European Pillar of Social Rights

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The European Pillar of Social Rights in 20 principles
The Pillar of Social Rights is about delivering new and more effective rights for citizens, built upon 20 key principles.
Endorsing the European Pillar of Social Rights
The Commission proposes the European Pillar of Social Rights to be proclaimed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The Social Summit, which will take place in Sweden on 17 November of this year, will be a key moment to steer the work forward, in line with the broader discussion on the social dimension of Europe.
Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights
Delivering on the principles and rights defined under the European Pillar of Social Rights is a joint responsibility of the European Union institutions, member states, social partners and other stakeholders. The European institutions will help set the framework and give direction on the way forward for implementation of the Pillar through legislation where needed, in full respect of member states' competences and taking into account the diversity of their situations.
Monitoring progress
The implementation of the Pillar will be supported by an online social scoreboard to track trends and performances across EU countries.
Future of social Europe
The discussion on the social dimension of Europe is part of the broader debate around the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe. In this context, the Commission published a reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe. It zooms in on the upcoming transformations of the European societies and their world of work, while setting out a number of options for our collective response.

Background

In his first State of the European Union speech in September 2015 President Juncker laid out his vision for a European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar aims to take into account the changing realities of the world of work and will serve as a compass for the renewed convergence within the euro area. This initiative is primarily conceived for the euro area, but open to all member states wishing to participate.

Since President Juncker announced the European Pillar of Social Rights, there has been a wide debate with EU authorities, member states, social partners, civil society and citizens on the content and role of the Pillar and how to ensure fairness and social justice in Europe.

On 8 March 2016, the Commission presented a first outline of the Pillar of Social Rights and launched a public consultation. The Commission received more than 16,500 online replies and nearly 200 position papers. The consultation culminated in a concluding Conference "Going Forward Together' in January 2017, counting more than 600 participants. The final outline of the European Pillar of Social Rights builds further on the results of the consultation.

European Pillar of Social Rights