened safety nets further.


We need your help! Please join our mission to improve public policy debates.


As you may know, Social Europe is an independent publisher. We aren't backed by a large publishing house or big advertising partners. For the longevity of Social Europe we depend on our loyal readers - we depend on you. You can support us by becoming a Social Europe member for less than 5 Euro per month.

Thank you very much for your support!

Become a Social Europe Member

Buttressing Europe’s social dimension

This was the catalyst that placed the current social convergence concept at the centre of European policy discourse. On the one hand, the crisis signalled the interruption of a long-standing process of convergence of real standards of living among the Member States. On the other, the recession challenged the stability of the Euro, casting doubts on the existing system of financial governance. As Greece and other countries affected by fiscal consolidation battled to stay afloat against a background of deteriorating employment and living and working conditions, and as other Member States perceived the increased movement of workers, people and services as a growing threat to their standards of working conditions and social protection, political consensus grew that ‘ever closer’ integration – and the euro’s stability – required a strengthened social dimension.

It was against this background that the European Pillar of Social Rights, after a wide consultation process, emerged from the European Commission this April. The Social Pillar makes it clear that economic and social progress are two sides of the same coin. Without social safety nets people do not take risks. Education and training, and other activation policies, are key ingredients to long-term competitive advantage and social protection plays a vital role in stabilising economies in EMU.

This is the significance of the Proclamation – it represents the inextricably linked political, economic and social integration of a continent. As all countries return to growth, this is surely the time to demonstrate that integration can deliver. The Pillar is a first and essential step towards a new start for social Europe. Its implementation will require action not only at European level, but by Member States, social partners and governments at national and regional level. (It will be discussed in depth at today’s Eurofound’s foundation forum.)

This is the story of the European Union. A new chapter opens in Gothenburg this week. After that, it will be in Paris, Madrid, Prague… that the most important pages are penned.

This column is sponsored by Eurofound.
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
Home ・ Politics ・ EU Social Pillar: A (Potential) New Start For Europe

Filed Under: Politics

About Juan Menéndez-Valdés

Juan Menéndez-Valdés is the director of Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Prior to assuming the position in 2010, he was the head of employment, immigration, education and training policies at the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organisation (CEOE) and programme manager for guidance and training at the Spanish National Institute for Employment (INEM).

Partner Ads

Most Popular Posts

Thomas Piketty,capital Capital and ideology: interview with Thomas Piketty Thomas Piketty
sovereignty Brexit and the misunderstanding of sovereignty Peter Verovšek
China,cold war The first global event in the history of humankind Branko Milanovic
centre-left, Democratic Party The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left EJ Dionne Jr
Covid 19 vaccine Designing vaccines for people, not profits Mariana Mazzucato, Henry Lishi Li and Els Torreele

Most Recent Posts

Uber,drivers,gig UK gig drivers recognised as workers—what next? Jill Toh
women workers,services Covid-19: a tale of two service sectors John Hurley
European Pillar of Social Rights,social pillar EU credibility as a people’s union rests on the social pillar Liina Carr
vaccine nationalism,Big Pharma Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic Sharan Burrow
Can we change the climate on climate change? Karin Pettersson

Other Social Europe Publications

US election 2020
Corporate taxation in a globalised era
The transformation of work
The coronavirus crisis and the welfare state
Whither Social Rights in (Post-)Brexit Europe?

Social Europe Publishing book

With a pandemic raging, for those countries most affected by Brexit the end of the transition could not come at a worse time. Yet, might the UK's withdrawal be a blessing in disguise? With its biggest veto player gone, might the European Pillar of Social Rights take centre stage? This book brings together leading experts in European politics and policy to examine social citizenship rights across the European continent in the wake of Brexit. Will member states see an enhanced social Europe or a race to the bottom?

'This book correctly emphasises the need to place the future of social rights in Europe front and centre in the post-Brexit debate, to move on from the economistic bias that has obscured our vision of a progressive social Europe.' Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland


MORE INFO

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

Renewing labour relations in the German meat industry: an end to 'organised irresponsibility'?

Over the course of 2020, repeated outbreaks of Covid-19 in a number of large German meat-processing plants led to renewed public concern about the longstanding labour abuses in this industry. New legislation providing for enhanced inspection on health and safety, together with a ban on contract work and limitations on the use of temporary agency employees, holds out the prospect of a profound change in employment practices and labour relations in the meat industry. Changes in the law are not sufficient, on their own, to ensure decent working conditions, however. There is also a need to re-establish the previously high level of collective-bargaining coverage in the industry, underpinned by an industry-wide collective agreement extended by law to cover the entire sector.


FREE DOWNLOAD

ETUI advertisement

ETUI/ETUC (online) conference Towards a new socio-ecological contract 3-5 February 2021

The need to effectively tackle global warming puts under pressure the existing industrial relations models in Europe. A viable world of labour requires a new sustainability paradigm: economic, social and environmental.

The required paradigm shift implies large-scale economic and societal change and serious deliberation. All workers need to be actively involved and nobody should be left behind. Massive societal coalitions will have to be built for a shared vision to emerge and for a just transition, with fairly distributed costs, to be supported. But this is also an opportunity to redefine our societal goals and how they relate to the current focus on (green) growth.


REPLAY ALL SESSIONS

To access the videos, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘video’ button of your chosen session (plenary or panel). It will bring you immediately to the corresponding video. To access the available presentations, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘information’ button. Check the links to the available presentations.

Eurofound advertisement

Industrial relations: developments 2015-2019

Eurofound has monitored and analysed developments in industrial relations systems at EU level and in EU member states for over 40 years. This new flagship report provides an overview of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue in the years immediately prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Findings are placed in the context of the key developments in EU policy affecting employment, working conditions and social policy, and linked to the work done by social partners—as well as public authorities—at European and national levels.


CLICK FOR MORE INFO

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

FEPS Progressive Yearbook

Twenty-twenty has been an extraordinary year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the multidimensional crisis that it triggered have boosted existing trends and put forward new challenges. But they have also created unexpected opportunities to set a new course of action for the European Union and—hopefully—make a remarkable leap forward in European integration.

The second edition of the Progressive Yearbook, the yearly publication of the Foundation for European Progressive studies, revolves around the exceptional events of 2020 and looks at the social, economic and political impact they will have in 2021. It is a unique publication, which aims to be an instrument for the progressive family to reflect on the recent past and look ahead to our next future.


CLICK HERE

About Social Europe

Our Mission

Article Submission

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

Find Social Europe Content

Search Social Europe

Project Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

.EU Web Awards