Conference Report: A Social Europe for all with all, Developing an Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights
Last Updated: 19 November 2020
by Abriel SCHIEFFELERS
Social Platform hosted an event on November 18th entitled “A Social Europe for all with all: Developing an Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights.” The conference brought together policy makers and civil society for a discussion on the upcoming social pillar action plan in light of the COVID crisis.
Development of the Action Plan
Nicolas Schmidt, European Commissioner for Jobs & Social Rights, presented the keynote speech on the development of the action plan, sharing that the consultation on the action plan has been guided by two key questions: “what actions reflect the principles of the pillar”, and “how should it be implemented?” Concrete proposals have been delivered that are focused on minimum wage, skills, and youth employment support. The action plan will put forward quantified targets and improve monitoring to cover principles of the pillar in the context of the European semester. He noted that the Social Pillar is the engine of social resilience in Europe – and it is crucial that civil society continue to be associated with the action plan which addresses many social issues thanks to the help of civil society.
Recommendations from Social Platform
Social Platform presented their analysis on the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, which details their recommendations and vision for the contents and implementation of the action plan. While there has been some progress on realizing the goals of the social pillar, it has been fragmented, and has not been a comprehensive approach with a European vision. The creation and implementation of the action plan is reliant on political will to make use of implementation tools on all levels. Therefore, the action plan must combine legal binding measures with soft coordination mechanisms like semester backed by EU funds using legislation over soft law to set minimum playing fields at national level, must ensure synergies with other frameworks, including the gender equality strategy, Roma strategy, LGBT strategy, etc. The action plan must be adequately funded and included in new economic governance framework.
“If the social pillar is a compass for the convergence of better living conditions, then the action plan must be the road map.” – Laura de Bonfils, Social Platform Policy & Advocacy Coordinator
The Salvation Army’s role in the Social Pillar Action Plan
The Salvation Army, as a key civil society actor in many EU member states, can play a key role in the development and implementation of the Social Pillar Action Plan.
It is important for The Army to familiarize themselves with the Social Pillar and see how pre-existing work fits into different parts of the pillar. From there, advocacy on a national level can be done to ensure that civil society has a voice in how these policies are transcribed to national law, how funding is distributed, and how monitoring is accomplished.
In addition to national level advocacy, The European Affairs Office will submit comments and recommendations on the ongoing consultation. Your comments on the development of the action plan are appreciated and can be received until Nov. 29th by sending us an email here. Some questions that may guide your comments include: What/who should be given special attention in the action plan? What needs are faced by Europeans in the wake of COVID-19, especially in regard to minimum wage, skills, and youth employment support? Where can funding be allocated to in order to make the most impact? What role should civil society play in this?
Tags: Europe