COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan
Date: 2021-03-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU employment policy, European social policy, job creation, labour market, professional qualifications, social integration, social rights, social security, vocational training

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 4.3.2021  SWD(2021) 46 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT   Accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan      {COM(2021) 102 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

2.  REPORT ON THE CONSULTATION 

I. The consultation process 
Have your Say web page 
Dedicated events 
Inter-institutional process 

II. Main findings from the consultation 

On the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan in general 

A shared political commitment and responsibility 
Towards an Action Plan for a fair recovery and just transitions 
The need for a strategic approach 
Ensuring consistency with other policies 
Setting targets 

On policy priorities and concrete proposals 

Education, training and skills 
Equal opportunities 
Quality jobs, fair working conditions and social dialogue 
Social protection, health and long-term care 
Poverty and social inclusion 
Fair labour mobility 

On instruments and cross-cutting engagement for implementation 

Type of instruments 
Implementation, enforcement and awareness of EU social/employment law 
The role of the European Semester, monitoring and indicators 
EU funding 

3 

3 

3 
4 
5 
6 

7 
7 
7 
9 
10 
11 
13 
15 
15 
18 
24 
32 
37 
42 
44 
44 
45 
45 
48 

3.  ONGOING ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE EUROPEAN PILLAR OF SOCIAL RIGHTS 

51 

I. Equal opportunities and access to the labour market 
Principle 1: Education, training and life-long learning 
Principle 2: Gender equality 
Principle 3: Equal opportunities 
Principle 4: Active support to employment 

II. Fair working conditions 

Principle 5: Secure and adaptable employment 
Principle 6: Wages 
Principle 7: Information about employment conditions and protection in case of dismissals 
Principle 8: Social dialogue and involvement of workers 
Principle 9: Work-life balance 
Principle 10: Healthy, safe and well-adapted work environment and data protection 

III. Social protection and inclusion 

Principle 11: Childcare and support to children 
Principle 12: Social protection 
Principle 13: Unemployment benefits 
Principle 14: Minimum income 
Principle 15: Old age income and pensions 

51 
51 
57 
60 
64 

68 
68 
72 
73 
74 
76 
77 

80 
80 
82 
83 
85 
87 

 
      
Principle 16: Access to healthcare 
Principle 17: Inclusion of people with disabilities 
Principle 18: Long-term care 
Principle 19: Housing and assistance for the homeless 
Principle 20: Essential services 

4.  MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PILLAR 

I. 

Targets 

Employment rate 
Adult participation in learning in the last 12 months 
At-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate (AROPE) 

II. The Social Scoreboard 

III. Benchmarking 

88 
91 
95 
97 
100 

103 

103 
104 
108 
113 

117 

120 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

This  staff  working  document  complements  the  Communication  on  the  Action  Plan  to 
implement the European Pillar of Social Rights1 by additional information.  

It provides a summary of the broad consultation process carried out from 14 January to 
30 November 2020 (section 2).  

It  then  provides  information  on  action  taken  to  implement  the  Pillar  since  its 
proclamation by the European Parliament, Council and Commission in November 2017 
at EU level, and with examples of national, regional and local action, including by social 
partners and relevant stakeholders (in section 3).  

Finally,  it  gives  background  information  on  actions  proposed  to  monitor  progress  in 
implementing  the  Action  Plan,  notably  the  targets  for  2030  and  the  revised  Social 
Scoreboard  as  set  out  in  the  Action  Plan,  and  ongoing  benchmarking  exercises  run  by 
the Commission with the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee.  

2.  REPORT ON THE CONSULTATION 

I. The consultation process 

In its Communication on a Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions of 14 January 2020 
the Commission committed to come forward in early 2021 with an Action Plan to turn 
the rights and principles enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights into reality. 

invited  all  EU 

Given  the  shared  responsibility  and  competence  for  implementing  the  Pillar,  the 
institutions  and  bodies,  Member  States,  regions, 
Commission 
municipalities, social partners, civil society organisations and think tanks at EU, national, 
regional  and  local  level  to  present  their  views  by  November  2020  on  further  action 
needed and to pledge their own concrete commitments to implementing the Pillar.  

The  Commission  collected  written  input  via  a  web  page2  and  organised  dedicated 
consultation  events  in  the  Member  States  and  with  key  stakeholders  at  EU  level.  The 
consultation  was  complemented  by  the  strategic  resolution  of  the  European 
Parliament3 and the opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)4 
and the Committee of the Regions (CoR5). 

In addition, the Commission ran a social media campaign and a Google ads campaign in 
October and November 2020 to drive submissions and pledges on the implementation 
of the Pillar and on its forthcoming Action Plan. The ads, covering all EU Member States, 

(2020),  Resolution  on  a  Strong  Social  Europe 

1 COM(2021) 102. 
2 http://ec.europa.eu/social/yoursay-socialeurope 
3  European  Parliament 
P9_TA(2020)0371, Brussels, 17 December 2020 (hereinafter the ‘European Parliament Resolution’). 
4 European Economic and Social Committee (2020), Opinion on Industrial Transition Towards a Green and 
Digital  European  Economy:  Regulatory  Requirements  and  the  Role  of  Social  Partners  and  Civil  Society, 
EESC-2020-03642, Brussels, 2 December 2020 (hereinafter the ‘EESC Opinion’). 
5 European Committee of the Regions (2020), Opinion on a Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions, COR 
2020/02167, Brussels, 14 October 2020 (hereinafter the ‘CoR Opinion’). 

for  Just  Transitions, 

3 

 
 
                                                           
featured  statistical  data  from  Member  States  with  a  call  to  action  entitled  ‘You  can 
change  the  statistic’.  Overall,  both  campaigns  generated  over  202  million  impressions 
and almost 1.8 million clicks on the campaign webpage. 

Have your Say web page 

Via  a  dedicated  web  page,  stakeholders  and  citizens  were  invited  to  submit  written 
contributions  (without  pre-set  questions).  The  Commission  received  1 041  unique 
written  contributions.  67.5%  of  submissions  came  from  individual  citizens.  Some 
concrete  proposals  of  citizens  are  reflected  in  this  report.  Many  citizens  took  the 
opportunity  to  describe  their  personal  situation,  notably  persons  with  disabilities, 
people experiencing poverty and women with care responsibilities. 

338  organisations  (32.5%  of  total  submissions)  participated  in  the  online  consultation. 
Especially  civil  society  groups  (38.4%  of  organisations)  and  social  partners  (19%  of 
organisations)  took  the  opportunity  to  express  their  views.  The  majority  of  the 
participating organisations operate at EU level (41.7%) or national level (43.2%) and the 
rest at regional or local level.  

In  addition,  the  Commission  received  several  pledges  to  take  concrete  actions  to 
implement  the  Pillar,  including  from  individual  citizens,  cities  associated  with  the 
Eurocities  network,  the  European  Workplace  Innovation  Network  (EUWIN)  and  the 
European Lean Managers Society (and its Italian affiliate). Some of these are reflected in 
Chapter 3 of this Staff Working Document. 

Contributions: Country of Origin (N=1041) 

Distribution of contributions from citizens and organisations (N=1041) 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Type of contributing Organisation (n=339) 

Policy Level of Contributing Organisations (n=339) 

Dedicated events 

Due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  engagement  process,  which  originally  envisaged 
physical meetings at public events in various Member States, had to be adjusted. Virtual 
events became the standard practice.  

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Commission organised 23 high-level webinars in EU Member States, in cooperation 
with  Commission  Representations  in  these  countries.  The  webinars  were  targeted  at 
leading representatives of national, regional and local authorities, social partners, civil 
society  organisations  and  think-tanks/academia.  From  the  Commission  side,  these 
events involved Commissioner Schmit and senior staff from the Directorate-General for 
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.   

On 8 June 2020, the Commission organised a  high-level hearing of EU social partners 
with  Executive  Vice-President  Dombrovskis  and  Commissioner  Schmit.  Existing  regular 
meetings with EU social partners allowed for further exchanges. This concerns notably 
the Tripartite Social Summit (TSS), the Social Dialogue Committee (with EU and national 
cross-industry  social  partners),  the  Liaison  Forum  (with  EU  cross-industry  and  sectoral 
social partners) and the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committees.  

On 21 October 2020, the Commission held a dedicated strategic dialogue meeting with 
representatives  of  EU  civil  society  organisations.  An  exchange  with  relevant  EU 
agencies took place on 15 October 2020. 

Inter-institutional process 

In  its  resolution  of  17 December  2020, the  European  Parliament  “[c]onsiders  that  the 
Porto  agenda  should  take  a  double  approach,  i.e.  it  should  focus  on  the  social 
sustainability part of the EU’s Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda, while at the same 
time paving the way for the materialisation of the [Pillar] principles through adopting an 
Action  Plan  as  well  as  serving  as  a  follow-up  to  the  Lisbon  strategy,  setting  ambitious 
and  mandatory  targets  and  instruments  defining  the  road  to  social  progress  and 
sustainability;  believes  that  this  agenda  could  contain  the  strategic  framework  for  a 
sustainable, fair and inclusive social Europe for 20306”.  

In  addition,  on  22  October  2020,  the  European  Parliament  adopted  a  resolution  on 
employment and social policies of the euro area 2020. In that document, it calls on the 
Commission  to  “develop  a  political  strategy  to  replace  Europe  2020  which  aims  to 
eradicate poverty, bringing together key instruments such as the European Green Deal, 
the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Semester with a longer-term vision 
of  an  economy  of  well-being  and  the  sustainability  of  our  environment  and  social 
models,  in  line  with  the  UN  SDGs  [Sustainable  Development  Goals]7”.  Parliament  also 
stressed  the  importance  of  implementing  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  and 
achieving  the  UN  SDGs,  including  in  the  context  of  NextGenerationEU,  in  order  to 
ensure social fairness, social cohesion and prosperity for all. 

The  Commission  raised  the  preparations  for  the  Action  Plan  in  several  preparatory 
bodies  of  the  Council  in  the  social  and  employment  field  throughout  20208.  The 
Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) of 3 December 
2020 discussed the main conclusions of the consultation. 21 Member States submitted 

6 European Parliament Resolution. 
7 European Parliament (2020), Resolution on the employment and social policies of the euro area 2020, 
P9_TA(2020)0284, Strasbourg, 22 October 2020. 
8 Social Questions Working Party on 4 February 2020 , COREPER I on 14 February 2020, Social Protection 
Committee on 15 September 2020 and Employment Committee on 17 September 2020. 

6 

 
 
                                                           
written contributions to the consultation, while most governments were heard as part 
of the dedicated webinars in the Member States. 

Moreover,  the  Council  conclusions  on  the  2020  Annual  Sustainable  Growth  Strategy9 
and  Joint  Employment  Report10,  adopted  in  April  2020,  called  on  the  Commission  to 
“develop, as a matter of priority a post-2020 strategy that includes clear and ambitious 
employment and social targets, based on the European Pillar of Social Rights and on the 
results  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy,  taking  into  account  the  2019  joint  EMCO-SPC 
assessment, and to involve EMCO and SPC in its development11”.   

The  Council  conclusions  of  23  November  2020  on  the  “2021  European  Semester: 
employment  and  social  aspects  of  the  Annual  Sustainable  Growth  Strategy  2021” 
highlighted  “that  the  principles  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  should  be 
implemented  with  due  regard  for  respective  competences  and  that  Member  States 
should  make  use  of  the  significant  EU  funding  available  for  the  relevant  reforms  and 
investment, thereby mitigating the socio-economic impact of the crisis, accelerating the 
recovery  and  enhancing  resilience”,  while  “taking  note  of  the  European  Commission’s 
intention  to  propose  an  Action  Plan  on  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  in  early 
202112.” 

At  the  request  of  the  European  Parliament,  the  EESC  adopted  an  opinion  on  2 
December  2020.  It  states  that  “[t]he  EESC  welcomes  the  action  plan  announced  to 
implement the [Pillar]. The relevant EU labour law acquis should be reinforced to better 
support  a  just  transition  for  workers.  The  action  plan  should  set  a  minimum  floor  of 
rights at EU level, including: the right to health and safety covering all workers and new 
types of work; information, consultation, co-determination  and  participation rights not 
limited  to  transition  situations;  skills  development  rights;  minimum  standards  for 
unemployment insurance; minimum wage; and collective bargaining13”. 

The  CoR  adopted  an  opinion  on  a  Strong  Social  Europe  for  Just  Transitions  on  12 
October 2020, stressing “the importance of a clear, coordinated and ambitious roadmap 
for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights14”. 

II. Main findings from the consultation 

On the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan in general 

A shared political commitment and responsibility 

There  is  a  strong  consensus  among  most  contributors  to  the  consultation  on  the 
importance  of  harnessing  the  EU’s  social  dimension.  The  values  of  the  social  market 

9 European Commission (2019), Communication from the Commission, 2020 Annual Sustainable Growth 
Strategy, COM/2019/650 final, Brussels, 17 December 2019.  
10 Joint Employment Report 2020 as adopted by the EPSCO Council on 8 April 2020.  
11  Council  of  the  European  Union  (2020),  Council  Conclusions  7271/20  on  the  2020  Annual  Sustainable 
Growth Strategy and Joint Employment Report, 9 April 2020. 
12  Council  of  the  European  Union  (2020),  Council  Conclusions  13246/20  on  2021  European  Semester: 
employment and social aspects of the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2021, 23 November 2020. 
13 EESC Opinion. 
14 CoR Opinion. 

7 

 
 
                                                           
economy, embedded in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union, are what sets Europe 
apart  in  the  world15.  The  European  social  model  has  shown  its  unique  value  in 
cushioning  the  harsh  economic  and  social  impacts  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  This 
model is embodied by the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. 

There is a broadly shared view that the joint political commitment to the Pillar, rooted 
in  an  interinstitutional  proclamation16,  also  entails  a  shared  responsibility  for  its 
implementation17.  Many  Member  States  and  organisations  recall  the  European 
Council’s  Strategic  Agenda  2019-2024,  which  calls  for  implementation of  the  Pillar  “at 
EU and Member State level, with due regard for respective competences”18. The topic is 
also  one  of  the  priorities  of  the  Portuguese  EU  Council  Presidency  of  the  first  half  of 
2021, which will organise in May 2021 a European Social Summit in Porto19. 

The European Parliament recalls that “initiatives originating from the European Pillar of 
Social  Rights  are  a  shared  responsibility  between  the  EU  and  the  Member  States20”.  It 
also  calls  for  Treaty  reforms,  in  particular  “the  integration  of  the  Pillar  and  a  social 
progress protocol in the Treaties, protecting social rights at the same level as economic 
freedoms  in  the  single  market  and  the  adoption  of  a  Sustainable  Development  and 
Social  Progress  Pact  making  social  and  sustainable  targets  mandatory,  in  order  to 
achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” and for an activation of the 
Treaty’s passerelle clause in social policy21.  

While  to  a  different  extent  across  Member  States,  many  powers  relevant  to  the 
implementation of the Pillar are held by regional and local authorities22. As spelled out 
by  the  CoR  “a  fair  transition  means  recognising  the  key  role  of  the  local  and  regional 
level  in  delivering  high-quality  public  services23”.  Eurocities  has  provided  a  substantial 
overview  of  key  actions  and  pledges  by its  member  cities  to  implement  the  Pillar  and 
calls for a new pact between leaders of the EU and cities24. 

Social  partners  and  civil  society  organisations  also  hold  important  levers  for  the 
implementation of the principles of the Pillar.  

Both employers and trade unions stress the key role played by strong and autonomous 
social partners in designing employment and social policies, and hence in contributing 

15 European Parliament Resolution, Denmark, Minister for Labour and Social Affairs (webinar Germany).  
16  European  Parliament,  Council,  European  Commission  (2017),  Interinstitutional  Proclamation  on  the 
European Pillar of Social Rights, 2017/C 428/09, 13 December 2017. 
17 Among others, European Parliament Resolution, Christa Schweng (President of the European Economic 
and  Social  Committee),  Germany,  Sweden,  Romania,  Basque  Regional  Government,  BusinessEurope, 
SMEunited. 
18  European  Council  (2019),  A  new  strategic  agenda  for  the  EU,  2019-2024,  20  June  2019;  see    among 
others, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association 
(webinar Bulgaria), Confederation of Portuguese Business (webinar Portugal), CEC European Managers. 
19 Portugal. 
20 European Parliament Resolution. 
21  European  Parliament  Resolution;  see  also  Land  of  Berlin;  ACV-CSC,  ABVV-FGTB,  Austrian  Chamber  of 
Labour, FO and LO also call for a Treaty-based precedence of social rights over economic freedoms. 
22 European Parliament Resolution, EESC Opinion, Slovakia. 
23 CoR Opinion. 
24 Eurocities. 

8 

 
 
                                                           
implementation  of  the  Pillar  and  of  social  rights25,  even 

to  the 
confederations insist on the non-binding nature of the Pillar26.  

if  employer 

Multiple civil society organisations cite action taken by their members to implement the 
principles  of  the  Pillar  on  the  ground,  notably  by  providing  essential  social  support 
services to people27.  

Towards an Action Plan for a fair recovery and just transitions 

Most contributors support the Commission’s intention to come forward with an Action 
Plan to implement the Pillar. Two key objectives for the Action Plan transpire from the 
consultation. 

First, it must anchor the Pillar at the heart of the  EU’s recovery strategy, supported in 
particular by REACT-EU and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)28. All over Europe, 
the  pandemic  has  emphasised  the  vital  importance  of  resilient  social  and  health  care 
systems and efficient public services29.  

Secondly,  the  Action  Plan  must  enable  people  and  the  workforce  to  successfully 
navigate  the twin  green  and  digital  transformation  of  societies  and  labour  markets30. 
The  COVID-19  pandemic  has  only  accelerated  existing  trends31.  In  this  perspective, 
everyone must be able to seize the new opportunities and enjoy appropriate protection 
against new risks32.  

Trade unions stress that the Action Plan must lead to an enforceable minimum floor of 
rights  for  all  types  of  workers33.  Civil  society  organisations  call  for  a  rights-based 
approach34,  which  empowers  citizens,  gives  them  access  to  adequate  income  and 
quality services and holds governments to account35. 

In  contrast,  most  employers  express  caution  on  the  Commission’s  intention  to  come 
forward with an EU-level Action Plan. They are mostly of the opinion that the EU-level 
coordination of national reforms must be strengthened to improve the functioning of 
labour  markets  and  to  make  sure  Member  States  deliver  on  the  reforms  they  already 
promised to take36. 

25 Among others, ETUC, BusinessEurope, EK, CNEL, TCO, CEEMET. 
26 Dansk Erhverv, BDA, ZPP, VBO-FEB, BAVC, Gesamtmetall, Teknikföretagen, CEEMET. 
27 See in particular Caritas Europe, FEANTSA, EASPD, BAG WfbM. 
28 European Parliament Resolution, BusinessEurope, Confesercenti Nazionale, WEC. 
29 Croatia, France, ETUC, SGI Europe, AGE Platform, UGT, ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB, European Social Insurance 
Platform. 
30 European Parliament Resolution, EESC, Cyprus, Finland, Croatia, Mayor of Strasbourg (webinar France), 
ETUC. 
31 EKD, CNEL. 
32 EESC Opinion, ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB, TELA. 
33 ETUC. 
34  Social  Platform;  ee  also  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Eurodiaconia,  FO  and  the  OHCHR  Regional 
Office. EWL, ERGO, MMM, Housing Rights Watch, IHPG also make this point in their respective fields of 
expertise. 
35 Social Platform, ENIL, ENNHRI. 
36 BusinessEurope, BDA. 

9 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
The need for a strategic approach 

EU  institutions  and  bodies,  several  Member  States,  trade  unions  and  civil  society 
organisations  call  for  a  strategic  orientation  of  the  Action  Plan37.  It  should  provide  a 
successor  to  the  Europe  2020  Strategy  and  set  out  the  road  towards  the  social 
sustainability objectives of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 
and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs38).  

In  particular,  the  European  Parliament  calls  for  a  Porto  Agenda,  arguing  that  the  “EU 
Social  Summit  planned  for  May  2021  in  Porto  would  be  the  perfect  opportunity  for 
adoption of this agenda at the highest political level by the leaders of the 27 Member 
States  and  of  the  European  Council,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  European 
Commission. 39” 

The Action  Plan  should be  consistent  with the  objectives of  the  European  Green  Deal 
and  the  Commission’s  Communication  on  Shaping  Europe’s  digital  future,  as  key 
components  of  the  Commission’s  growth  strategy40.  With  regard  to  cushioning  the 
social  impact  of  the  shift  to  climate-neutrality,  the  World  Wildlife  Fund (WWF)  recalls 
that  delaying  action  on  climate  change  would  hit  people  in  situations  of  vulnerability 
hardest41. The EESC calls for a new social contract while the ACT 4 SOCIAL EU coalition 
and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) propose a ‘Social Deal’ based on EU-
wide  social  minimum  standards,  with  the  Pillar  as  a  compass  for  economic  policy 
coordination42. 

The European Parliament, anti-poverty organisations and some trade unions call for the 
Action Plan to contain an overarching strategy to eradicate poverty by 203043. 

To  remedy  the  COVID-19  pandemic’s  already  observed  and  foreseeable  continued 
negative  impact  on  inequalities,  some  Member  States  and  stakeholders  cite  the 
increased  urgency  of  living  up  to  the  basic  premises  of  the  Pillar,  notably  promoting 
social  cohesion  and  convergence  and  responding  to  the  new  opportunities  and 
labour  markets44.  Several 
challenges  of  our  quickly  developing  societies  and 
contributions  illustrate  the  acceleration  of  pre-existing  trends,  for  instance  on  the 
digitalisation  of  work,  and  warn  about  the  risk  of  new  divides  and  of  widening 

37  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Belgian  Ministry  for  Employment,  Labour  and  Social  Dialogue, 
Czechia, ETUC, Social Platform. 
38 European Parliament  Resolution, EESC Opinion, CoR Opinion, Sweden, Portugal, OHCHR,  ETUC, Social 
Platform,  German  Association  for  Public  and  Private  Welfare,  Caritas  Europe,  AGE  Platform,  BAGFW, 
Eurodiaconia, ATD Fourth World (ATD). 
39 European Parliament Resolution. 
40 Latvia, Hungary, Mayor of Strasbourg (webinar France), European Platform for Rehabilitation, Housing 
Europe, BAGFW. 
41 WWF. 
42 EESC Opinion, DGB, ACT 4 SOCIAL EU, CESI. 
43 See for instance European Parliament Resolution, EAPN, Caritas Europa, Eurodiaconia, ETUC, CIN-NIC. 
44  Netherlands,  Romania,  Sweden,  Slovenia,  Spanish  State  Secretary  for  Social  Rights  (webinar  Spain), 
MEDEF  (webinar France), ETUC, ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB, 3F, DFK. 

10 

 
 
                                                           
inequalities  between  groups  of  citizens  within  Member  States  and  between  different 
Member States and regions45. 

Employer organisations stress the importance of economic competitiveness as a basis 
for social progress46. In their view, the Action Plan should stimulate structural reforms 
and  not  hamper  the  ability  of  companies,  in  particular  SMEs,  to  create  jobs  and  hire 
people47. Some wish to see a structural competitiveness check before the Commission 
adopts  any  proposal  for  EU  legislation48.  Some  Member  States  recall  that  social 
convergence is essential to combat social dumping49. 

The  UN  Office  of  the  High  Commissioner  for  Human  Rights  (OHCHR),  the  European 
Network  of  Human  Rights  Institutions  (ENNHRI)  and  Amnesty  International  highlight 
Member  States’  obligations  under  international  human  rights  law  and  recommend 
linking the Action Plan with the revised European Social Charter, the UN International 
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Commission’s New Strategy 
for  the  Implementation of  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of the  EU50.  The  French 
organisations French General Confederation of Labour  – Workers’ Force (FO) and ATD 
Fourth World (ATD) call on the EU to ratify the revised European Social Charter51. 

Ensuring consistency with other policies 

Most contributions focus on the role of employment and social policies in implementing 
the  Pillar.  Many  also  argue  that  such  policies  can  only  be  successful  if  there  is 
consistency  with  wider  economic,  budgetary  and  fiscal  policies52.  Eurocities  calls  on 
the  Commission  to  perform  a  social  impact  assessment  of  all  planned  EU  policies, 
especially in relation to its recovery strategy. They also stress the need to reinforce the 
social dimension of the Green Deal, including through action for affordable housing and 
against  energy  poverty  under  the  Renovation  Wave53.  The  ENNHRI,  Amnesty 
International and EuroMed Rights call for systematic human rights impact assessments 
on  all  proposals  by  the  EU  and  its  Member  States54.  For  the  ENNHRI,  national  human 
rights institutions should have a consultative role in EU policy-making55.  

With regard to the planned update of the new Industrial Strategy, the EESC calls on the 
Commission  to  strengthen  its  social  dimension56,  while  the  Federation  of  German 

45 CoR Opinion, Social Platform, AGE Platform. 
46BAVC, Teknikföretagen, EFIC. 
47 EESC Opinion, SMEunited, EK, ZPP, VBO-FEB, Danks Erhverv. 
48 ECEG, EFCI. 
49 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, Netherlands, Austria. 
50  OHCHR,  ENNHRI;  Amnesty  International  points  out  that  other  relevant  UN  Conventions  include  the 
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention for the Elimination of 
All forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention 
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 
51 FO, ATD. 
52 EESC Opinion, Hungary, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (webinar Finland), COFACE, ONCE. 
53 Eurocities; similar point made by Simon Communities of Ireland, Eurodiaconia, Housing Europe. 
54 ENNHRI, EuroMed Rights, Amnesty International. 
55 ENNHRI. 
56 EESC Opinion. 

11 

 
 
                                                           
Employers'  Associations  in  the  Metal  and  Electrical  Engineering  Industries  (M+E)  calls 
for the introduction of a European moratorium on further burdens on employers57. 

Several  citizens  echo  the  demand  of  the  EESC  and  of  trade  unions  to  ensure  fair 
corporate  taxation,  in  particular  of  large  multinational  tech  corporations58.  This 
demand encompasses a financial transaction tax, which would ensure that stock market 
investors  pay  their  fair  share  to  finance  social  protection  systems59.  The  Austrian 
Federal  Chamber  of  Labour  calls  for  progress  on  establishing  an  EU-wide  Common 
Consolidated Corporate Tax Base60. The EESC welcomes the creation of the Platform on 
Sustainable Finance and anticipates an acceleration in social taxonomy development61.  

Some contributors62 call for the revision of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). Trade 
unions propose to develop benchmarks for government expenditure within the SGP to 
ensure  necessary  funding  for  universal,  affordable  and  high-quality  public  services63. 
The  DGB  suggests  to  add  an  investment  protocol  to  the  Treaty  or  at  least  to  further 
develop  the  existing  investment  clause64.  The  Social  Platform  argues that  there  are  at 
least  four  areas  of  public  social  expenditure  which  are  productive  and  should  be 
considered for exemption from the corrective and preventive arm of the SGP: 1) early 
childhood education and care, 2) primary and secondary education, 3) lifelong learning, 
training  and  active  labour  market  policies,  and  4)  services  that  support  autonomy, 
independence  ands  affordable  quality  social  housing65.  The  Global  Initiative  for 
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) advocates for keeping essential services, 
including  health  care,  education,  food,  water,  sanitation,  transportation  and  energy 
outside of any market-based competition framework, including by stopping the use of 
public-private partnerships66. 

A  few  contributions  point  to  the  need  to  mainstream  the  Pillar  in  the  EU’s  external 
action,  enlargement  negotiations  and  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy67.  The 
Austrian Federal State of Vienna notably calls for action against human trafficking68. The 
Euclid  Network  mentions  the  potential  of  promoting  the  social  enterprise  model  as  a 
global standard69.  

The CoR is convinced of the EU’s capacity to positively affect working conditions in non-
EU countries, by concluding ambitious trade agreements70. In that context, it supports 

57 M+E. 
58 EESC Opinion, eTIC; see also GI-ESCR. 
59 EESC Opinion, Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (webinar Czechia); see also Belgian Anti-
Poverty Network. 
60 Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour. 
61 EESC Opinion; see also ACT 4 SOCIAL EU. 
62 EESC Opinion; see also Social Platform. 
63 ETUC; see also Social Platform. 
64 DGB; see also EESC Opinion, BAGFW, State of Vienna, ACT 4 SOCIAL EU and Austrian Federal Chamber 
of Labour on so-called ‘golden rule’. 
65 Social Platform; on social housing see also Eurocities. 
66 GI-ESCR. 
67 ILO, EuroMed Rights, EASPD. 
68 State of Vienna. 
69 Euclid Network 
70 See also CIN-NIC, LO, ACT 4 SOCIAL EU. 

12 

 
 
                                                           
tasking  the  new  Chief  Trade  Enforcement  Officer  (CTEO)  with  enforcing  labour  and 
environmental  standards  in  trade  agreements,  in  consultation  with  social  partners71. 
Swedish  trade  unions  demand  that  the  ratification  and  compliance  with  the  core 
Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) should be a precondition for 
negotiations  on  trade  agreements  with  the  EU.  Dispute  settlement  mechanisms  must 
not restrict the right of states to take decisions, the autonomy of the social partners or 
trade  union  rights72.  The  German  Federal  Association  of  Non-statutory  Welfare 
(BAGFW)  cautions  that  future  EU  free  trade  agreements  should  exclude  social  and 
health  services,  in  order  to  warrant  access  to  essential  services73.  Autism-Europe  asks 
the  Commission  to  promote  the  ratification  of  the  UN  Convention  on  the  Rights  of 
Persons with Disabilities74.  

Setting targets 

The  European  Parliament,  the  Council  (in  particular  its  Employment,  Social  Policy, 
Health  and  Consumer  Affairs  configuration),  social  partners  and  civil  society 
organisations advocate setting a number of employment and social targets as part of a 
strategic  post-2020  framework  to  strengthen  cohesion  and  convergence  and  to  meet 
the UN SDGs.   

The  European  Parliament  highlights  that  “an  ambitious  political  agenda  with 
identifiable,  feasible,  sustainable,  clear  and  mandatory  targets  and  indicators  of  social 
sustainability  must  be  designed75.”  These  targets  and  objectives,  both  qualitative  and 
quantitative,  and  with  a  2030  time  horizon,  should  be  reinforced  through  dedicated 
monitoring and mandatory enforceability and include the following: 

  collective bargaining coverage of 90%; 
 
reduce long-term and youth unemployment by at least 50%; 
  eliminate involuntary temporary and part-time employment; 
  eliminate the practices of zero-hour contracts and bogus self-employment; 
  80%  of  jobs  created  being  middle  or  high  paying  and  concentrated  in  sustainable 

sectors; 

  eliminate work-related deaths and reducing work-related illnesses; 
  at 

least  80%  of  corporations  covered  by  sustainable  corporate  governance 

agreements; 

  a ratio of at least one labour inspector per 10 000 employed persons; 
  every child in the EU must have full access to quality and free healthcare, education 

and childcare, is living in a decent house and receives an adequate nutrition; 

  eliminate the gender pay gap - and pension gap - with a 0% target; 
  eeach at least 40% representation of women in senior management positions; 
  at least 30% of all newly built houses must constitute affordable housing for low and 

middle income groups; 

71 CoR Opinion. 
72 LO; the European Parliament  insists on the ratification of ILO Conventions 81 (labour inspection) and 
129 (labour inspection in the agricultural sector). 
73 BAGFW. 
74 Autism-Europe. 
75 European Parliament Resolution. 

13 

 
 
                                                           
  eradicate homelessness; 
  eliminate energy poverty. 

According  to  the  Social  Platform  “the  Action  Plan  must  define  ambitious  and  concrete 
targets and timelines for the realisation of each of the 20 principles”  76. Together with 
civil society organisations active in the fight against poverty, it calls for a 50% poverty-
reduction target (including child poverty) and a commitment to ending extreme poverty 
and homelessness by 203077.  

Social  partners  call  for  a  revaluing  of  the  Barcelona  targets  on  childcare,  notably  by  a 
gradual  increase  of  the  33%  target  on  enrolment  of  children  under  the  age  of  3  to 
50%78.  The  European  Platform  for  Rehabilitation  asks  for  sub-targets  to  be  added, 
including targets on employment and poverty of persons with disabilities79. For several 
organisations,  the  Action  Plan  should  set  a  quantified  target  on  the  accessibility  and 
quality  of  long-term  care  services,  in  particular  home-care  and  community-based 
services80.  

Belgian  employers  support  a  cross-cutting  employment  rate  target  of  80%81.  The 
European Youth Forum asks that Member States should invest at least 6% of their GDP 
in  education  and  asks  for  a  headline  target  of  50%  reduction  in  the  NEET  (Not  in 
Education, Employment or Training) rate among people aged 15-29. It also proposes a 
headline  target  of  a  50%  reduction  of  the  proportion  of  workers  on  temporary 
contracts,  with  a  corresponding  sub-target  for  the  age  group  15-2982.  The  European 
Women’s  Lobby  (EWL)  asks  targets  for  men’s  take-up  of  paternity,  parental  and  care 
leave83.  

While the Council supports the setting of employment and social targets at EU level84, 
some  Member  States  stress  the  very  different  social  performance  of  Member  States 
and  the  need  to  make  sure  that  the  EU  framework  is  compatible  with  the  different 
national contexts and starting points85.  

Sweden  argues  for  complementing  EU  targets  with  tailored  national  commitments86. 
Some civil society organisations point out that better performing Member States should 
have more ambitious targets87.  

76 Social Platform. 
77 EAPN, FEANTSA, Eurodiaconia, Eurochild; see also State of Vienna, SOSTE; the European Youth Forum 
asks for a sub-target of 50% for the age group 15-29. 
78 ETUC, Austrian Chamber of Labour, TCO, SGI Europe. 
79 European Platform for Rehabilitation. 
80 Eurocarers, EWL. 
81 VBO-FEB. 
82 European Youth Forum. 
83 EWL. 
84  Council  of  the  European  Union  (2020),  Council  Conclusions  13246/20  on  2021  European  Semester: 
employment and social aspects of the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2021, 23 November 2020. 
85  Slovenia,  Sweden,  Minister  of  Labour  and  Pension  System  (webinar  Croatia),  Minister  for  Innovation 
and  Technology  (webinar  Hungary),  Minister  for  Labour  and  Social  Policy  (webinar  Bulgaria),  Federal 
Minister  of  Labour,  Family  and  Youth  (webinar  Austria),  President  National  Labour  Council  (webinar 
Belgium). 
86 Sweden. 

14 

 
 
                                                           
On policy priorities and concrete proposals 

The  contributions  received  cover  a  vast  array  of  topics.  A  number  of  core  policy 
priorities can be identified, which the Action Plan should address in the  context of the 
recovery  and  the  green,  digital  and  demographic  transitions.  Specific  policy  ideas  and 
proposals are listed under each of these core policy priorities. 

Education, training and skills 

There is a consensus on the crucial role of skills to enable everyone to benefit from the 
new opportunities arising from the green and digital economy. Many contributors put a 
particular  emphasis  on  closing  the  digital  skills  gap88.  Some  contributors  highlight  the 
role of soft skills, such as flexibility, the ability to work in a team, problem solving and 
other skills gaps89. Others emphasise entrepreneurial skills90.  

Skills  should  be  acquired  and  kept  up  to  date  via  access  to  universal,  quality  and 
affordable  education,  vocational  education  and  training  (VET)  and  lifelong  learning91. 
This right should be warranted throughout the career and also be transferable between 
Member  States92.  Portugal  would  like  to  see  EU  support  for  national  lifelong  learning 
centres and common methodologies for lifelong learning guidance to individuals93.  

While  the  EESC,  ILO,  employers  and  several  citizens  stress  that  education  and  lifelong 
learning  policies  should  be  more  geared  towards  labour  market  needs94,  some  trade 
unions, civil society organisations and several citizens argue that the  EU should take a 
broader perspective, targeting those with the lowest level of educational attainment, in 
adult literacy, and those from low income families or suffering from discrimination95. In 
this  regard,  the  Zurich  Insurance  Group  proposes  to  systematically  include  financial 
education into school curricula96. 

Several  stakeholders  highlight  the  indispensable  role  of  EU  funds,  such as  notably  the 
European  Social  Fund  plus  (ESF+),  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF), 
Erasmus+, the Just Transition  Fund (JTF), the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) 
programme  and  InvestEU  in  investing  in  education  and  training,  upskilling  and 
reskilling97.  Employers  call  on  Member  States  to  fully  utilise  financial  resources, 
particularly  those  available  through  the  RRF,  to  invest  in  digital  skills  provision  and 
Science,  Technology,  Engineering  and  Mathematics  (STEM)  attainment.  The  national 

87 Belgian Anti-Poverty Network, NEXEM, Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health SOSTE (webinar 
Finland). 
88  Ministry  of  Education  and  Research  (webinar  Estonia),  BusinessEurope,  Eurocities,  Inclusion  Europe, 
UNIA (webinar Belgium), DigitalES (webinar Spain), Network Social Europe Baden-Württemberg. 
89 EUWIN, ACEFIR, AIM, EFEE, COMECE, MMM, Social Platform, DigitalES (webinar Spain), General Union 
confederation UGT (webinar Portugal). 
90 SMEunited, Euclid Network, European Microfinance Network and Microfinance Centre. 
91 SMEunited, Lifelong Learning Platform, EFEE. 
92 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, ACEFIR. 
93 Portugal. 
94 EESC Opinion, ILO, BDA, DFK. 
95 ETUC, EAPN. 
96 Zurich Insurance Group; similar point made by Portugal. 
97 Autism-Europe, City of Utrecht, EuroHealthNet, TCO. 

15 

 
 
                                                                                                                                                                            
recovery and resilience plans should identify investments in skills as one of the priorities 
and be devised and implemented in cooperation with social partners98.  

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

  There  is  widespread  support  for  the  Commission’s  European  Skills  Agenda  for 
sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, including the proposed 
Council  Recommendation  on  vocational  education  and  Training  and  the  Pact  for 
Skills99.  This  also  pertains  to  the  Commission’s  announced  proposals  on  individual 
learning  accounts100  and  a  European  approach  to  micro-credentials101.  The 
European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) proposes to create a minimum training 
entitlement  per  worker  per  year  and  to  measure  companies’  investments  in 
employees’  skills  development102.  Employers  and  trade  unions  from  Denmark  and 
Sweden  express  their  concern  about  potential  conflicts  with  already  existing  and 
tailor-made  continued  learning  and  competence  development  systems  at  national 
level, in particular when enshrined in collective agreements103. The European Youth 
Forum demands paid educational leave policies that allow young workers to attend 
training during work hours and at no personal cost104.  
Italy and EU employer organisations call on the Commission to include in its Action 
Plan  support  to  Member  States  to  enhance  the  quality  and  effectiveness  of  VET 
provision, both initial and continuous, by involving employers in the timely updating 
of  curricula  and  qualifications  to  better  take  into  account  changing  labour  market 
needs105.  In  this  respect,  the  Sectoral  Councils  Alliance  of  Slovakia  encourages  the 
Commission  to  further  support  modern  skills  forecasting  techniques  and  graduate 
tracking106.  

 

  The  European  Parliament,  social  partners  and  civil  society  organisations  agree  on 
the  fundamental  importance  of  inclusive  access  to  education  and  training107. 
Portugal,  the  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour  and  several  citizens  call  for  accessible 
‘requalification  schemes’  offering  all  citizens  the  opportunity  to  re-orient  their 
professional career108. The ILO, social partners and civil society organisations recall 
the importance of basic skills for social inclusion, and ask for targeted strategies for 

98  BusinessEurope,  SGI  Europe,  AIM;  similarly,  the  ILO,  Belgian  trade  unions  ACV-CSC  and  ABVV-FGTB, 
Mouvement  international  ATD  Quart  Monde  consider  that  recovery  plans  should  implement  and  be 
consistent with the Pillar. 
99  European  Parliament  Resolution,  CoR  Opinion,  Germany,  Czechia,  Basque  government, 
BusinessEurope. 
100  France,  ETUC,  France  Stratégie,  European  Center  for  Social  Welfare  Policy  and  Research,  CEC, 
Eurocadres; eTIC proposes to create an individual  social rights account  which  would centralise rights to 
learning, but also pension or unemployment benefits. 
101 EASPD, EFIC. 
102 Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour, ETUC. 
103 Danks Erhverv, FH, TCO. 
104 European Youth Forum; see also CESI. 
105 Italy, BusinessEurope, SMEunited, SGI Europe, EFIC; see also CNOS-FAP and Puglia Region. 
106 Sectoral Councils Alliance of Slovakia. 
107 European Parliament Resolution, SMEunited, ETUC, BDA, ENSIE, ERGO, Autism-Europe. 
108 Austrian Chamber of Labour; see also Slovakian NGO People in Need. 

16 

 
 
                                                           
groups  in  situations  of  vulnerability,  in  particular  against  the  background  of  the 
green and digital transitions109.  

  As  regards  the  education  of  groups 

in  situations  of  vulnerability  and 
marginalisation, the European Roma Grassroots Organisation (ERGO) and Fundación 
Secretariado  Gitano  (FSG)  stress  i.a.  the  need  for  specific  support  structures  to 
schools,  free  school  meals  and  equipment110  and  a  zero-tolerance  policy  against 
school  segregation111.  Romania  highlights  instruments  such  as  an  early  warning 
mechanism  for  early  school  leaving,  adapting  integrated  services  to  better  serve 
disadvantaged  children  and  a  renewed  focus  on  teacher  education  and  on  school 
infrastructure  and  equipment112.  Autism-Europe  calls  for  common  European 
standards on the qualification of support teachers and assistants and guidelines on 
the prevention of abuse and bullying113. The European Association for the Education 
of  Adults  (EAEA)  and  the  European  Center for  Evidence-Based  Mentoring  (ECEBM) 
recall the importance of mentoring relationships and career guidance at an early age 
for successful long-term education outcomes114. 

  According  to  many  contributors,  particular  attention  should  be  paid  to  the 
attainment  of  digital  skills,  and  the  infrastructure  that  would  facilitate  online  and 
blended  learning115.  Portugal  supports  a  ‘Digital  Guarantee’  to  ensure  inclusion 
throughout  the  lifecycle116.  Like  the  European  Parliament,  a  few citizens  make  the 
link  between  digitally  accessible  training  pathways  and  social  inclusion117.  In  this 
regard,  Czechia  stresses  the  link  with  the  Commission’s  Digital  Education  Action 
Plan118. Estonia welcomes the particular focus of the proposed RRF on digital skills. 
It  stresses:  (1)  digital  skills  in  combination  with  self-directed  digital  learning 
pathways;  (2)  digital  focus  in  lifelong  learning;  (3)  green  curricula  and  learning119. 
The Spanish association DigitalES highlights the need to modernise curricula in order 
to train specialists in digital occupations: cloud specialists, software developers, data 
analysts,  etc.  This  cannot  go  without  the  promotion  of  more  women  in  ICT 
sectors120.   

  The  German  DGB  recommends  to  enhance  the  European  Framework  for  Quality 
and Effective Apprenticeships by introducing more mandatory minimum standards, 
such  as  apprenticeship  contracts,  the  determination  of  education  goals,  a 
remuneration  for  apprentices  in  companies  and  schools,  the  right  to  social 

109 EAPN, Eurodiaconia, Lifelong Learning Platform, ILO, ENSIE, LO, EFCI. 
110 Eurodiaconia, Interagency Institute, ERGO, FSG. 
111  ERGO,  FSG;  point  also  made  by  Eurochild  and  EASPD  with  regard  to  special  schools  for  pupils  with 
disabilities. 
112 Ministry of Education (webinar Romania); similar point made by Italy. 
113 Autism-Europe; similar point made by FENACERCI. 
114 EAEA, ECEBM; EMN and MFC also make this point with regard to the stimulation of entrepreneurship 
and business skills. 
115 ILO, BusinessEurope, M+E, Portugal, Inclusion Europe, Red de Políticas de Igualdad, AIM. 
116 Portugal. 
117 European Parliament Resolution. 
118 Czechia. 
119 Estonia and Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (webinar Estonia). 
120 DigitalES (webinar Spain). 

17 

 
 
                                                           
protection, the right to career counselling and the inclusion of social partners in the 
design of the apprenticeship system121. 

  The  ETUC,  the  Social  Platform  and  its  members  stress  the  validation  of  the  non-
formal  acquisition  of  skills  in  the  workplace  and  in  society, in  particular  regarding 
care competences122. The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) proposes that the 
Commission should have an EU-wide inventory of existing systems and procedures 
to  validate  non-formal  education,  training  and  life  skills  as  the  basis  to  elaborate 
recommendations  to  EU  Member  States  with  non-existing  or  underdeveloped 
validation  systems123.  To  validate  non-formal  workplace,  the  EUWIN  proposes  a 
skills  passport  held  by  all  workers  to  validate  skills  learnt  on  the  job124.  The 
European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) asks to further develop instruments 
like the EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals and the Council of Europe’s 
European Qualification Passport for Refugees, in order to simplify the recognition of 
third-country qualifications125.  

  Contributors from Portugal see an untapped potential in the mobility of learners126. 
France  Stratégie  puts  forward  far-reaching  proposals  for  an  enhanced  mobility  of 
students  and  learners:  gradually,  the  validity  of  every  higher  education  degree 
should be made conditional upon a six month period in another EU Member State. 
On  top,  there  should  be  a  European  programme  for  mobility  of  15-17  year  old 
students  and  a  European  loan  scheme  for  trainings  in  occupations  in  high 
demand127.  

Equal opportunities 

Many  citizens  and  organisations  point  out  that  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has 
disproportionately affected children, young people, women, older people, persons with 
disabilities,  single parents,  mobile  workers,  LGBTIQ  people  and  groups  in  situations  of 
vulnerability128.  While  existing 
likely  to  deepen,  the  ongoing 
inequalities  are 
transformation  of  our  labour  market  and  society  also  bring  opportunities  to  close  the 
gaps, instead of further deepening them129.  

Civil  society  organisations  recall  that  for  equal  opportunities  to  exist  for  everyone, 
discrimination  on  all  grounds  covered  in  Article  21  of  the  European  Charter  of 

121 DGB; a similar point is made by the ILO. 
122 Eurocarers, MMM, ETUC, Social Platform, EAPN, European Platform for Rehabilitation; see also EESC 
Opinion,  State  of  Vienna,  ACEFIR,  Lifelong  Learning  Platform,  MMM,  EAEA,  ENSIE,  Catalan  social  action 
organisations. 
123 EAPN. 
124 EUWIN, Land of Berlin. 
125 ECRE. 
126  Portugal,  CEC  European  Managers,  DFK,  Professor  João  Cerejeira  (webinar  Portugal);  see  also  Social 
Platform, which considers that learning mobility of all kinds of learners (VET and adult education) should 
be more inclusive and better promoted. 
127 France Stratégie.  
128  European  Parliament  Resolution,  SGI  Europe,  Maltese  Commission  for  the  Rights  of  Persons  with 
Disability, CPME, Belgian Anti-Poverty Network, European Youth Forum, EWL, ILGA-Europe. 
129 Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (webinar Greece), Germany, BAGFW. 

18 

 
 
                                                           
Fundamental  Rights  (and  beyond)130  and  in  all  fields  must  be  tackled  and  a  new 
legislative initiative by the Commission is needed131.  

Eurocities,  trade  unions  and  civil  society  organisations  at  EU  level  call  on  the 
Commission  to  develop  a  systematic  gender  mainstreaming132  and  equality  impact 
assessment and monitoring133, to be enshrined in EU policies, monitoring and budgeting 
relevant  to  the  implementation  of  the  Pillar.  Many  contributions  focus  on  the  crucial 
role of accessible and affordable quality childcare for closing gender gaps134. The ETUC 
is  in  favour  of  new  benchmarks  for  work-life  balance,  such  as  childcare  facilities  and 
days of work lost due to family care135.  

The  European  Disability  Forum  (EDF)  and  its  members  welcome  the  Commission’s 
commitment  to  present  a  new  Disability  Rights  Strategy  in  2021.  They  recall  that  the 
obligations  arising  from  the  United  Nations  Convention  on  the  Rights  of  Persons  with 
Disabilities  should  be  taken  on  board  across  all  measures  implementing  the  Pillar 
involving  persons  with  disabilities  and  their  representative  organisations136.  Several 
citizens  with  disabilities  provide  testimonies  of  their  personal  situation  of  social 
exclusion. 

Organisations representing Roma confirm the need for a new EU Strategic Framework 
inclusion  and  participation,  that  the  Commission  has 
targeting  Roma  equality, 
presented in the meantime137. They encourage the Commission to engage more directly 
with  Roma  and  their  representative  associations,  often  facing  multiple  discrimination 
and weak interaction with public authorities138.  

The  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour  sees  the  need  to  address  possible  systematic 
discrimination  caused  by  the  development  and  increased  use  of  artificial  intelligence 
based applications in companies’ human resources policies139. 

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

  Some Member States, the Social Platform and its members and some trade unions 
urge  the  EU to  make  progress  in the adoption by the  Council  of the  Commission’s 
proposal  for  a  horizontal  Equal  Treatment  Directive,  which  provides  for  equal 
treatment  based  on  sexual  orientation,  age,  disability  and  religion  or  belief  in 
diverse  areas140.  Civil  society  organisations  would  welcome  a  new  proposal  for  a 

130 ENSIE, ATD; the Belgian Combat Poverty, Insecurity and Social  Exclusion Service  suggests to add the 
social  situation  or  social  origin  amongst  discrimination  grounds  covered  by  EU  legislation.  ATD  asks  to 
entrust the EU Fundamental Rights Agency with a study on the matter. 
131 Social Platform, German Association for Public and Private Welfare, Eurodiaconia, Equinet. 
132 ETUC, Social Platform, Eurocities, EWL, Red de Políticas de Igualdad. 
133 Equinet. 
134 WorkEqual, DGB, DFK, ZDH, State of Vienna, EASPD. 
135 ETUC. 
136 EDF, Austrian Disability Council, European Platform for Rehabilitation, ONCE, EUD, Autism-Europe. 
137 A Union of Equality: EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation, COM(2020) 
620 final, 7 October 2020. 
138 ERGO, 1 Hungary initiative, Amalipe Bulgaria. 
139 Austrian Chamber of Labour. 
140  Estonia,  Italy,  Social  Platform,  EURORDIS,  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour,  German  Federal  Anti-
Discrimination Agency, Inclusion Europe, Equinet, Autism-Europe, Eurocadres. 

19 

 
 
                                                           
directive to implement the anti-discrimination principle for all citizens in matters of 
social  protection,  education  and  access  to  public  goods  and  services,  in  line  with 
relevant Treaty provisions141.  

  Some Member States and stakeholders explicitly ask the Commission to strengthen 
gender  mainstreaming  across  policies142.  The  German  trade  union  DGB  specifies 
that  this  requires  concrete  goals  for  the  implementation  of  gender-sensitive 
regulatory impact assessments and gender budgeting143. As discrimination based on 
sex is often combined with other factors, some civil society stakeholders insist on an 
intersectional  perspective144.  In  relation  to  this,  the  EDF  advocates  for  the  full 
mainstreaming  of  the  rights  of  women  and  girls  in  the  new  European  Disability 
Rights Strategy145. Likewise, the Commission’s EU Roma strategic framework, which 
the  Commission  presented  in  the  meantime,  should  take  into  account  that  Roma 
women  are  subjected  to  multiple  forms  of  discrimination146.  Some  citizens  ask  for 
increased attention for the increasing underperformance of young men in education 
including  age-based 
and  employment.  The  European  Youth  Forum  asks  for 
discrimination  in  the  mandate  of  equality  bodies  under  all  relevant  EU  equality 
legislation147.  

for  ambitious  measures 

  The  Gender  Equality  Strategy  2020-2025148  is  broadly  welcomed149.  Civil  society 
organisations  already  call 
full 
implementation150.  Promoting  employment  of  women  in  male-dominated  sectors 
and  better-paid  sectors,  such  as  STEM  receives  a  wide  support151.  The  European 
Parliament, various Member States, stakeholders and citizens show their support to 
a  Pay  Transparency  Directive  including  a  set  of  flanking  measures  on  pay 
equality152,  while  employers  express  their  opposition  or  scepticism153.  The  ILO 
invites  the  European  Commission  and  its  Member  States  to  join  the  Equal  Pay 
International Coalition154. In concrete terms, WorkEqual points out that companies 
should be obliged to submit mandatory reports on the gender pay gap with plans on 

to  ensure 

its 

141 German Association for Public and Private Welfare, BAGFW. 
142 Finland, Sweden, ETUC, Eurocities,TCO . 
143 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue. 
144 NVR, ONCE, EDF. 
145 EDF. 
146 Social Platform. 
147 European Youth Forum. 
148  European  Commission  (2020),  A  Union  of  Equality:  Gender  Equality  Strategy  2020-2025,  COM(2020) 
152 final, 5 March 2020. 
149 Denmark, Romania, Social Platform, Eurodiaconia, German Association for Public and Private Welfare, 
Caritas Europe, Land of Berlin. 
150 Social Platform, IFSW, REIF, EWL, TCO. 
151  Italy,  National  Commission  for  the  Promotion  of  Equality  of  Malta  (webinar  Malta),  Social  Platform, 
BDA, CEMR. 
152 European Parliament  Resolution, France, Portugal, Belgium, ETUC, Social Platform, CEMR, Lithuanian 
trade  unions,  STTK,  Central  Organisation  of  Finnish  trade  unions,  DGB,  Caritas  Europe,  National 
Commission for the Promotion of Equality (webinar Malta), EWL, NVR, Austrian Chamber of Labour, State 
of Vienna, Land of Berlin, Equinet. 
153 BDA, Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, Austrian Economic Chambers. 
154 ILO. 

20 

 
 
                                                           
 

how  to  reduce  it155.  One  academic  refers  to  the  model  implemented  in  Iceland, 
whereby companies only obtain their license if they undertake an audit in the field 
of  gender  equality  and  make  it  available  to  workers156.  Beyond  pay  transparency 
measures, the European Parliament, some Member States and stakeholders call for 
unblocking negotiations on the Commission proposal to improve gender balance in 
company boards157. The Representation of the French Social Security Institutions to 
the  EU  (REIF)  recommends  to  modernise  Directive  79/7/EEC  on  the  progressive 
implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters 
of  social  security.  REIF  considers  that  the  Directive  should  cover  the  diversity  of 
family  situations  and  include  survivors’  pensions,  family-benefits  and  collection  of 
alimony payments and social assistance158.  

ILGA-Europe stresses the importance of ensuring synergies with existing and future 
thematic  strategies  which  fall  under  different  Pillar  principles,  such  as  the  LGBTIQ 
Equality  Strategy  2020-2025  and  of  directly  involving  civil  society  and  under-
represented  groups  in  the  preparation,  implementation  and  monitoring  of  EU 
policies and programmes that concern them159.  Many contributors call on the EU to 
incentivise the equal distribution of care and housekeeping tasks between men and 
women.160  Make  Mothers  Matter  (MMM)  notably  proposes  to  review  Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  530/1999  concerning  structural  statistics  on  earnings  and  on 
labour  costs  to  improve  data  collection  on  time-use161.  Furthermore,  several 
stakeholders recommend ensuring a strong link to accessible, affordable and quality 
lift  the  unequal  share  of  care 
long-term  care  and  childcare  services,  to 
responsibilities  of  women  (see  also  sub-section  on  social  protection,  health  and 
long-term care)  162. Some contributors call for the introduction of care credits163 or 
paid  care  leave  for  all  citizens164  and  several  citizens  demand  an  EU-wide  equal 
parental  leave  scheme  for  women  and  men.  Several  stakeholders  welcome  the 
Work-Life  Balance  Directive165  and  encourage  adequate  work-life  balance 
policies166,  higher  minimum  rights167  and  EU-level  recommendations  on  removing 
financial  disincentives  for  second  earners  to  work  more168.  The  Federation  of 
Catholic  Family  Associations  in  Europe  (FAFCE)  calls  for  a  legal  recognition  of  the 

155 WorkEqual. 
156 Associate Professor JosAnn Cutajar, University of Malta (webinar Malta). 
157  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Belgian  Ministry  for  Employment,  Labour  and  Social  Dialogue,  
France, ETUC, STTK, Austrian Chamber of Labour, Land of Berlin, Eurocadres, Equinet. 
158 REIF. 
159 ILGA-Europe 
160 Portugal, German Association for Public and Private Welfare, SS BOFOS, Caritas Europe. 
161 MMM. 
162  Greece,  ETUC,  BDA,  Social  Platform,  Bulgarian  Industrial  Capital  Association,  WorkEqual,  UNICEF 
(webinar Spain), Society Development Foundation (webinar Romania), Social Justice Ireland. 
163 EWL, Eurocarers, MMM. 
164 European Center for Social Welfare Policy and Research, CESI. 
165 Autism-Europe, Social Platform. 
166  Among  others,  EWL,  Eurocarers,  COFACE,  REIF,  MMM,  Social  Justice  Ireland,  ACT  4  SOCIAL  EU 
coalition, Forum Terzo Settore, ZDH, FAFCE. 
167 Department for Industry and Employment Relations, Office of the Prime Minister (webinar Malta). 
168 REIF. 

21 

 
 
                                                           
phenomenon  of  maternal  mobbing  in  the  workplace169.  The  EWL  and  MMM 
propose  to  revise  the  Maternity  Leave  Directive  to  extend  the  period  of  paid 
leave170.  

  Some respondents emphasise the need to combat violence against women171. From 
a legal perspective, civil society organisations and trade unions urge the EU to ratify 
the  Council  of  Europe  Istanbul  Convention  on  preventing  and  combating  violence 
against  women  and domestic  violence172.  The  EWL  and  its  members  also ask  for  a 
dedicated  EU  strategy  and  directive  for  its  implementation173.  As  part  of  a 
comprehensive EU strategy, Social Platform proposes to appoint an EU coordinator 
on  ending  violence  against  women  and  girls,  advocates  for  an  adequate  and 
systematic data collection on gender-based violence (including segregated data per 
age  group)  and  combating  gender  stereotyping174.  The  Dutch  Section  of  the 
International Commission of Jurists (NJCM) suggests legislation allowing the eviction 
of the violent partner175, while the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights (PpDM) 
states  that  services  to  protect  victims  of  male  violence  against  women  should  be 
considered essential176.  

  Apart  from  representative  organisations  of  persons  with  disabilities,  the  European 
Parliament, some Member States regions and stakeholders also explicitly welcome 
the  prospect  of  a  new  European  Disability  Rights  Strategy177.  Social  Platform 
demands  the  inclusion  of  a  strong  gender  dimension  in  the  European  Disability 
Rights Strategy178, while the ETUC requests to consider the impact of the pandemic 
on  persons  with  disabilities179.  The  EDF  recalls  that  disability  issues  should  be 
mainstreamed,  including  in  the  Youth  Guarantee,  the  Child  Guarantee,  the 
European Gender Equality Strategy and the updated Skills Agenda.180 The European 
Network  on  Independent  Living  (ENIL)  stresses  the  need  to  take  into  account 
personal assistance expenses in all EU labour law initiatives aimed at promoting fair 
working  conditions181.  The  NJCM  proposes  to  establish  a  platform  for  exchange  of 
best practices and to develop more guidance to Member States on the application 
implementation  of  rights  of  persons  with  disabilities182.  Autism-Europe 
and 

169 FAFCE. 
170 EWL, MMM. 
171  ETUC,  Social  Platform,  Eurodiaconia,  CEMR,  Eurocities,  German  Association  for  Public  and  Private 
Welfare, Land of Berlin, State of Vienna, BAGFW, Inclusion Europe. 
172 ETUC, Social Platform, CESI, Autism-Europe. 
173 EWL, PpDM, Autism-Europe. 
174 Social Platform. 
175 NJCM. 
176 PpDM. 
177 European Parliament Resolution, Germany, Denmark, France, Catalonia, Red Cross EU office German 
Association for Public and Private Welfare, EAPN Ireland, NJCM, DGUV. 
178 Social Platform. 
179 ETUC. 
180 EDF, EAPN in Ireland. 
181 ENIL. 
182 NJCM. 

22 

 
 
                                                           
recommends going beyond, by harmonising assessment criteria for disability status 
recognition at national level183. 

  EDF, Social Platform and EAPN suggest establishing a Disability Rights Guarantee, to 
which  Member  States  should  commit,  to  ensure  that  all  persons  with  disabilities 
who declare themselves able to and/or wanting to enter the labour market receive a 
good  quality  offer  of  employment,  a  traineeship,  an  apprenticeship  or  VET184.  The 
Disability  Rights  Guarantee  (and  indeed  all  other  EU  initiatives  for  fostering 
employment)  must  be  open  to  persons  with  disabilities  receiving  disability 
allowance185.  The  Belgian  association  of  social  profit  enterprises  Verso  calls  for 
mechanisms which oblige companies to hire a quota of persons with disabilities or, 
alternatively,  to  outsource  certain  tasks  to  organisations  employing  persons  with 
disabilities186. The Finnish Pension Alliance (TELA) calls for more attention to medical 
and vocational rehabilitation services in order to prolong working lives, in particular 
of people with partial workability187. 

  Several contributors stress the opportunities technology provides to involve persons 
with  disabilities  and  older  persons  in  society,  increase  independence,  and  offer 
solutions for individuals in situations of vulnerability188. Some voices recall the need 
to  further  improve  accessibility  in  different  communication  and  information 
channels,  in  particular  with  services  of  general  interest189.  One  Romanian  citizen 
calls  on  authorities  to  make  education  material  accessible  to  children  with 
disabilities and has set up a website to distribute accessible school books190. 

  For several civil society respondents, it is important that the new EU Roma strategic 
framework,  that  the  Commission  has  presented  in  the  meantime,  is  linked  to  the 
implementation of the Pillar, but also the European Green Deal and the UN SDGs191. 
Social Platform welcomes the inclusion of the fight against antigypsyism and poverty 
and  the  promotion  of  the  participation  of  Roma  in  political,  social,  economic  and 
cultural  life  as  horizontal  objectives192.  However,  it  regrets  the  lack  of  ambition  of 
the  commitments  set  in  the  area  of  education,  health,  housing,  the  fight  against 
antigypsyism and discrimination and participation193.  

  Amnesty  International  argues  that  the  Pillar  should  apply  also  to  groups  such  as 
asylum seekers and undocumented migrants194. In this regard, the EWL calls for the 

183 Autism-Europe. 
184 EDF, Social Platform and EAPN. 
185 EDF, EAPN. 
186 Verso. 
187 TELA. 
188 Portugal, DigitalES (webinar Spain), Cyprus Paraplegic Organisation (webinar Cyprus). 
189 European Parliament Resolution, Paged Initiative, Catalan social action organisations, Iniciativa Social 
Integral Per Al Benestar, Austrian Disability Council. 
190 Cereunmanual.ro. 
191 ERGO, Social Platform; similar observation made by Mouvement international ATD Quart Monde 
192  The  new  Framework  is  also  explicitly  welcomed  by  Land  of  Berlin,  which  calls  for  adding  a  sanction 
mechanism. 
193 Social Platform. 
194 Amnesty International; a similar point is made by ATD. 

23 

 
 
                                                           
EU  and  its  Member  States  to  accede  to  the  UN  International  Convention  on  the 
Protection  of  the  Rights  of  All  Migrant  Workers  and  Members  of  their  Families195. 
ECRE  calls  for  a  strong  link  with  the  Commission’s  action  plan  on  integration  and 
inclusion,  its  scoreboard  and  the  anti-racism  action  plan196.  On  the  latter,  the  EU 
should  ensure  that  all  Member  States  develop  and  adopt  national  action  plans 
against racism and adopt common principles for their implementation, carrying out 
a series of measures: 1) proposing potential new legislation to address racism in law 
enforcement;  2)  ensuring  that  EU  policies  benefit  all  and  do  not  contribute  to 
further  racial  inequalities;  3)  improving  racial  diversity  and  representation  within 
governments and EU institutions197.  

Quality jobs, fair working conditions and social dialogue 

Thanks  to  the  unprecedented  efforts  at  all  levels  to  preserve  jobs  and  livelihoods  of 
workers,  notably  via  short-time  work  schemes,  unemployment  has  only  moderately 
increased in 2020 and is projected to increase further in 2021.  

In  this  context,  there  is  a  strong  consensus  on  the  important  role  that  the  European 
instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks (SURE) has played 
and continues to play during the pandemic. The European Parliament asks to examine 
the  introduction  of  a  permanent  instrument  and  notably  demands  to  ensure  the 
compliance  of  beneficiaries  with  fundamental  values  enshrined  in  the  Treaties  and  a 
number of social conditions198. Some Member States and trade unions explicitly ask for 
an  extension  or  its  replacement  by  a  permanent  instrument  to  accompany  workers 
through  transitions199.  However,  the  German  Confederation  of  Skilled  Crafts  (ZDH) 
insists on the short-term nature of the scheme200. SMEunited highlights the benefits of 
attaching training, upskilling and reskilling measures to short-time work schemes and of 
their extension to self-employed201. Italy adds that continued efforts remain necessary 
to  effectively  integrate  long-term  unemployed  into  the  labour  market,  in  synergy 
between public employment services and other social services202.  

Employers  stress  the  need  to  focus  on  competitiveness,  innovation,  flexibility  and 
productivity as a means to allow new job creation and social progress203. Open, flexible 
and mobile labour markets are needed to support new and more diverse career paths 
and smooth transitions between jobs, sectors and employment statuses204. The German 
Employers'  Associations  BDA  and  ZDH  argue  that  flexible  forms  of  employment  are 

195 EWL. 
196 ECRE; point also made by Catalonia, Eurocadres, the city of Utrecht, the United Nations Human Rights 
Europe Regional Office, ERGO. 
197 Social Platform, NJCM. 
198 European Parliament Resolution. 
199 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue; Portugal; ETUC; DGB; EKD; see also State 
of Vienna. 
200 ZDH. 
201 SMEunited. 
202 Italy; see also SMEunited. Additional comments and proposals on this pint are made by TCO, Makettt,  
203 SGI Europe, FFE, Association of Swedish Engineering Industries (“Teknikföretagen”). 
204  BusinessEurope, 
Portugal), Department of Legal and Socio-labour Affairs. 

Industriarbetsgiverna,  M+E;  Confederation  of  Portuguese  Business  (webinar 

24 

 
 
                                                           
wrongly vilified as precarious, as they prevent unemployment by making it easier to join 
or  re-join  the  labour  market  and  often  support  a  better  work-life  balance  of 
employees205.  BusinessEurope  and  SMEunited  call  for  European  action  to  improve 
reform  coordination  in  the  area  of  active  labour  market  policies.  This  improved 
coordination process should involve social partners206.  

There  is  widespread  support  for  the  reinforced  Youth  Guarantee207.  The  Initiative 
Diverse Young Leaders underlines that more needs to be done for young people with a 
migration  background,  including  EU  citizens,  notably  by  ensuring  equal  access  to 
internships (whose allowances are usually not adapted to the cost of life) and providing 
targeted transition programmes from education to work208.  

Several  contributors  draw  the  attention  to  the  job  creation  potential  and  the 
inclusiveness  of  the  social  economy  and  welcome  the  prospect  of  a  dedicated 
Commission  Action  Plan  on  the  Social  Economy  in  2021209.  According  to  the  Euclid 
Network,  it  should  focus  on  the  visibility  of  social  enterprises,  access  to  skilled  labour 
and business support, access to finance, access to (public) markets and the promotion 
of the model at global level210.  

In  the  light  of the  major  transformation of  the  labour  market,  many contributions  ask 
for  a  renewed  focus  on  the  quality  of  jobs,  starting  by  fair  remuneration.  While 
employers and Nordic trade unions express concerns about the Commission’s proposal 
for  a  legal  instrument  and  the  respect  of  the  subsidiarity  principle211,  the  EESC,  most 
trade  unions  and  civil  society  organisations  welcome  the  Commission’s  proposal  for  a 
Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union212 as a means to support 
upwards  convergence  of  wages  and  of  the  quality  of  social  dialogue  and  collective 
bargaining in the EU213. Some trade unions see scope for further legal provisions, which 
should i.a. guarantee workers a minimum number of working hours214, prevent the use 
of zero-hour contracts215 and forbid derogations for categories like interns216 or workers 

205 BDA, ZDH, similar point made by SMEunited; see also EFCI for a specific view on the industrial cleaning 
and facility services sector. 
206 BusinessEurope, SMEunited. 
207  Caritas  Europe,  Eurocities,  Italy,  France,  Denmark,  Slovenia,  Ministry  of  Economy  and  Employment 
(webinar Finland), German Youth Forum, State of Vienna. 
208 Initiative Diverse Young Leaders; on people with a migration background see also NVR. 
209  France,  Portugal,  Catalonia,  SGI  Europe,  Social  Economy  Europe,  UDES,  Caritas  Europe,  Portuguese 
Association  of  Mutualities,  CECOP,  Federal  Ministry  of  Social  Affairs,  Health,  Care  and  Consumer 
Protection (webinar Austria), Eurocities, CIN-NIC, CNEL. 
210 Euclid Network. 
211  Swedish  Confederation  of  Transport  Enterprises,  Austrian  Economic  Chambers,  ZDH,  Dansk  Erhverv, 
EFCI, LO. 
212 Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages in 
the 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020PC0682  
213 EESC Opinion, ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB, Austrian Chamber of Labour, STTK, Eurodiaconia, CNEL; see also 
France. 
214 CFDT. 
215 European Parliament Resolution, FH. 
216 Portugal, European Youth Forum. 

COM/2020/682 

European 

Union 

final: 

25 

 
 
                                                           
in  sheltered  employment217.  According  to  civil  society  organisations,  minimum  wages 
should be set at 60% of Member States’ median wage218 but concurrently adjusted to 
the actual cost of living including additional payments for access to social services, that 
may be determined by regular scientific research219. The European Parliament asks the 
Commission  to  carry  out  a  study  on  a  living  wage  index,  which  could  serve  as  a 
reference tool for social partners220.  

In  line  with  long-standing  demands  by  social  partners  and  the  European  Parliament, 
Sweden,  Denmark  and  Belgium  call  on  the  European  Commission  to  contribute  to  a 
stronger  social  dialogue  at  national  level,  inter  alia  by  capacity  building,  promoting 
transparency and the exchange of best practice between Member States and by giving 
more  attention  to  social  dialogue  in  the  European  Semester  and  in  the  Commission’s 
impact  assessments221.  Sweden  and  Denmark  also  advocate  for  giving  social  partners 
more margin for the implementation of European legislation, or even for the derogation 
thereof222.  

As  regards  social  dialogue  at  company  level,  the  European  Parliament,  the  EESC  and 
trade  unions  also  call  for  a  further  development  of  the  EU  acquis  on  worker 
information, consultation and participation and on European Works Councils223. 

Some  Member  States,  the  European  Parliament  and  most  trade  unions  call  for  EU 
regulatory action on new forms of work, in particular platform workers224, ensuring the 
same  working  conditions,  including  access  to  collective  bargaining225,  and  social 
protection  for  workers on  open-ended  employment  contracts  and  atypical  workers226. 
They  oppose  the  creation  of  a  ‘third  statute’  between  self-employed  and  workers227. 
The  EESC  sees  the  need  to  define  a  legal  status  for  labour  in  the  digital  platform 
economy228. Employers are against new EU legislation regulating the working conditions 
of  platform  workers,  whether  self-employed  or  employee,  pointing  at  the  protection 
under existing legal provisions229. The European Parliament asks a targeted revision of 
EU  competition  law,  so  as  to  allow  collective  price-setting  for  the  precarious  self-

217 ONCE. 
218 ERGO, Autism-Europe; see also Land of Berlin, which adds a 50% of average wage threshold. 
219 Social Platform, EAPN. 
220 European Parliament Resolution. 
221 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, VBO-FEB, Austrian Chamber of Labour, 
CFE-CGC. 
222 Denmark, Sweden. Point also made by Association of the Free Trade Unions of Slovenia. 
223  European  Parliament  Resolution,  ETUC,  DGB,  EESC  Opinion;  for  different  reasons  EFCI  supports  a 
flexibilisation of Council Directive 2001/23/EC. 
224  Latvia,  France,  Italy,  Portugal,  Netherlands,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Land  of  Berlin,  STTK;  see  also  ACT  4 
SOCIAL EU, AEIP. 
225 Eurocadres, TCO. 
226  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour,  COMECE,  eTIC,  CESI;  the  European  Parliament  calls  for  a  Directive  on 
decent working conditions and rights in the digital economy; Malta calls for prohibiting abuse of atypical 
contracts. 
227 ETUC, UGT, ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB. 
228 EESC Opinion. 
229 BusinessEurope, WEC. 

26 

 
 
                                                           
employed, in order to ensure a better balance in bargaining power and a fairer internal 
market230.  

As several Member States, the European Parliament and the EESC, they recall the need 
to  update  the  EU’s  legislative  framework  on  Occupational  Health  and  Safety  and  to 
address new risks related to the development of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace 
and  the  strong  emergence  of  telework231.  Malta  stresses  the  importance  of  providing 
workers with fair and equal treatment regarding working conditions, while providing a 
legal  framework  so  that  they  can  avail  themselves  of  more  innovative  forms  of  work, 
such  as  remote  work,  telework  or  flexible  hours232.  France  calls  for  a  stronger 
involvement  of  sectoral  social  partners  at  EU  level233.  The  European  Parliament, 
Portugal and Italy ask the Commission to propose a regulatory framework on the ‘right 
to disconnect’234. However, in its resolution of 21 January 2021 with recommendations 
to  the  Commission  on  the  right  to  disconnect  recalls  that  the  EU  social  partners’ 
Framework  Agreement  on  Digitalisation  “provides  for  the  social  partners  to  take 
implementation  measures  within  the  next  three  years  and  that  a  legislative  proposal 
before  the  end  of  that  implementation  period  would  disregard  the  role  of  social 
partners laid down in the TFEU” 235. BusinessEurope opposes the latter, referring to the 
EU Social Partners’ framework agreement on digitalisation and its provisions related to 
use of digital tools at the workplace (work organisation, working conditions), connecting 
and disconnecting236. The European Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM) urges 
the Commission to propose a stronger regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals.237 
Churches express their concern about the further devaluation of Sunday as a day of rest 
caused  by  digitalisation  and  propose  to  re-instate  a  right  to  a  24-hour  uninterrupted 
rest period for all employees238.  

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

  A  strengthened  Youth  Guarantee  should  reach  those  experiencing  multiple 
vulnerabilities (e.g. youth with disabilities)239 and provide young people with access 
to  long-term  social  security  and  decent  working  conditions240.  Moreover,  career 
guidance,  mentorship  programmes  and  clear 
information  on 
employment  opportunities  and  wage  levels  provide  young  people  with  a  better 
basis  to  choose  and  find  a  job  and  simplify  transition  periods  between  education 

labour  market 

230 European Parliament Resolution. 
231  Belgian  Ministry  for  Employment,  Labour  and  Social  Dialogue;  France,  Office  of  the  Prime  Minister 
(webinar Malta);,AIM, EUROFEDOP, European Parliament Resolution, EESC Opinion, NVR. 
232 Malta. 
233 France. 
234 European Parliament Resolution, Italy, Portugal, supported by trade unions and civil society; see also 
ACV-CSC, ABVV-FGTB, COFACE, COMECE, Eurocadres. 
235 European Parliament Resolution of 21 January 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on the 
right to disconnect, P9_TA-PROV(2021)0021, Brussels, 21 January 2021. 
236  BusinessEurope;  the  European  Parliament  asks  the  Commission  to  take  this  Framework  Agreement 
into consideration. 
237 AIM. 
238 EKD, European Sunday Alliance, COMECE. 
239 EDF, EAPN Ireland. 
240 Social Platform, DGB, Inclusion NGO. 

27 

 
 
                                                           
and  employment241.  Several  organisations  wish  to  see  quality  criteria  attached  to 
the offers received by young people under the Youth Guarantee instrument242. The 
European  Parliament  asks  to  make  the  Youth  Guarantee  binding  for  all  Member 
States243.  The  German  Land  of  Berlin  stresses  the  added  value  of  the  European 
Voluntary  Service,  in  particular  when  it  comes  to  developing  green  skills244.  One 
citizen proposes to establish a ‘European Climate Workforce’.  

  BusinessEurope  calls  for  EU  action  to  support  the  reform  of  active  labour  market 
policies,  through  three  strands:  “1)  enhancing  efficiency  of  Public  Employment 
Services,  notably  by  fostering  progress  towards  better  use  of  evidence  based 
employment  measures  that  leads  to  more  employment  and  digital  solutions 
supporting  the  operation  and  coordination  of  employment  services  offered  to 
employers,  the  unemployed/inactive,  and  workers245;  2)  Fostering  cooperation-
oriented partnerships between Public and Private Employment Services, building on 
their respective strengths246; 3) Supporting the development of innovative solutions, 
on  top  of  short-time  work  schemes,  and  of  traditional  employment  services,  to 
strengthen the resilience of labour markets in responding to the challenges and new 
needs created by Covid-19247. The World Employment Confederation (WEC) stresses 
the  underutilised  potential  of  career  management  services,  while  civil  society 
organisations call for more tailor-made employment support to groups in situations 
of vulnerability248. The European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) calls for legislation 
to  ensure  cancer  survivors’  return  to  work,  including  a  ‘right  to  be  forgotten’ 
towards i.a. insurance companies249.  

  As part of its planned  Action Plan on the Social Economy, the Commission should 
i.a.  address  the  access  to  financial  resources,  the  lack  of  a  legal  framework,  the 
limited  capacity  to  scale-up  social  entrepreneurship  ecosystems,  and  the  business 
management  skills  of  social  entrepreneurs.  The  European  Parliament  calls  on  the 
Commission  to  update  its  framework  for  the  establishment  and  development  of 
cooperatives and social economy enterprises250. Some social economy organisations 
would welcome a recognition of this business model in EU primary law and ask for a 
review  of  state  aid  rules,  in  particular  regarding  exemptions  for  social  economy 
activities  in  the  social  services  and  care  sector251.  The  Portuguese  Association  of 
Mutualities  consider  a  European  Mutuality  Statute  as  essential  to  guarantee  the 
expansion of the mutualist model, which promotes inclusion and guarantees social 

241 Catalan social action organisations; Professor Pedro Martins (webinar Portugal). 
242  European  Youth  Forum,  Mladi  plus,  Belgian  Combat  Poverty,  Insecurity  and  Social  Exclusion  Service, 
see also European Parliament Resolution. 
243 European Parliament Resolution. 
244 Land of Berlin. 
245 ILO; see also Fundación Secretariado Gitano and ERGO in relation to personalised support to Roma. 
246 See also WEC. 
247 BusinessEurope. 
248 WEC, EURORDIS. 
249 ECPC. 
250 European Parliament Resolution. 
251 Verso; see also Federal Working Group of Free Welfare Care, ONCE. 

28 

 
 
                                                           
and  territorial  cohesion252.  Others  wish  to  see  an  acknowledgement  of  the  role  of 
the  cooperative  model  as  driver  of  social  inclusion253.  The  EESC  calls  for  an  inter-
sectoral  strategy  on  social  innovation254.  The  European  Venture  Philanthropy 
Association (EVPA) illustrates the heterogeneous social investment space in Europe 
and calls on the Commission to intensify non-financial support on capacity building 
and  technical  assistance  in  particular  in  Central  and  Eastern  European  Member 
States to incubate more social enterprises, as well as to provide financial support to 
set up more investment funds255.  

  Some trade unions and the Social Platform call for a common  European definition 
of  a  ‘worker’256,  which  on  the  other  hand  is  explicitly  opposed  by  employers  and 
trade  unions  from  Sweden  and  Denmark257.  The  associated  minimum  standards 
should  include  minimum  labour  law  requirements  (written  contract,  adequate 
remuneration,  safety  at  work,  regulated  working  hours  and  entitlement  to  paid 
leave)  and  access  to  social  security  (entitlement  to  unemployment  insurance, 
continued  payment  of  wages  in  case  of  sickness  and  accident  insurance)  with  a 
special  focus  on  young  people’s  jobs258.  In  this  regard,  the  ILO  refers  to  its 
Recommendation  No.  198  which  provides  criteria  to  determine  whether  an 
employment relationship exists in a given situation259.  

  Several civil society organisations, trade unions and citizens call for work at EU level 
to  improve  the  quality  and  the  access  to  internships260.  The  ETUC  stresses  that 
employers  should  be  obliged  to  sign  an  internship  contract  at  the  start  of  an 
internship261.  

 

In response to the rise of telework, some trade unions call for a European directive 
on privacy in the workplace that prohibits control mechanisms for teleworking and 
platform  work  (e.g.  screenshots  and  registration  of  keyboard  activity)  262.  The 
European Parliament urges the Commission to take legislative action to also address 
new risks related to telework, while others specify that this could take part as part 
of an overhaul of European legislation regarding occupational health and safety263.  

  The Austrian Chamber of Labour calls for new EU-wide legal minimum standards on 
protection  of  workers  against  involuntary  job transfers  and  on  the  continuation of 
pay in cases of illness or care of close relatives264. In relation to dismissal protection 

252  ACT  4  SOCIAL  EU,  Portuguese  Association  of  Mutualities;  AIM  calls  for  an  EU-level  interpretative 
Communication or Recommendation. 
253 CECOP, CONFECOOP. 
254 EESC Opinion. 
255 EVPA. 
256 CFDT (webinar France); AIM also calls for further work on revision and/or harmonisation of definitions.  
257 See notably M+E, TCO. 
258 DGB, ÖGB, Social Platform. 
259 ILO. 
260 European Youth Forum, Diverse Young Leaders, EAPN; see also State of Vienna. 
261 ETUC. 
262 CESI, VCP (webinar Netherlands), Croatian Trade Unions (webinar Croatia), supported by the  Belgian 
Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue. 
263 European Parliament Resolution, Austrian Chamber of Labour, EESC Opinion. 
264 Austrian Chamber of Labour. 

29 

 
 
                                                           
and  the  flexibilisation  of  labour  markets,  one  citizen  raises  a  concern  about  the 
significantly  weaker  entitlements  to  social  protection  in  case  of  a  voluntary 
termination of an employment contract. 

  To  strengthen  social  dialogue  at  national  level,  national  and  sectoral  employers 
would  welcome  if  the  Commission  could  incentivise  the  formation  of  employer 
organisations  at  national  level  and  to  encourage  already  existing  organisations  to 
become  more  involved  in  European  sectoral  social  dialogue  structures  and  the 
implementation  of  the  Pillar265.  The  ILO  also  argues  that  the  Commission  and 
Member  States266  should  strive  for  the  removal  of  obstacles  to  the  freedom  of 
association  and  the  right  of  collective  bargaining  at  national  level267.  Moreover, 
according to trade unions, collective bargaining at national level would benefit from 
conditionality attached to the participation in public procurement and the allocation 
of funds at EU level268. The European Parliament asks a revision of these Directives 
in  order  to  establish  a  preferential  treatment  for  companies  complying  with 
collective  agreements.  Furthermore,  it  asks  to  make  all  EU  financial  support  to 
undertakings  conditional  on  their  compliance  with  obligations  resulting  from  the 
relevant  collective  agreements269.  Nordic  trade  unions  see  merit  in  an  EU-level 
Ombudsman to monitor the development of social dialogue at national level270.  

  As regards company-level social dialogue, the ETUC proposes reinforced rights for 
workers in case of company restructuring related to technological or environmental 
transitions. This includes a right to training, and a package of  active labour market 
policies  and  the  right  to  information  and  consultation  in  case  more  than  five 
workers are affected. In this regard, the European Parliament and the ETUC also ask 
for  a  revision  of  the  European  Works  Councils  Directive271  and  for  a  legislative 
initiative  on  information,  consultation  and  participation,  including  legally-binding 
minimum standards on workers’ board-level representation for European company 
forms to be also applied in case of cross-border company mobility in the EU Single 
Market272.  The  EESC  believes  that  the  European  Commission  should  revise  the  EU 
Quality  Framework  for  Anticipation  of  Change  and  Restructuring273  and  propose  a 
legal basis for specific framework conditions concerning worker participation in view 
of managing the challenges of the Green Deal and the digital transformation274. The 
European  Parliament  calls  on  the  Commission  to  promote  employee  share 
ownership. It also “calls for a  directive on binding human rights, due diligence and 
responsible  business conduct, including workers’  rights, (…) establishing  mandatory 

265 SGI Europe, SMEunited, HOSPEEM, EFEE, CEEMET, BDA, EFCI; similar point also made by Romania, FO, 
CFE-CGC, eTIC. 
266 See also European Parliament Resolution. 
267 ILO. 
268 Denmark, Sweden; see also ETUC, DGB, Hungarian trade union confederations (webinar Hungary). 
269 European Parliament Resolution. 
270 TCO, FH. 
271 See also CFE-CGC. 
272 European Parliament Resolution, ETUC, DGB, Austrian Chamber of Labour, Eurocadres, CESI; see also 
EESC Opinion. 
273 See also CFE-CGC. 
274 EESC Opinion; similar point made by Romania. 

30 

 
 
                                                           
due  diligence  covering  companies’  activities  and  business  relationships,  including 
supply and subcontracting chains” 275.  

  Several  contributors  call  for  the  full  implementation  of  the  Work-Life  Balance 
Directive276.  Further  actions  proposed  by  stakeholders  mainly  focus  on  the 
implications  of  care  work  and  involve  (1)  financial  support,  (2)  the  possibility  for 
flexible  working  time  arrangements,  and  (3)  an  adequate  social  service  structure 
including  childcare  and  long-term  care277.  The  NJCM  recommends  that  all  fathers, 
including  self-employed,  should  receive  full  pay  during  minimum  two  weeks  of 
paternity  leave278.  Several  citizens  ask  for  equal  and  non-transferrable  parental 
leave between parents. Work Equal proposes to introduce fully transferrable leaves 
for men and women, including maternity leave, in the first year after the birth of the 
baby. In addition, employers should be legally obligated to disclose their policies on 
maternity,  paternity  and  parental  leave,  and  associated  supports279.  The  European 
Organisation  for  Rare  Diseases  (EURORDIS)  calls  on  Member  States  to  link  flexible 
work  and  leave  arrangements  under  the  Work-Life  Balance  Directive  to  the 
obligation  of  employers  to  provide  reasonable  accommodation  for  persons  with 
disabilities in the workplace under the Employment Equality Directive280.  

  One  organisation  and  several  citizens  call  for  a  reduction  in  (average)  weekly 
improve  work-life  balance,  combat 

working  time  by  one  day, 
unemployment and the precariousness of part-time work281. 

in  order  to 

  Many  contributors  call  for  a  new  Strategy  on  Occupational  Health  and  Safety282. 
The  European  Parliament  and  Sweden  advocate  for  a  ‘vision  zero  approach’  with 
regard  to  fatal  accidents  at  work283.  Special  attention  should  be  given  to 
telework)284,  carcinogens285  and 
psychosocial  risks 
musculoskeletal  disorders286.  The  ETUC  proposes  to  develop  a  uniform  standard 
methodology  and  a  common 
in  the  EU  on  reporting 
occupational  accidents, 
insurance  systems  for  occupational 
accidents  and  diseases,  and  sharing  of  good  practices287.  The  French  Association 
interprofessionnelle  des  Centres  Médicaux  et  Sociaux  de  Santé  au  Travail  stresses 

information  system 

in  relation  with 

information  on 

(also 

275 European Parliament Resolution. 
276 Social Platform, European Social Insurance Platform. 
277  Social  Platform,  ETUC,  Department  for  Industry  and  Employment  Relations,  Office  of  the  Prime 
Minister (webinar Malta), German Association for Public and Private Welfare, Caritas Europe. 
278 NJCM; see also CESI. 
279 WorkEqual. 
280 EURORDIS. 
281 NVR. 
282 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, Germany, Portugal, ETUC, STTK, Social 
Platform, Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, Austrian Chamber of Labour, DSV. 
283 European Parliament Resolution, Sweden; see also DGUV. 
284 DGUV, Confederation of Trade and Services (webinar Portugal), eTIC. 
285 Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Belgian Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, ETUC. 
286 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, Czech Republic, Denmark, ETUC, Social 
Platform.  See  also  European  Parliament  Resolution,  which  also  calls  for  an  ambitious  Beating  Cancer 
Action Plan. 
287 ETUC. 

31 

 
 
                                                           
the need to strengthen occupational health and safety components in professional 
education  and  training288.  Some  governments  and  stakeholders  argue  that  mental 
health  issues  have  become  more  important.  They  support  prevention  programs  at 
all levels of society and the development of an EU mental health strategy289.  

Social protection, health and long-term care 

Reflecting  on  the  lessons  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  many  contributions  contain  a 
notable  emphasis  on  strengthening  the  resilience  of  health  care  and  long-term  care. 
Social  partners  and  civil  society  organisations  ask  for  actions  to  improve  working 
conditions 
in  the  care  and  social  sector  (through  funding,  standards,  mutual 
recognition)  and  to  raise  the  attractiveness  of  these  sectors,  in  which  the  majority  of 
workers are women290. 

The European Parliament and EuroHealthNet point out the interconnection of people’s 
health status, social situation and economic conditions. The implementation of the Pillar 
provides  crucial  opportunities  to  achieve  access  to  quality  health  care  for  all291.  The 
European Parliament therefore calls on the Commission to develop common indicators 
and  methodologies  to  monitor  health,  as  well  as  the  performance  and  accessibility  of 
healthcare  systems,  with  a  view  to  reducing  inequalities,  identifying  and  prioritising 
areas in need of improvement and obtaining increased funding292. The European Public 
Health Alliance (EPHA) calls for a comprehensive action plan to effectively close health 
and  social  gaps  between  groups  in  situations  of  vulnerability  and  the  general 
population293.  

The European Parliament and several organisations call for an EU quality framework for 
(long-term)  care  and  a  legislative  initiative  to  tackle  all  related  challenges  related  to 
quality, access, sustainability, workforce development and informal carers294. 

More broadly and in view of the proliferation of new and atypical forms of employment, 
access to social protection becomes an increasingly pressing priority, given the already 
considerable  impact  on  the  financial  sustainability  and  the  adequacy  of  social 
protection295. SMEunited calls for continued attention at EU level for the access to social 
protection for the self-employed296.  

Furthermore, several Member States and stakeholders argue that the Action Plan needs 
to address the social and economic impact of demographic change on social protection 

288 Interprofessional Association of Medical and Social Centers for Occupational Health. 
289  Finland,  Zurich  Insurance  Group,  Social  Platform,  European  Platform  for  Rehabilitation,  TCO, 
Eurocadres; this point is supported by several citizens. 
290 Strategic Dialogue with EU civil society organisations, 21 October 2020; see also EFFE, EFSI, WorkEqual 
and CPME. 
291  European  Parliament  Resolution,  EuroHealthNet;  see  also  Hungarian  Chamber  of  Doctors  (webinar 
Hungary) and Verso. 
292 European Parliament Resolution. 
293 EPHA. 
294 European Parliament Resolution, Age Platform, REIF, Eurodiaconia, Eurocarers, Autism-Europe, AIM. 
295 European Parliament Resolution, CECOP, UGT, EAPN, CIN-NIC, COMECE. 
296 SMEunited, European Microfinance Network and Microfinance Centre, DSV. 

32 

 
 
                                                           
systems,  including  in  particular  population  ageing,  which  varies  across  regions297.  The 
Council calls on the Commission to “consider a separate chapter on older persons in the 
announced  2021  ‘Action  Plan  on  the  Implementation  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social 
Rights’ assessing how measures at EU-level can be designed to achieve and enhance the 
autonomy  of  older  persons  in  times  of  digitalisation  and  promote  the  participation  of 
older persons in active life and in shaping society, thus improving the well-being in older 
age298”. Slovakia calls for a mainstreaming of family policy across the Action Plan299.  

In  this  context,  Czechia  would  welcome  more  work  at  EU  level  around  the  ‘silver 
economy’  and  stresses  the  need  to  adapt  the  organisation  of  work  to  the  individual 
capabilities  of  older  people,  for  instance  regarding  targeted  lifelong  learning  and 
physical adaptations300.  

The Services of General Interest Europe (SGI Europe) and several stakeholders ask the 
Commission  to  provide  an  impetus  to  the  effective  provision  of  services  of  general 
(economic)  interest,  social  services  and  social  protection301.  Eurodiaconia  asks  for  an 
overarching  Communication  on  Social  Services302.  Social  Services  Europe  (SSE)  calls  to 
improve the Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services303. EWL asks for 
a Strategy on Social Protection304.  

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

 

In  the  implementation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  Access  to  Social 
Protection,  special  attention  should  be  given  to  coverage  and  adequacy  of  social 
irrespective  of  the  form  of  employment  (unemployed, 
protection  benefits, 
temporary  employed,  short-term  contracts,  independent,  self-employed,  micro 
entrepreneurs  etc.)  305.  European  trade  unions  and  civil  society  organisation  state 
that  an  impact  assessment  should  be  carried  out  in  4  years’  time  to  ascertain 
whether a directive is needed306.  

  Social protection benefits should be adequate and take into account part-time work 
throughout the whole or a large part of the working career (in particular of women) 
or  self-employment  with  very  low  income  for  many  years.  Zurich  Insurance  Group 
recalls the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group on the Impact of the 
Digital Transformation, with regard to portable benefits attached to the worker or 
establishing  underemployment  insurance  systems  for  workers  with  fluctuating 

297 Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy (webinar Croatia), AGE Platform. 
298 Council of the European Union (2020), Council Conclusions 11717/2/20 on Human Rights, Participation 
and Well-Being of Older Persons in the Era of Digitalisation, 9 October 2020. 
299 Romania, Slovakia; similar point also supported by European Social Insurance Platform. 
300 Czechia, DVSV,  Slovenian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Equal Opportunities (webinar 
Slovenia). 
301 SGI Europe, AEIP. 
302 Eurodiaconia; see also Federation of European Social Employers. 
303 SSE. 
304 EWL. 
305  Social  Platform,  CCP,  FH,  EAPN  France  Professor  Olli  Kangas,  University  of  Turku  (webinar  Finland), 
European Social Insurance Platform. 
306 EAPN, Social Platform, ETUC; Portugal, EWL, CESI and CIN-NIC already call for legislative action. 

33 

 
 
                                                           
income  in  the  gig  economy307.  France  Stratégie  proposes  the  creation  of  personal 
activity accounts ensuring the portability of benefits, in the long run also at EU level.  

  On top of a permanent European Unemployment Benefit Re-insurance Scheme,308 
Portugal, trade unions, civil society organisations and some citizens are in favour of 
creating  European  minimum  standards  for  unemployment  insurance,  while 
safeguarding features of national systems309. For civil society organisations, people 
should  also  have  direct  access  to  minimum  income  support  when  their  right  to 
unemployment benefits have been exhausted310.  

  The  European  Parliament,  several  citizens,  trade  unions  and  civil  society 
organisations express concern about the adequacy of pensions and the pension gap 
between men and women311. Some call on the Commission to think about creating 
EU  standards  for  a  ‘minimum  pension’  and  to  ensure  pension,  life  and  health 
insurance  portability312.  Some  argue  against  the  automatic  linking  of  pensionable 
age  to  life  expectancy313.  There  is  a  need  to  study  the  impact  of  COVID-related 
financial  vulnerabilities  on  pensions,  especially  for  pensioners  with  lower  pension 
entitlements314. The Social Platform states that baskets of goods and services should 
be developed at national level to assess whether the pension is adequate to cover 
the  goods  and  services  retired  people  need.  The  EU  could  put  together 
recommendations  as  part  of  the  Pension  Adequacy  Report315.  The  European 
Association  of  Paritarian  Institutions  (AEIP)  recommends  a  stronger  EU-level  non-
legislative support for take up of occupational pension schemes316.  

  The  EESC  welcomes  the  Commission’s  initiatives  towards  a  ‘European  Health 
Union’317.  Civil  society  and  trade  unions  call  for  a  European  infrastructure  for 
medicines  to  improve  the  European  response  to  health  crises,  with  a  common 
reporting system on the availability of medicinal products and a stockpiling system 
for  essential  medicines  in  order  to  prevent  and  better  manage  shortages318.  One 
citizen proposes to create a standing European medical service in order to respond 
to  shortages  of  staff  in  the  case  of  a  health  emergency  in  a  particular  European 
region.  

307 Zurich Insurance Group. 
308 European Parliament Resolution, Catalonia, Autism-Europe, COMECE, CFE-CGC. 
309  ETUC,  ÖGB,  EAPN,  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour,  EWL,  ATD  and  one  citizen  ask  for  a  full 
individualisation of social protection benefits. 
310 Caritas Europe, Social Platform. 
311 European Parliament Resolution, Social Justice Ireland, Social Platform, EAPN Portugal, ETUC. 
312 European Senior Organisation (webinar Lithuania), CIN-NIC; DFK only on portability. 
313  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour,  BAGFW,  DSV,  eTIC;  Belgian  Combat  Poverty,  Insecurity  and  Social 
Exclusion Service proposes to take into account life expectancy by social class. 
314 German Association for Public and Private Welfare, AGE Platform. 
315 Social Platform. 
316 AEIP. 
317 President of the EESC (webinar Austria); see also Austrian Economic Chambers, CIN-NIC, REIF, VYV and 
Solidaris, CEC European Managers, AEIP. 
318 DGB, Social Platform. 

34 

 
 
                                                           
  The demographic change has increased the pressure on peoples’ right to affordable 
high-quality long-term care, including home and community-based care319. Sweden, 
Romania and TELA explicitly call for deepening the reflection as part of the follow-up 
to  the  Commission  Green  Paper  on  Ageing320.  For  TELA,  this  reflection  should 
notably  be  linked  with  labour  mobility,  migration  and  family  policies321.  The 
European Senior Organisation asks for an action programme against ageism322. Italy 
and  Portugal  stress  active  ageing  policies  as  a  means  to  foster  inclusion  and 
participation of older people323. Portugal calls for a European Strategy for longevity 
and  active  ageing  with  an  ‘Elderly  Guarantee’324.  For  civil  society  organisations, 
there should be a tailored people-centred evaluation of care needs, embedded in a 
preventive approach325. The EU should introduce effective monitoring mechanisms 
of  long-term  care  provision  with  concrete  indicators  and  targets,  which  allow  for 
benchmarking326.  Active  and  healthy  ageing  measures  should  be  included  in 
recovery plans addressing the specificities of rural areas327. The residential model of 
social  and  health  care  for  the  older  and  people  with  disabilities  should  be 
transformed,  reinforcing  the  community-based  nature  of  care328.  This  should 
include  better  support  to  family  caregivers329.  Civil  society  calls  to  embrace 
opportunities to monitor and improve the quality of care through digital solutions, 
for  instance  through  the  development  of  a  regulatory  framework  on  a  ‘European 
health  data  space’  and  the  creation  of  a  coordinating  body  supervising  the 
application of quality standards330.  

  According  to  civil  society  actors  the  EU  should  create  an  adequate  framework  to 
guarantee the right to universal, affordable, quality health and social care services 
for  all,  guaranteeing  non-discriminatory  access331  and  covering  all  essential  health 
and  care  services  and  goods  (including  prevention,  primary,  community,  hospital 
and  specialist  care,  dental,  mental  health,  social  and  long-term  care,  reproductive 
health  care  and  the  cost  of  medicines)332.  Belgian  and  French  health  insurances 
(mutualities) call for a new directive on social services of general interest, stress the 
literacy  and  see  the  need  for  an  ambitious  EU 
need  to 
Pharmaceuticals Strategy333. Portugal calls for an EU initiative on health literacy334. 

in  health 

invest 

319 Slovakia, Red Cross EU office. 
320 Sweden, Romania; see also Land of Berlin, Catalonia. 
321 TELA. 
322 European Senior Organisation; a similar call is included in the European Parliament Resolution. 
323 Italy, Portugal. 
324 Portugal. 
325 German Association for Public and Private Welfare, Social Platform. 
326 Social Platform. 
327  ESIP,  Network  Social  Europe  Baden-Württemberg;  the  ENIL  calls  for  a  separate  Commission 
Communication on the topic. 
328  Eurochild,  Autism-Europe,  EASPD,  European  Social  Network,  ERGO;  see  also  European  Parliament 
Resolution. 
329 Basque Government. 
330 Social Platform, REIF, AEIP. 
331 See in particular ERGO, ILGA-Europe, Autism-Europe. 
332 EAPN, Social Platform, AIM, DVSV, Eurochild, CNEL, State of Vienna. 
333  CIN-NIC,  VYV  and  Solidaris;  similar  point  made  by  AIM;  on  fair  pricing  of  medical  innovations  and 
medicines, see also CPME, DSV. 

35 

 
 
                                                           
Poverty  and  social  exclusion  are  major  social  determinants  of  health  inequalities 
which leads to long-term social and economic costs. According to the EAPN, a study 
must be made of the COVID-19 impact on health inequalities and lack of access to 
health and care services due to poverty335. ILGA-Europe stresses the need to reduce 
stigma and discrimination among healthcare services and providers. In particular in 
times  of  crisis,  LGBTIQ  people  should have equal  and  non-discriminatory  access  to 
testing,  treatment,  and  care,  including  with  regard  to  HIV-related  medications, 
ongoing hormone treatments and other vital care336.  

  To  trigger  upward  convergence  of  health  care  systems  the  Hungarian  Chamber  of 
Doctors argues that the EU should take an initiative on a minimum content of health 
care  in  the  European  Union337.  The  ETUC  calls  for  a  ‘EURight2Care  programme’, 
backed by national action plans338. EURORDIS stresses that the continuity of health 
care should be warranted in crisis situations, by investing in the medical workforce 
and  equipment,  adopting  concrete  protocols  for  the  provision  of  emergency 
healthcare and facilitating virtual and home-based (health) care339. 

  For  several  respondents,  there  is  a  lack  of  adequate  care  leaves  or  systems  to 
support  informal  carers,  often  women340.  Women’s  rights  organisations,  the 
European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and 
Eurocarers  call for a  ‘care  deal’ for Europe  setting  minimum  standards  and quality 
guidelines for service provision, workforce development, innovation and integrated 
care  approaches341.  More  specifically,  Social  Platform  and  Caritas  Europe  are  in 
favour  of  time  credits  for  care  work,  contributing  to  the  accumulation  of  pension 
rights, and of broadening the definition of ‘relative’ in EU law to reflect the diversity 
of families in Europe342. Eurocarers and the EWL also wish to see the introduction of 
an  individualised  care  leave343.  MMM  advocates  for  an  EU  framework  on  family 
leave  schemes,  including  the  extension  of  the  rights  under  the  Work-Life  Balance 
Directive  to  parents  of  children  until  the  age  of  18344.  One  citizen  brings  up  legal 
arrangements in case of short-term care for sick children. 

  Some  respondents  point  out  that  due  to  poor  working  conditions  and  low  wages, 
many  health  care  and  long-term  care  workers  have  left  the  sector,  leading  to 
understaffing. Especially in rural areas, medical practitioners have left to larger cities 
or  abroad  and  created  ‘medical  deserts’345.  For  trade  unions  and  social  service 
providers, carers need to be able to easily obtain official certificates granting them 

334 Portugal. 
335 EAPN. 
336 ILGA-Europe 
337 Chamber of Doctors (webinar Hungary). 
338 ETUC. 
339 EURORDIS. 
340 Social Platform, COFACE, Associate Professor, University of Ljubljana (webinar Slovenia). 
341 EWL, NVR, PpDM, Eurocarers, EASPD, Societal Impact of Pain, REIF; in a similar vein the ESN proposes a 
European Care Guarantee for all. 
342 Caritas Europe, Social Platform. 
343 Eurocarers, EWL. 
344 MMM. 
345 COMECE. 

36 

 
 
                                                                                                                                                                            
access to fair working conditions and social protection, in order to combat the wide 
prevalence  of  undeclared  work  in  the  sector346.  For  France,  Portugal  and  many 
stakeholders,  improved  policy  and  funding  frameworks  for  health,  social  care  and 
support workers are needed at EU level to address workforce shortages, to improve 
the  sectors’  attractiveness  for  young  professionals,  training  of  workforce  and 
working  conditions347.  As  part  of  a  legislative  package  in  this  regard,  the  Austrian 
Chamber of Labour suggests a European directive for health professionals and one 
for live-in-carers348. The CPME emphasises the need to review existing EU legislation 
on  health  professionals’  working  conditions,  including  on  occupational  health  and 
safety349.  

Poverty and social inclusion 

According  to  civil  society  organisations  active  in  the  fight  against  poverty  and  social 
exclusion, the Action Plan should bring about a rights-based, person-centred integrated 
strategy  to  fight  poverty  and  exclusion,  for  all  groups,  through  the  life  course.  This 
multidimensional strategy should link the different individual rights under the Pillar with 
the overarching goal to end poverty in all its forms (SDG 1), building on the Europe 2020 
goal  and  targets.  The  strategy  should  prioritise  (1)  quality  jobs/fair  wages,  (2)  income 
support and social protection for those who cannot work or access decent jobs and (3) 
access  to  quality  universal  services,  guaranteeing  the  right  to  affordable,  quality 
housing,  universal  quality  education/training  and  lifelong  learning,  child,  health  and 
social care, affordable energy/water and transport350.  

Some respondents add that an overarching strategy against poverty should be centered 
around a European Framework Directive on Minimum Income351 and should link up with 
thematic  strategies  for  key  target  groups:  (1)  children,  with  a  Child  Guarantee,    (2) 
homeless  people,  supporting  a  framework  for  national  strategies,  (3)  older  people, 
people  with  disabilities,  migrants,  Roma,  LGBTIQ  people,  and  other  vulnerable  and/or 
marginalised  groups352.  There  is a  general  concern  about  the  ‘feminisation’  of  poverty 
and social exclusion due to gender-based inequalities353. 

In relation to minimum income, employers indicate that the Council conclusions of 12 
October  2020  on  “Strengthening Minimum 
in  the  COVID-19 
Pandemic  and  Beyond”  state  that  it  is  for  Member  States  to  design  and  implement 
national  provisions  ensuring  minimum  income  protection.  They  would  see  a  merit  in 
strengthening  the  ongoing  work  as  part  of  the  European  Semester  process,  including 

Income Protection 

346 EFFE, EFSI, ETUC, Caritas Europa. 
347  France,  Portugal,  SGI  Europe,  EUROFEDOP,  European  Platform  for  Rehabilitation,  CPME,  VYV  and 
Solidaris, EASPD. 
348 Austrian Chamber of Labour. 
349 CPME. 
350 Portugal, Social Platform, EAPN,  State of Vienna. 
351 See also Germany, AGE Platform, Belgian Anti-Poverty Network. 
352  EAPN,  FEANTSA,  AGE  Platform,  Inclusion  Europe,  ILGA-Europe,  EAPN  Spain,  Caritas  Europe,  Land  of 
Berlin. 
353  Eurocities,  German  Association  for  Public  and  Private  Welfare,  Caritas  Czech  Republic  (webinar 
Czechia). 

37 

 
 
                                                           
further  elaboration  of  the  EU  benchmarking  framework354.  Germany  supports  an  EU 
framework  to  support  and  to  complement  the  activities  of  the  Member  States  in  this 
field355. 

Many contributors  and citizens  focus  on  the  central  role of  (social) housing  policies  in 
the fight against poverty and the synergies with the EU’s action on the energy efficiency 
of buildings under the European Green Deal356. Several civil society organisations call for 
a European impetus to end homelessness in the EU357. 

increasing  territorial 

inequalities  transpires  strongly  from  the 
The  challenge  of 
dedicated  webinars  in  many  Member  States  and  from  several  citizens’  contributions. 
This  concerns  mainly  the  increased  risk  of  social  exclusion  of  populations  in  rural  and 
remote areas, such as the outermost regions358. However, Eurocities also points at the 
specific  concentration  of  inequalities  in  many  cities  across  Europe359.  There  is  a 
particular  inclusion  challenge  with  regard  to  persons  with  a  migratory  background, 
including EU citizens360.  

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

  The European Parliament, many civil society organisations, trade unions and citizens 
support  the  idea  of  a  European  framework  directive  for  minimum  income,  which 
would  guarantee  adequate,  accessible  and  enabling  minimum  income  support361. 
Several  citizens  call  for  the  introduction  of  an  unconditional  basic  income. 
According  to  Eurocities,  the  lessons  learned  from  recent  pilot  projects  in  Finland, 
Spain and Scotland should be taken into account362. On the other hand, employers 
warn  against  raising  unrealistic  expectations  on  EU  action  regarding  minimum 
income,  also  in  view  of  limited  EU  competences  in  this  field.  They  stress  that 
measures are mainly needed at national level363. 

  According  to  civil  society  organisations,  minimum  income  benefits  should  be 
provided proactively to tackle the high non-take-up and to ensure that the transition 
to  other  types  of  benefits  happens  without  delay364.  There  should  be  no  negative 
conditionality  linked  to  total  (or  partial)  cuts  in  adequate  minimum  income 

354 BusinessEurope 
355 Germany. 
356 Housing Europe, State of Vienna. 
357 FEANTSA, Social Platform, EAPN, Eurocities, Simon Communities of Ireland. 
358 European Parliament Resolution, Le Biklab. 
359 See also European Parliament Resolution. 
360 Eurocities; see also Caritas Europe, EDF. 
361 European Parliament Resolution, Social Platform,  German Association for Public and Private Welfare, 
EKD, Eurodiaconia, EWL, ERGO, EAPN, AGE Platform, DGB, Bulgarian Confederation of Independent Trade 
Unions,  EAPN  Portugal,  EAPN  Spain,  Network  Social  Europe  Baden-Württemberg,  BAGFW,  MMM, 
COFACE,  European  Senior  Organisation  (webinar  Lithuania),  Jusos  Brüssel,  ENIL,  Austrian  Chamber  of 
Labour, supported Portugal, ENNHRI and Catalonia; Italy rather sees room for a Recommendation on this 
subject. 
362 Eurocities. 
363 BDA, BusinessHungary (webinar Hungary). 
364  Social  Platform;  the  broader  issue  of  non-take-up  of  social  rights  and  services  is  mentioned  by  the 
Belgian Combat Poverty, Insecurity and Social Exclusion Service, ATD, COFACE and FOREM, among others. 

38 

 
 
                                                           
support365 and benefits could be provided through a system of ‘digital cash’ directly 
aimed at the lower-income groups366. The instrument should be based on common 
definitions  including  adequacy  linked  to  at  least  60%  of  the  median  equivalised 
disposable  income  after  social  transfers  (poverty  threshold)  and  underpinned  by 
national  reference  budgets367.  Some  contributors  ask  for  increased  minimum 
income  levels  for  people  with  disabilities  or  chronic  diseases,  who  systematically 
incur higher health care expenditure.368 However, the discussion should not be held 
in  solely  monetary  terms,  but  also  take  into  account  broader  social  support 
measures for self-sufficiency369. 

  The  European  Parliament,  several  Member  States,  regional  and  local  governments 
and  civil  society  organisations  strongly  support  the  Commission’s  intention  to 
propose  a  Child  Guarantee370.  According  to  the  CoR,  “the  Child  Guarantee  should 
ensure  children's  access  to  basic  services,  healthcare,  early  years  education  and 
school  until  they  reach  adulthood,  and  provide  them  with  decent  housing  and 
nutrition”. At least 5% of total ESF+ expenditure should be used to help children out 
of  poverty371.  Most  civil  society  organisations  expect  the  Child  Guarantee  to  be 
based on the three pillars of the 2013 Commission Recommendation on Investing in 
Children  (access  to  adequate  resources,  affordable  quality  services  and  children’s 
right to participate) 372. They ask for multiannual national and subnational strategies 
including targets, indicators, an earmarked budget and a monitoring mechanism373. 
For Greece, children should be considered as independent holders of social rights, in 
particular when it comes to affordable and accessible education and care (incl. early 
childhood  education  and  care),  as  investments  in  children  are  the  most  effective 
long-term investments374. Estonia and Italy see the need for an integrated approach 
to  children  with  complex  problems  and  call  for  a  new  strategy  on  the  rights  of 
children prioritising ending violence against children and providing safe environment 
for children375. 

  For  the  European  Parliament,  civil  society  organisations  and  several  citizens,  the 
availability and affordability of housing should be addressed from a human rights 
and  citizen-centred  perspective,  instead  of  solely  from  a  financial  point  of  view376. 
The  right  to  housing  should  be  enforced  regardless  of  residence  status,  to  ensure 

365 FOREM, Social Platform. 
366 Anti-Poverty Forum. 
367 EAPN, EAPN Portugal, EAPN Spain, ERGO. 
368 Gemeentelijke Werkgroep Toegankelijkheid Medemblik. 
369 Sweden, German Working Group of Young Socialists Brussels. 
370  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Latvia,  France,  Italy,  Portugal,  Slovenia,  Slovakia,  EAPN,  Social 
Platform,  Eurocities,  Basque  government,  EURORDIS,  Belgian  Anti-Poverty  Network,  City  of  Utrecht, 
ERGO, Red Cross EU office, Inclusion Europe, COFACE, COMECE. 
371 CoR Opinion. 
372 REIF, ESN, Eurodiaconia, Belgian Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion. 
373  Eurochild,  REIF,  Joint  contribution  Hope  and  Homes  for  Children,  Lumos  and  Save  the  Children,  EU 
Alliance for Investing in Children, MMM, ATD; FSG asks for a specific focus on extreme child poverty. 
374 Greek Ministry for Welfare and Social Solidarity (webinar Greece); see also MMM. 
375 Estonia, Italy; FAFCE flags the issue of a safe online environment for children. 
376  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Centre  for  Housing  law,  rights  and  policy  of  NUI  Galway  Ireland, 
Caritas Europa, Belgian Anti-Poverty Network; supported by Portugal and OCHCR. 

39 

 
 
                                                           
access to housing for migrants, homeless people and other excluded persons377. The 
Commission’s Renovation Wave, the national recovery and resilience plans and the 
future  EU  funds,  including  the  new  JTF,  should  have  a  strong  focus  on  affordable 
housing378.  According  to  the  Association  of  Dutch  Social  Housing  Corporations 
(AEDES)  and  the  Swedish  Union  of  Tenants,  the  Services  of  General  Economic 
Interest Decision should be revised to include in its scope a much broader range of 
income  groups  whose  housing  needs  cannot  be  met  at  market  conditions379. 
BuildEurope argues however that this might lead to unfair competition in different 
housing markets in Europe. Several trade unions and civil society organisations call 
for  the  EU  and  Member  States  to  intervene  more  actively  in  the  private  housing 
market  through  building  permits,  rent  controls,  tax  on  second  properties  and 
support  to  sustainable  housing  providers  in  order  to  prevent  speculation380.  EU 
funds should support the growth of new housing provision including local/regional 
social housing cooperatives owned by people themselves381.  

 

for 

In  line  with  the  European  Parliament’s  call  for  an  EU  framework  on  national 
homelessness  strategies382,  some  civil  society  organisations  ask 
the 
establishment  of  a  European  Collaboration  Platform  on  Homelessness383.  The 
Platform  should  monitor  homelessness  and  homelessness  policies,  support  the 
learning, 
development  of  national  homelessness  strategies,  provide  mutual 
transnational exchange, research, challenge the criminalisation of homelessness and 
mobilise the EU budget, in particular for cities384, to end homelessness by 2030385. 
Likewise,  France  calls  for  the  establishment  of  a  European  homelessness 
observatory  and,  together  with  the  European  Parliament  and  several  civil  society 
organisations,  expresses  support  for  promoting  the  ‘housing  first’  approach.386 
ERGO  asks  for  a 
legal  framework  on  effective  protection  against  unlawful 
evictions387.  

 

In  particular  rural  areas  and  remote  European  regions,  such  as  the  outermost 
regions, have poor access to essential services.388 Some contributors insist that EU 

377 ECRE, EAPN, EAPN France. 
378 Eurocities, Housing Europe; see also SGI Europe. 
379 AEDES, Swedish Union of Tenants; see also Eurocities. 
380 ETUC, EAPN, DGB; see State of Vienna for detailed suggestions at urban level; the Swedish Union of 
Tenants and Public Housing Sweden are opposed to any EU-level intervention. 
381 EAPN, Union Sociale pour l’Habitat, Network Social Europe Baden-Württemberg. 
382 European Parliament Resolution. 
383 Housing Rights Watch, IHPG. 
384 Barcelona City Council, State of Vienna. 
385  Social  Platform,  FEANTSA,  Eurodiaconia,  Hellenic  Network  for  the  Right  to  Housing  and  Residence, 
Simon Communities of Ireland. 
386  European  Parliament  Resolution,  France,  Portugal,  Land  of  Berlin,  Verso,  Housing  Europe,  Simon 
Communities  of  Ireland,  Belgian  Anti-Poverty  Network,  Eurochild,  Housing  First  Europe  Hub,  IHPG; 
Belgian Combat Poverty, Insecurity and Social Exclusion Service, Swedish City Missions, Social Service of 
Catholic Women  e.V. Berlin.  Due to the lack of data, ILGA-Europe calls  for disaggregated homelessness 
data  collection  on  grounds  of  sexual  orientation,  gender 
identity,  gender  expression  and  sex 
characteristics.   
387 ERGO. 
388 Le Biklab. 

40 

 
 
                                                           
legislation should guarantee the universal free right to internet for families living in 
situations  of  vulnerability,  poor  students  and  ensure  digital  inclusion  for  all389. 
Restos du cœur regrets that access to food has not  been included as a principle of 
the  Pillar390.  Several  citizens  request  free  essential  services  such  as  housing, 
transport,  health,  food,  education  and  internet.  Romania  explicitly  supports  the 
addition  of  access  to  the  internet  as  part  of  the  indicators  on  severe  material 
deprivation,  material  deprivation  and  subsequent  risk  of  poverty  and  social 
exclusion (AROPE) 391. 

  Finance Watch and the Centre d’Appui des Services de Médiation de dettes of the 
Brussels  Capital  Region  highlight  the  need  to  improve  access  to  basic  financial 
services for groups in situations of vulnerability: a payment account, access to cash, 
a  savings  account,  a  safe  third  pillar  pension  product,  a  motor  insurance,  a  health 
insurance,  a  home  (fire)  insurance,  and  personal  liability  insurance.  Technological 
progress  offers  opportunities,  but  also  represents  risks  in  terms  of  accessibility  at 
reasonable costs of the most common financial and insurance products.392 Finance 
Watch calls for the EU to address the legal requirements for selling credit through 
amending  the  Consumer  Credit  Directive393.  The  Confederation  of  Family 
Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) asks for EU minimum standards for 
private insolvency394.  

  According  to  anti-poverty  organisations,  in  the  context  of  the  fight  against  energy 
poverty, the European Green Deal must assert the right to affordable, clean energy 
for all and there should be binding guidelines for national plans related to climate 
and  energy  based  on  three  pillars  (adequate  income,  energy  efficiency  and  fair 
prices)  395.  The  phasing  out  of  regulated  prices  in  the  energy  sector  for  domestic 
households  should  be  stopped  and  social  tariffs  for  customers  in  situations  of 
vulnerability  should  be  supported396.  Portugal  would  like  to  see  an  EU  programme 
for support to renewable energy cooperatives397. Ireland mentions that the planned 
revision  of  the  Urban  Wastewater  Treatment  Directive  could  further  advance  the 
implementation of Pillar principle 20398. 

389 City Council of Barcelona, With Company, Eurodiaconia, ERGO, eTIC; Portugal also supports action on 
this point. 
390 Restos du Cœur (webinar France); in a similar vein, France requests to integrate the fight against food 
deprivation in the implementation of the Pillar. 
391 Romania. 
392 Finance Watch, Centre d’Appui des Services de  Médiation de dettes de la  Région Bruxelles-Capitale; 
point also raised by COFACE, EAPN Sweden, ERGO. 
393 Finance Watch; see also Charita (webinar Slovakia). 
394 COFACE. 
395 EAPN France; see also Austrian Chamber of Labour. 
396 EAPN. 
397 Portugal. 
398 Ireland; ERGO points at the overall lack of water, sanitation and electricity in Roma communities, and 
the obstacles to identity registration, which is a point also made by ATD. 

41 

 
 
                                                           
Fair labour mobility 

The  freedom  of  movement  for  workers  is  widely  regarded  a  one  of  the  key 
achievements of the European Union399. A few citizens indicate that moving from one 
EU country to another remains too cumbersome in administrative terms. The European 
Parliament, some Member States and some trade unions explicitly welcome the recent 
legislative  developments  at  EU  level  on  fair  labour  mobility.  However,  they  recall  that 
further  steps  are  needed,  including  the  completion  of  the  ongoing  revision  of  the 
Regulation on the coordination of social security systems400.  

Employer  organisations  generally  argue  that  global  competition,  growing  digitalisation 
and  new  business  models  require  greater  labour  mobility401.  Bulgarian  employer 
organisations reiterate their demand to revise the recently adopted Posting of Workers 
Directive and the Mobility Package for road transport402.  

There  is  a  need  to  address  the  negative  demographic  and  economic  externalities  of 
brain  drain  from  less  developed  European  regions  to  other  parts  of  Europe403.  While 
some  stakeholders  focus  on  the  need  to  spark  upward  convergence  of  working 
conditions for all types of workers within the EU, others notably suggest promoting an 
easier access of qualified third country nationals to the EU labour market404.  

Specific priorities and proposals were highlighted: 

  A  number  of  respondents  call  for  strengthening  the  mandate  of  the  European 
Labour  Authority  (ELA),  allowing  for  a  truly  cross-border  approach  to  labour 
inspections405.  Belgium  notably  suggests  initiatives  to  regulate  the  powers  of 
inspectors  in  other  countries,  binding  rules  on  the  provision  of  information, 
electronic  charge  sheets,  and  the  EU-wide  enforceability  of  sanctions  (including 
fines)  406. The European Parliament calls for considering the inclusion of further EU 
legislation in the activity scope of ELA as part of its review planned in 2024407.  

  Germany, alongside a number of national trade unions, stress the importance of a 
full  application  of  EU  law  on  working  conditions  of  seasonal  workers  and  other 
cross-border workers  in  situations  of  vulnerability,  including to  address  particular 
shortcomings  in  the  area  of  occupational  health  and  safety408.  Some  contributors 
ask the ELA to urgently take forward the provision of comprehensible information to 

399  Czech  Republic,  Denmark,  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Network  Social  Europe  Baden-
Württemberg. 
400 European Parliament Resolution, ABV. 
401 IKEM, BI, TMF. 
402  Association  of  the  Organisations  of  the  Bulgarian  Employers,  Bulgarian  Industrial  Capital  Association 
(webinar Bulgaria). 
403 Professor at the School of Economics and Management (EEG) of Minho University (webinar Portugal). 
404  Bulgarian  Industrial  Capital  Association  (webinar  Bulgaria),  Investors’  Forum  (webinar  Lithuania), 
European Parliament Resolution. 
405  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Belgian  Ministry  for  Employment,  Labour  and  Social Dialogue,  FLAI 
CGIL, DGB, CFE-CGC, Professor Graça Enes, Porto University (webinar Portugal). 
406 Belgian Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, see also Austrian Chamber of Labour. 
407 European Parliament Resolution. 
408 Germany, Bulgarian Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, FLAI CGIL, CNEL. 

42 

 
 
 
                                                           
mobile  workers,  in  particular  young  workers409.  The  European  Parliament  asks  the 
Commission and Member States to ensure minimum standards for quality housing 
for cross-border and seasonal workers, decoupled from their remuneration410.  

  While  opposed  notably  by  the  WEC,  which  argues  that  the  Directive  still  sets  an 
appropriate balance between promoting flexible and adaptable forms of work, and 
ensuring the protection of temporary agency workers based on equal treatment411, 
the European Parliament calls on the Commission to revise the Temporary Agency 
Work Directive to ensure decent working conditions and equal treatment for intra-
EU  seasonal  workers  and  mobile  workers  on  fixed-term  contracts  with  temporary 
work agencies or any other type of labour market intermediary, including recruiting 
agencies. This legal framework could include a ban on labour market intermediaries 
who do not comply with the Directive, a guaranteed minimum wage, a guaranteed 
minimum number of hours per week/month, no deductions from wages in the case 
of  part-time  contracts,  guaranteed  equal  treatment  for  any  person  who,  in  the 
in  the  same 
Member  State  concerned, 
company/sector, a European registry with a listing and certification requirement for 
all temporary work agencies operating in the single market, sanctions on companies 
using fraudulent recruitment practices and trafficking people for labour exploitation, 
and access to information on employment contracts and labour rights in a language 
that the worker can understand412. 

is  protected  as  a  worker  working 

  The  European  Parliament  calls  on  the  Commission  and  Member  States  to  take 
legislative measures to end abusive subcontracting, and to ensure general joint and 
several  liability  throughout  the  whole  subcontracting  chain  in  order  to  protect 
workers’ rights and their claims413. 

  Some contributions argue that the further digitisation of procedures would greatly 
support fair labour mobility414 and call on the Commission to put forward a proposal 
for  a  unique  European  social  security  number415.  Denmark  encourages  the 
Commission to also explore the merits of a physical ID card for mobile and posted 
workers on top of the digital infrastructure around a single European social security 
number416. 

  As  regards  third-country  nationals,  the  European  Parliament  asks  the  Commission 
to  conduct  an  extensive  investigation  into  the  trends  characterising  posted  third-
country nationals with regard to their working conditions, and emphasises the need 
for  possible  policy  measures  at  EU  or  national  level  based  on  the  outcome  of  the 
investigation.  It  also  calls  on  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  to  ensure 
compliance with applicable laws and rules on employment conditions when dealing 

409 Workers Without Borders, DFK, FLAI CGIL. 
410 European Parliament Resolution. 
411 WEC 
412 European Parliament Resolution. 
413 European Parliament Resolution. 
414 ABV, European Social Insurance Platform. 
415 DGB, STTK, DGUV, European Parliament Resolution, ESIP; Portugal calls for a ‘personal labour account’. 
416 Denmark, REIF. 

43 

 
 
                                                           
with third-country nationals, in order to eliminate abuses417. 

On instruments and cross-cutting engagement for implementation 

Type of instruments 

Many contributors call for a use of the different instruments the EU has at its disposal 
(legislation, policy coordination, funding) 418. They also see a need to better engage the 
national, regional and local level, social partners and civil society in implementing the 
Pillar. 

In  line  with  many  other  trade  unions  and  civil  society  organisations,  the  Central 
Organisation of Finnish trade unions stresses that the Action Plan should be a legislative 
programme419.  Some  trade  unions  moreover  express  the  hope  that  the  Action  Plan 
might  trigger  a  new  momentum  for  bipartite  negotiations  by  cross-industry  social 
partners at EU level420. 

However, some Member States express reservations about the use of legislation at EU 
level  at  this  point  in  time.421  Many  Member  States  stress  the  combination  of  the 
European Semester, the Open Method of Coordination and EU funding instruments as 
the key channels for the implementation of the Pillar at EU level422. 

Employers are generally opposed to further legislative action at EU level in the field of 
social  policy423.  Belgian  employers  add  that  the  level  of  detail  of  recent  EU  legislation 
does  not  fit  the  different  starting  points  of  Member  States424.  BusinessEurope  and  its 
members  see  the  European  Semester  as  the  right  tool  to  implement  the  Pillar425.  The 
Action  Plan  should  be  focussed  on  improving  the  functioning  of  the  labour  market  by 
promoting more resilience, flexibility and hence security426. According to the Council of 
European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the Pillar should rather constitute a frame 
of reference based on benchmarks, similar to the UN SDGs427. 

417 European Parliament Resolution. 
418 REIF, ILGA-Europe, SOSTE. 
419 Central Organisation of Finnish trade unions SAK (webinar Finland), supported by i.a. Czech-Moravian 
Confederation  of  Trade  Unions  (webinar  Czechia),  ÖGB  (webinar  Austria),  Austrian  Chamber  of  Labour, 
EKD, CESI. 
420 High-level hearing of EU Social Partners, 8 June 2020. 
421 Sweden, Hungary, Estonia, Austria. 
422 Czechia, Denmark, Malta; point also made by EAPN Sweden and WEC. 
423 ZPP, M+E, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, CEEMET, ECEG; see also LO, DGUV. 
424 VBO-FEB; a similar argument is made by BAVC and KL. 
425 VNO-NCW, MKB Nederland, BDA, Austrian Economic Chambers, EK. 
426 High-level hearing of EU Social Partners, 8 June 2020. 
427 CEMR. 

44 

 
 
                                                           
Implementation, enforcement and awareness of EU social/employment law 

There  is  a  strong  agreement  among  all  contributors  that  the  implementation  of  the 
Pillar  needs  to  build  on  a  better  implementation,  enforcement  and  awareness  of 
existing EU employment and social legislation and policies428.  

impact  of 
While  trade  unions  and  civil  society  mainly  highlight  the  negative 
implementation  and  enforcement  gaps  on  the  enjoyment  of  rights,  some  Member 
States and employers also note the negative impact on the level playing field in the EU 
single market. The NJCM sees the need for more preventive and proactive enforcement 
measures with regards to labour market discrimination, including recommendations on 
sanctions and policy measures429. 

Several  citizens  express  regret  about  the  low  awareness  about  the  Pillar  and,  more 
broadly,  the  EU’s  social  legislation  and  policies  among  Europeans.430  Some  also 
encourage  the  Commission  to  explore  innovative  ways  of  awareness  raising,  in 
cooperation  with  the  private  sector,  the  audiovisual  industry  and  civil  society. 
Moreover,  the  EU  should  continue  to  improve  the  transparency  of  its  decision-
making431. 

The role of the European Semester, monitoring and indicators 

Many contributors stress the need to further develop the governance framework of the 
Pillar, notably by refining the monitoring and strengthening the policy coordination on 
all 20 principles of the Pillar432. There is a strong preference to keep the Pillar strongly 
anchored  at  the  core  of  the  European  Semester  and  of  its  country-specific  reporting 
and recommendations433.  

In order to improve monitoring as part of the Semester, the European Parliament, some 
Member States and many stakeholders call for an update of the Social Scoreboard. The 
European Parliament refers to economic, social and environmental wellbeing indicators, 
covering  decent  work,  social  justice  and  equal  opportunities,  robust  social  welfare 
systems and fair mobility, linked with a set of quantitative and qualitative targets434. 

Civil  society  organisations  underline  the  importance  of  adding  more  indicators  that 
must cover all 20 Social Pillar principles and aligning it to new targets435. They also see 
the  need  to  disaggregate  data  by  other  characteristics  in  addition  to  sex,  aiming  at 
measuring  the  impact  of  policies  on  specific  marginalised  and/or  vulnerable  groups, 

428 European Parliament Resolution, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Austria, Netherlands, Federal Ministry of 
Labour,  Family  and  Youth  (webinar  Austria),  BusinessEurope,  ECEG,  VBO-FEB,  EK,  Confederation  of 
Industry (webinar Czechia). 
429 NJCM; see also Inclusion Europe. 
430 CESI, Itinerari per il lavoro. 
431  See  also  Society  Development  Foundation  (webinar  Romania)  and  Initiative  for  Competitiveness 
Association. 
432 EESC Opinion, TELA, Austrian Chamber of Labour; similar point made by Italy. 
433  BusinessEurope,  SMEunited,  Strategic  Dialogue  with  EU  civil  society,  21  October  2021;  see  also 
Finland, Sweden, Estonia, EAEA. 
434 European Parliament Resolution. 
435 Strategic Dialogue with EU civil society, 21 October 2021,  SOSTE (webinar Finland), UNIPSO-UNISOC-
BRUXEO, REIF, ENNHRI. 

45 

 
 
                                                           
such as Roma, persons with disabilities, migrants, LGBTIQ, older people or children436. 
The EESC, ENNHRI and Latvia ask in addition to make sure that progress on the UN SDGs 
is  tracked  within  the  European  Semester437.  The  Austrian  State  of  Vienna  asks  for 
refining the analysis at sub-regional level via an ‘Urban Scoreboard’438. 

Social housing providers suggest to add housing indicators, such as on affordable rental 
(and  other)  housing  and  on  residual  income  after  housing  expenditure439.  The  EAPN 
states that an indicator is needed to measure homelessness, as defined by the ETHOS 
framework440, while ATD asks for additional indicators on extreme poverty, institutional 
and social abuse441. Several organisations ask to develop indicators and statistics on the 
inclusion  of  persons  with  disabilities  and  to  include  indicators  on  access  to  social 
services442.  The  ENIL  calls  for  indicators  on  personal  assistance  and  community-based 
support443.  

COFACE asks to measure the number of hours spent by children in childcare, on top of 
enrolment  in  childcare,  while  Eurochild  suggests  i.a.  indicators  on  early  childhood 
development444.  COFACE  also  argues  in  favour  of  complementary  (sub)indicators  on 
work-life balance based on comprehensive data provided by the European Parliament, 
the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), and Eurofound445. AEIP and REIF wish 
to see indicators on long-term care, (gender gaps in) pensions and the quality of health 
care446.  

The  DGB  proposes  to  include  additional  indicators  related  to  social  dialogue,  such  as 
collective  agreement  coverage  rates  and  the  number  of  companies  with  co-
determination.  It  also  proposes  to  create  a  set  of  new  indicators  to  underpin  the 
development  of  the  European  Health  Union447.  Eurocadres  suggests  a  set  of  sub-
indicators  on  the  quality  of  jobs,  among  which  decent  wages,  workers  on  standard 
employment  contracts448,  access  to  social  protection,  lifelong  learning  opportunities, 
decent working conditions in safe and healthy workplaces449, reasonable working hours 
with a good work-life balance, and trade union representation and bargaining rights450. 

436  EDF,  European  Blind  Union,  Austrian  Disability  Council,  ESN,  Autism-Europe,  Inclusion  Europe,  ILGA-
Europe, OHCHR, ONCE, Eurochild, ERGO. 
437 EESC Opinion, ENNHRI, Latvia. 
438 State of Vienna. 
439 Housing Europe, AEDES; see also State of Vienna, Red Cross EU office, SGI Europe. 
440 EAPN; a similar request is made by SOSTE and European Youth Forum. 
441 ATD. 
442 EASPD, European Platform for Rehabilitation, European Youth Forum, Autism-Europe; GI-ESCR asks to 
report on the accessibility, acceptability and quality of public services. 
443 ENIL, Eurochild. 
444 COFACE, Eurochild. 
445 COFACE. 
446 AEIP, REIF; REIF also proposes indicators on informal care and public investment in work-life balance. 
447 DGB. 
448  Similar  point  made  by  the  European  Youth  Forum,  which  suggests  a  sub-indicator  related  to  the 
reduction of the proportion of young workers on temporary contracts. 
449 See also REIF. 
450 Eurocadres, Eurodiaconia. 

46 

 
 
                                                           
Swedish  employers  would  support  additional  indicators  measuring  conditions  for 
entrepreneurship and the efficiency of public administration451. 

Several  contributors  from  civil  society  and  local  authorities  argue  that  a  reinforced 
monitoring framework within the EU’s macro-economic governance set-up should also 
be  the  basis  to  strengthen  the  accountability  of  Member  States,  regions  and  local 
authorities  to  pursue  social  investments  and  the  implementation  of  the  Pillar452.  This 
should  involve  clear  benchmarks  and  a  timetable453.  National  Red  Cross  Societies 
propose to establish a monitoring authority to follow closely the implementation of the 
Pillar and the national recovery plans454.  

The  Croatian  institute  for  Public  Finances  proposes  that  the  Social  Scoreboard  should 
enable  the  triggering  of  a  ‘social  imbalances  procedure’  mirroring  the  existing  macro-
economic  imbalances  procedure455.  In  the  same  vein,  some  civil  society  stakeholders 
call  for  sanctions 
insufficient  progress  by  Member  States  on  the 
in  case  of 
implementation of the Pillar456.  

France Stratégie proposes that every Member State should adopt a strategy for upward 
social  convergence  of  all  Social  Scoreboard  indicators,  agreed  with  the  European 
Commission and the European Parliament457.  

Most  Member  States  see  the  benefit  of  an  improved  monitoring  by  the  Commission, 
but  warn  that  this  should  not  further  burden  Member  States  nor  duplicate  existing 
processes458.  The  CEMR  warns  that  there  should  not  be  a  reporting  obligation  on 
regions and municipalities because of the bureaucratic implications459.  

Social  partners  agree  that  the  implementation  of  the  Pillar  at  national,  but  also  at 
sectoral and company level requires a stronger involvement of national social partners 
in  the  European  Semester460.  Employer  organisations  call  for  a  tripartite  approach  to 
the  preparation  and  the  implementation  of  the  Action  Plan461.  Eurocadres  suggests 
dedicated  EU  legislation  to  warrant  the  involvement  of  social  partners,  possibly  via  a 
new Directive or via amendments to Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/1997462. 

Civil society organisations ask to be involved in the implementation and monitoring of 
the Pillar at all stages of the process. According to some of them, it should be an open, 
transparent and regular civil dialogue at EU, national and regional level, accompanied 

451 Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. 
452  Strategic  Dialogue  with  EU  civil  society,  21  October  2021:  Social  Platform;  city  of  Ghent  (webinar 
Belgium), Latvian Samaritan Organisation, Land Berlin, Eurochild. 
453 EuroMed Rights, European Youth Forum, EAPN. 
454 Red Cross EU office. 
455 Institute for Public Finance (webinar Croatia); see also DGB. 
456 EAPN, Amalipe Centre Bulgaria (webinar Bulgaria), Finnish Central Organisation of Unemployed. 
457 France Stratégie. 
458 Finland, Ireland, Slovakia. 
459 CEMR. 
460  SMEunited,  Institute  for  Public  Finance  (webinar  Croatia),  Cyprus  Federation  of  Employers  and 
Industrialists OEB (webinar Cyprus). 
461 BusinessEurope, ECEG, VBO-FEB, BAVC, ZDH, Hellenic Federation of Enterprises SEV (webinar Greece). 
462 Eurocadres. 

47 

 
 
                                                           
by  measures  strengthening  the  EESC  and  civil  society  organisations’  capacity  to 
independently  measure  progress463.  This  would  strengthen  legitimacy,  accountability 
and efficiency of policy-making464. The OHCHR asks for an involvement of independent 
institutions465.  Furthermore,  Eurodiaconia  asks  for  the 
national  human  rights 
organisation of a European Social Summit every two years466.  

EU funding 

The European Council conclusions of 21 July 2020 state that “[t]he role of the EU budget 
in supporting the effective implementation of EU wide policy objectives should be further 
enhanced, notably by strengthening the link between the EU budget and the European 
Semester,  including  facilitating  the  implementation  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social 
Rights,  as  well  as  in  the  areas  of  migration,  environment  and  climate  change  and 
equality between women and men as well as rights and equal opportunities for all.”467 

Many contributors highlight this crucial link between the implementation of the Pillar, 
the  European  Semester,  the  NextGenerationEU  and  the  Multi-annual  Financial 
Framework 2021-2027 in their contribution468.  

While  employers  welcome  the  RRF  proposed  by  the  Commission  in  May  2020469,  the 
European Parliament demands an implementation of the Pillar by means of the RRF at 
the  same  level  as  the  Green  Deal  and  the  digital  transition.  It  calls  for  “the  upcoming 
reforms linked to the recovery package to include upward social convergence as one of 
the  main  objectives  of  the  national  reform  programmes,  including  through  financial 
support” 470.  

Similarly,  civil  society  organisations  criticise  that  the  social  dimension  is  insufficiently 
present in the priorities of the RRF. Social Platform and its members therefore call for 
the inclusion of a 25% earmarking for social investment471. Eurodiaconia specifies that 
at least 5% of the RRF should be allocated to reforms in social service provision. The ESF 
allocation  under  REACT-EU’s  should  contain  an  earmarked  25%  for  social  inclusion 
measures472.  

With  reference  to  the  establishment  of  SURE,  the  European  Parliament    calls  for  a 
permanent  EU  Unemployment  Benefit  Re-insurance  Scheme473.  This  is  explicitly 
opposed  by  German  employer  confederations,  citing  concerns  of  subsidiarity  and 
questioning  the  contribution  to  a  sustainable  social  policy474.  Moreover,  in  line  with 

463 Verso, Belgian Anti-Poverty Network, Eurochild, ACT 4 SOCIAL EU. 
464 Social Platform, Institut de la protection sociale européenne IPSE (webinar France). 
465 OHCHR. 
466 Eurodiaconia. 
467 European Council (2020), Conclusions adopted at the special meeting of the European Council on 17, 
18, 19, 20 and 21 July 2020, EUCO 10/20, 21 July 2020. 
468 Finland, Germany, Slovakia, ILO. 
469 SMEunited, MEDEF (webinar France). 
470 European Parliament Resolution. 
471 Social Platform, European Platform for Rehabilitation, EASPD. 
472 Eurodiaconia. 
473 European Parliament Resolution. 
474 BDA, M+E 

48 

 
 
                                                           
many  contributors  to  the  dedicated  webinars  in  Member  States,  the  European 
Parliament  stresses  the  importance  of  a  strong  Just  Transition  Fund  and  a  revised 
European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  as  part  of  the  EU’s  means  to  support  just 
transitions towards climate-neutral economies475. 

When it comes to the ESF+, the European Parliament echoes the support of several anti-
poverty  organisations  to  the  Commission’s  proposal  to  earmark  at  least  5%  of  shared 
management resources to combatting child poverty476. As the CoR and Eurocities, it also 
advocates  for  allocating  at 
least  15%  of  these  resources  to  combat  youth 
unemployment477.  Moreover,  it  also  calls  for  allocating  at  least  3%  to  tackle  food  and 
material  deprivation,  and  supporting  the  social  inclusion  of  the  most  deprived478.  The 
EDF and the ENIL stress that the Commission must ensure that EU funds are never used 
to further the institutionalisation of persons with disabilities and are actively invested in 
community- and family-based services479. ERGO asks for specific guidance to make sure 
the  funds  reach  marginalised  Roma  populations480.  Some  civil  society  organisations 
recall  the  need  to  further  reduce  administrative  burden,  by  an  increased  use  of 
simplified  cost  options  and  a  radical  simplification  of  the  ESF  +  indicators481.  SSE 
proposes the establishment of a support centre for access to EU funds482.  

Trade  unions  express  their  concern  about  a  “double  cut”  to  the  ESF+,  as  a  result  of  a 
lower  allocation  and  of  the  removal  of  the  ESF+  minimum  share  in  Cohesion  Policy 
funding483.  Alongside  the  SGI  Europe,  the  ETUC  also  advocates  for  earmarking  ESF+ 
resources via a dedicated EU fund or budget line for social partner capacity building484. 
When it comes to the RRF, the Action Plan on the implementation of the  Pillar should 
be integrated into it, so that the recovery measures consistently respect and implement 
the Pillar485.  

The  Lithuanian  trade  unions  propose  that  only  companies,  which  are  committed  to 
international  labour  standards  and  have  collective  agreements,  and  which  are  not 
evading taxes, should be allowed to benefit from EU financial instruments486. 

Social partners, civil society and local authorities urge Member States to fully apply the 
partnership  principle  to  involve  social  partners  and  cities  in  the  development  of 
recovery  and  resilience plans,  and  in  investment  priorities  for  cohesion policy and  the 

475 European Parliament Resolution, European Movement France. 
476  European  Parliament  Resolution,  Social  Platform,  High  Commissioner’s  Office  for  Child  Poverty 
(webinar Spain); NEXEM asks for an earmarking of resources for personnel in the social sector. 
477 CoR Opinion, Eurocities. 
478 European Parliament Resolution; see also Restos du Cœur (webinar France). 
479 EDF, ENIL. 
480 ERGO. 
481 BAGFW, Eurodiaconia; Social Economy Europe makes this point with regard to several EU funds. 
482 SSE. 
483 Land of Berlin, ETUC, BAGFW, CFE-CGC. 
484 SGI Europe, ETUC; see also LO, TCO; CESI stresses the need to target smaller and independent trade 
unions, both in terms of capacity building and in terms of involvement in policy consultations. 
485 ETUC, Mouvement  international ATD Quart  Monde.  Also France and Finland support  a  link between 
the Pillar and the RRF. 
486 Representatives of Lithuanian trade unions (webinar Lithuania). 

49 

 
 
                                                           
JTF487. It also suggests maintaining the flexibility in state aid rules by keeping spending 
for social infrastructure and social services outside of the budget deficit calculation488.  

The  EVPA  highly  supports  the  Commission  proposal  on  InvestEU,  and  the  synergies 
between  Invest  EU  and  notably  the  ESF+  with  InvestEU’s  Social  Investment  and  Skills 
Window. It recommends better communication about funding opportunities at EU level. 
For  that  purpose,  it  suggests  to  use  showcasing  of  investment  success  stories  to 
practitioners at the national level. Moreover, EVPA stresses the strong need within the 
social investment ecosystem to receive technical assistance, capacity building, support 
on data collection, impact measurement and evaluation489.   

The  European  Microfinance  Network  (EMN)  and  Microfinance  Centre  (MFC)  strongly 
insist that microfinance should be considered a transversal tool that contributes directly 
or  indirectly  to  almost  all  Pillar  principles.  EMN  and  MFC  recommend  organising  an 
Inclusive Entrepreneurship Policy Dialogue amongst Member States490. 

On  top  of  the  existing  funding  instruments,  With  Company  proposes  to  create  a 
separate EU financial instrument for inclusion, accessibility and equality491. Backme.org 
would  support  an  EU  fund  for  start-ups  of  persons  with  disabilities,  legislation  on  the 
transparency  of  business  loans  and  legislation  that  would  require  banks  to  invest  in 
start-ups492. 

487 Eurocities, SGI Europe, ERGO. 
488 Eurocities, City of Utrecht. 
489 EVPA. 
490 EMN and MFC. 
491 With Company. 
492 Backme.org. 

50 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
3.  ONGOING ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE EUROPEAN PILLAR OF SOCIAL RIGHTS 

This  section  presents  a  selection  of  actions  that  the  EU  has  undertaken  to  turn  the 
European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  into  reality  since  its  proclamation  by  the  European 
Parliament, the Council and the Commission in 2017.  

Implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights is the joint responsibility of the EU, its 
Member  States,  the regional  and  local  levels,  social  partners  and  civil  society at  large. 
The  boxes  included  in  the  following  sections  present  examples  of  recent  or  ongoing 
actions  at  national,  regional  or  local  level,  involving  an  array of  players  such  as  public 
authorities, social partners, civil society organisations or research institutions, some of 
which have received support from a variety of different EU funds.  

They  also  present,  where  relevant,  a  summary  of  actions  that  stakeholders  have 
pledged to carry out to contribute to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights 
at local level.  

I. Equal opportunities and access to the labour market  

Principle 1: Education, training and life-long learning 

European Skills Agenda  

In July 2020, the Commission presented the European Skills Agenda493. It sets out a five-
year plan (2020-2025) to support the development of more and better skills. It will help 
strengthen  sustainable  competitiveness,  ensure  social  fairness  and  build  resilience  to 
react to crises. It puts forward 12 concrete actions to support wide-ranging partnerships 
for skills, ensure that skills provision is in line with the needs of the  labour market and 
empower  people  to  embark  on  lifelong  learning.  It  also  sets  ambitious  quantitative 
objectives  to  be  reached  by  2025,  and  paves  the  way  to  unlocking  public  and  private 
investment in skills, including via EU funding. 

Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) 

The  Council  Recommendation  on  vocational  education  and training  (VET),  adopted on 
24  November  2020494,  defines  key  principles  for  ensuring  that  VET  is  flexible,  adapts 
swiftly to labour market needs, including changes stemming from the green and digital 
transitions, and provides quality learning opportunities for young people and adults. It 
focusses on increasing the flexibility of VET, opportunities for work-based learning and 
apprenticeships  and  quality  assurance.  It  promotes  Centres  of  Vocational  Excellence 
and  stresses  the  need  to  integrate  VET  into  economic,  industrial  and  innovation 

493 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en  
494  Council  Recommendation  of  24  November  2020  on  vocational  education  and  training  (VET)  for 
sustainable  competitiveness,  social  fairness and  resilience  2020/C 417/01,  OJ C 417, 2.12.2020, p. 1–16 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32020H1202%2801%29  

51 

 
 
 
                                                           
strategies  and  to  embed  social  and  environmental  sustainability 
programmes.  

into  training 

Pact for Skills 

In November 2020 the Commission launched the Pact for Skills495, one of the actions of 
the European Skills Agenda. It invites public and private stakeholders to join forces, take 
action  to  up-  and  reskill  people  of  working  age  in  line  with  its  Charter  and  build 
partnerships. This is key to supporting the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and 
delivering  the  green  and  digital  transitions.  The  Commission  will  provide  a  platform 
where  companies  and  stakeholders  can  exchange,  find  information,  including  on  EU 
funding, and build synergies.  

Common European frameworks 

The  Europass  online  platform496  was  launched  in  July  2020  in  the  framework  of  the 
European Skills Agenda. Building on a previous, successful online CV portal, it provides 
learning 
individuals  and  organisations  with 
opportunities,  qualifications  and  skills,  and  specialised  services  to  support  digitally-
signed credentials.  

interactive  tools, 

information  on 

The European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships sets out 14 criteria to 
ensure  the  good  quality  of  apprenticeships497.  They  include  the  need  for  a  written 
agreement, clear expected learning outcomes, a form of remuneration and appropriate 
work, health and safety conditions, and support conditions such as appropriate career 
guidance for apprentices and support for companies.  

The European qualifications framework for lifelong learning (EQF), which brings forward 
an initiative first launched in 2008, is having a major impact on qualifications in the EU 
and  neighbour  countries498.  All  Member  States  have  established  national  frameworks 
where qualifications levels are defined through the complexity of skills and knowledge 
they  recognise.  As  national  frameworks  are  aligned  to  the  EQF  levels,  and  each 
qualification  is  defined  in  terms  of  skills,  understanding  and  comparing  qualifications 
throughout Europe are becoming easier. 

Upskilling Pathways: new opportunities for adults 

Over  50  million  adults  (25-64)  in  the  EU  (2019)499  have  at  most  attained  lower 
secondary education. This group is also most likely to struggle with basic skills such as 
reading, writing, making simple calculations and using a computer.  Significant barriers 
persist for members of marginalised  groups such as Roma.  

495 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1517&langId=en  
496 https://europa.eu/europass/select-language?destination=/node/1  
497  Council  Recommendation  of  15  March  2018  on  a  European  Framework  for  Quality  and  Effective 
Apprenticeships. 
498  Council  recommendation  of  22  May  2017  on  the  European  Qualifications  Framework  for  lifelong 
learning  and  repealing  the  recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  23  April 
2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning. 
499 Eurostat, Labour Force Survey 2019. 

52 

 
 
                                                           
The  Upskilling  Pathways  initiative500  provides  a  fresh  start  for  these  people  by 
documenting  and  recognising  the  knowledge  and  skills  they  already  possess;  offering 
them further education and training and ultimately guiding them to a new qualification, 
relevant to the local labour market. While all Member States have implemented it, they 
need to significantly step up efforts to increase the scale of the measures offered.  

Digital Skills and Jobs Coalitions 

The  Digital  Skills  and  Jobs  Coalitions501  brings  together  Member  States,  companies, 
social  partners,  NGOs  and  education  providers  who  take  action  to  tackle  the  lack  of 
digital skills both at the EU and national level. In the Member States digital skills actors 
work together to tackle the digital skills gap at national, regional and local level in the 
National  Digital  Skills  and  Jobs  Coalitions502.  They  have  reached  millions  of  Europeans 
with  different  types  of  training  and  actions  that  are  available  on  the  Pledgeviewer503. 
The  Digital  Skills  and  Jobs  Platform504  is  a  one-stop-shop  for  digital  skills  in  Europe.  It 
offers  information,  resources,  overview  of  training  and  funding  opportunities  and  a 
space for networking and collaboration both at the European and national level.  

European Democracy Action Plan 

The European Democracy Action Plan505, adopted in December 2020, stresses the role 
of  media  literacy  in  helping  citizens  navigate  the  news  environment,  identify different 
types of media and how they work, have a critical understanding of social networks and 
make  informed  decisions.  Under  the  Plan,  the  Commission  will  increase  its  efforts  to 
strengthen  media  literacy  and  further  support  national  media  literacy  campaigns,  in 
cooperation  with  the  European  Digital  Media  Observatory  and  the  Media  Literacy 
Expert Group, and provide support via the Creative Europe programme, Erasmus+ and 
the European Solidarity Corps.  

European Education Area  

The Commission and the Member States set in motion actions to establish a European 
Education  Area506  to  support  future-oriented  education  and  training  systems.  It  will 
enable  learners  and  educational  staff  to  easily  cooperate  and  communicate  across 
disciplines, cultures and borders. Measures address: the acquisition of key competences 
for  lifelong  learning507,  digital  skills508,  common  values  and  inclusive  education509,  the 

500 Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults. 
501 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-skills-and-jobs-coalition  
502 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/national-coalitions  
503 https://pledgeviewer.eu/  
504 https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu (available March 2021). 
505 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2250.  
506 COM(2017) 673 final. 
507  Council  Recommendation  of  22  May  2018  on  key  competences  for  lifelong  learning  (OJ  C  189, 
4.6.2018).  The  reference  framework  sets  out  eight  key  competences:  1.  Literacy,  2.  Multilingual 
competence,  3.  Mathematical  competence  and  competence  in  science,  technology  and  engineering 
(STEM),  4.  Digital  competence,  5.  Personal,  social  and  learning  to  learn  competence,  6.  Citizenship  7. 
Entrepreneurship competence, 8. Cultural awareness and expression. 
508 https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en  
509 Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the 
European dimension of teaching (2018/C 195/01). 

53 

 
 
                                                           
creation of European Universities510, the automatic mutual recognition of qualifications 
and  the  outcomes  of  learning  periods  abroad511,  improving  teacher  education, 
diversifying  teaching  careers,  increasing  European  collaboration  between  teacher 
education  providers,  improving  the  teaching  and  learning  of  languages512,  and  the 
Higher Education for Smart Specialisation supporting public authorities to involve higher 
education in implementing Smart Specialisation Strategies513. 

In  September  2020,  the  Commission  outlined  how  European  cooperation  can  further 
enrich  the  quality,  inclusiveness,  digital  and  green  dimensions  of  EU  education  and 
training  systems  to  achieve  the  European  Education  Area  by  2025514.  Member  States 
agreed to address five strategic objectives in their cooperation: raising quality, inclusion 
and  success  for  all  in  education  and  training;  making  lifelong  learning  and  mobility  a 
reality  for  all;  enhancing  competences  and  motivation  in  the  education  profession; 
reinforcing European higher education; and supporting the green and digital transitions 
in and through education and training515. 

Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 

The  Digital  Education  Action  Plan  (2021-2027)516  proposes  initiatives  for  high‑quality, 
inclusive  and  accessible  digital  education  in  Europe.  It  calls  for  stronger  cooperation 
between  Member  States  and  stakeholders  and  sets  out  two  long-term  priorities:  (i) 
fostering  the  development  of  a  high-performing  digital  education  ecosystem  and  (ii) 
enhancing  digital  competences  for  the  digital  transformation.  The  Commission  has 
announced  the  creation  of  a  European  Digital  Education  Hub  to  foster  synergies 
between relevant policy areas, create a network of national advisory services, monitor 
the  development  of digital  education  in  Europe and  strengthen  the  dialogue  between 
stakeholders from the public and private sector. 

European Research Area 

The  new  European  Research  Area517  will  improve  Europe's  research  and  innovation 
landscape,  accelerate  the  EU's  transition  towards  climate  neutrality  and  digital 
leadership,  support  the  recovery  from  the  coronavirus  crisis,  and  strengthen  the 
resilience against future crises. The Commission set out strategic objectives and actions 
to  be  implemented  in  close  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  to  prioritise 
investments and reforms in research and innovation, improve access to excellence for 
researchers across the EU and enable research results to reach the market and the real 

510 https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area/european-universities-
initiative_en  
511 Council Recommendation of 26 November 2018 on promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher 
education  and  upper  secondary  education  and  training  qualifications  and  the  outcomes  of  learning 
periods abroad, OJ C 444, 10.12.2018, p. 1. 
512 Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning 
of languages (2019/C 189/03). 
513 Renewed EU agenda for higher education, European Commission 2017 
514 https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area_en  
515  Council  Resolution  on  a  strategic  framework  for  European  Cooperation  in  education  and  training 
towards the European Education Area and beyond. 
516 https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en  
517 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1749  

54 

 
 
                                                           
economy.  It  will  further  promote  researchers'  mobility,  skills  and  career  development 
opportunities within the EU, gender equality, and better access to publicly funded peer-
reviewed  science.  With  the  Skills  Agenda518,  the  Communication  on  the  European 
Education  Area519  and  the  new  Digital  Education  Action  Plan,  the  European  Research 
Area  will  strengthen  the  focus  on  increasing  women’s  participation  in  science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

In addition to the initiatives mentioned above, skills are a cross-cutting topic in a wide 
range of Commission initiatives. For instance, skills are essential for the success of many 
initiatives related to the European Green Deal (i.e. the Renovation Wave, the European 
Climate Pact, etc.). 

A number of reforms recently launched by Member States contribute to put in practice 
Principle 1 of the Pillar. Bulgaria and Belgium have lowered the compulsory pre-school 
age from five to four and from six to five respectively. Many countries are investing in 
improving  the  accessibility  and  quality  of  early  childhood  education  and  care  (ECEC). 
Many Member States have taken measures to increase the level of proficiency in basic 
skills such as reading, numeracy, science and digital competences. For example Slovenia 
adopted a national strategy to develop reading literacy until 2030, setting up goals for 
different age and target groups. To reduce early school leaving, Romania has developed 
an  early  warning  system,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Structural  Reform  Support 
Programme, while Spain has launched a programme to support schools with a high rate 
of failure.  

An important quality feature of education and training is their labour market relevance. 
Initiatives  include  reforms  of  apprenticeships  and  continuing  vocational  training  in 
France  and  the  establishment  of  higher  vocational  programmes  in  Italy,  attracting 
school  leavers  towards  short  tertiary  courses  with  strong  involvement  of  companies. 
Financial  support 
internships  and 
is  given  to  companies  to  open  traineeships, 
apprenticeship  places  in  Denmark,  Ireland  and  Portugal,  while  a  scheme  in  Malta 
financially  supports  companies  to  train  the  local  workforce  and  bridge  skills  gaps. 
Slovakia is implementing a reform to increase the quality of higher education, including 
the  creation  of  a  body  in  charge  of  developing  standards  for  quality  assurance  and 
accreditation.  

Several  Member  States  dedicated  efforts  to  support  up  and  reskilling  of  adults.  For 
instance, the Netherlands launched an incentive scheme for learning and development 
in  SMEs  (SLIM  scheme).  Many  Member  States  have  put  in  place  schemes  to  promote 
‘green skills’ for professionals in the construction and buildings sectors. For instance, in 
France, the PACTE programme assists construction professionals in building their skills 
to improve the quality in construction and renovation works.  

EU  funding  contributed  to  implementing  Principle  1.  For  instance,  the  ESF-supported 
Investing  in  Skills  scheme  in  Malta  provided  training  grants  to  eligible  firms  to 
compensate  part  of  the  costs  to  train  their  employees,  and  opportunities  for  older 

518 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223  
519 
sept2020_en  

https://ec.europa.eu/education/resources-and-tools/document-library/eea-communication-

55 

 
 
                                                           
people  to  update  and  extend  their  skills  and  qualifications.  The  ESF  also  supported 
projects  to  develop  green  skills  in  specific  sectors.  For  instance,  it  helped  train  a  new 
generation of Green Leather Managers responsible for developing sustainable products 
and  processes  in  Arzignano’s  leather  cluster  (Italy).  Erasmus+  financed  dedicated 
projects:  for  instance,  Skills  4 Work520,  with  partners  from  Ireland,  Slovenia,  Germany 
and  the  UK,  developed  a  work-based  learning  implementation  model,  involving  VET 
organisations  and  business  tools  to  improve  work-based  learning  pathways  for  VET 
learners.  Several  research  projects  supported  through  Horizon  2020521  provided  a 
better  understanding  of  education,  training  and  life-long  learning  policies,  their 
effectiveness,  and  the  relation  to  the  labour  market  and  the  prevention  of  social 
exclusion.  

Skills  are  a  recurrent  theme  in  the  work  of  the  EU  sectoral  social  partners.  In  several 
sectors they address anticipation and mapping of skills, strengthening the role of social 
partners in vocational education and training, the recognition of qualifications for skills’ 
mobility and apprenticeships522. Joint outputs include pledges to the European Alliance 
for Apprenticeships523. 

The  European  Centre  for  the  Development  of  Vocational  Training  (Cedefop)  has 
developed  analytical  frameworks  (i.e.  on  upskilling  pathways),  toolkits  (i.e.  on  early 
leaving  from  education  and  training)  and  instruments  on  skills  intelligence,  guidance, 
validation  of  formal  and  non-formal  learning,  qualifications,  VET  and  apprenticeships. 
The  Pillar  is  also  reflected  in  Cedefop’s  strategy  for  the  coming  years,  with  more 
emphasis  on  learner-centred  VET  and  continuing  training  for  all,  accompanied  by 
comprehensive support measures for learners.  

The  cities  of  Amsterdam,  Athens,  Cluj-Napoca,  Gothenburg,  Rennes  and  Vantaa  have 
pledged to improve digital skills training, prevent school dropout, and boost vocational 
education and adult education and training to match new labour market needs524. 

in 

Europe”, 

520 http://skills4workproject.eu/  
521  For  instance  “YOUNG_ADULLLT  -  Lifelong  learning  for  young  adults:  better  policies  for  growth  and 
inclusion 
http://www.young-
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/693167 
adulllt.eu/index.php;  and  EduMAP  -  Adult  Education  as  a  Means  for  Active  Participatory  Citizenship, 
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/693388 and https://blogs.uta.fi/edumap/; and  
ENLIVEN 
and 
Inclusive 
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/693989 and https://h2020enliven.org/. 
522 In  electricity, graphical industry, furniture and woodworking, industrial cleaning,  maritime transport, 
sea fisheries. 
523 In contract catering, chemical industry, commerce, construction, education, electricity, food and drink, 
horeca, metal industry. https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1149&langId=en  
524 Eurocities pledges. 

Encouraging 

Learning 

Lifelong 

Europe, 

Vibrant 

and 

for 

an 

- 

56 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Principle 2: Gender equality 

European Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 

On  5  March  2020  the  Commission  adopted  the  EU  Gender  Equality  Strategy  2020-
2025525. It frames the Commission’s work on gender equality and sets out the objectives 
and  key  actions  for  2020-2025.  Its key  objectives are  ending  gender-based  violence; 
challenging  gender  stereotypes;  closing  gender  gaps  in  the  labour  market;  achieving 
equal participation across different sectors of the economy; addressing the gender pay 
and pension gaps; closing the gender care gap and achieving gender balance in decision-
making and politics. The Strategy combines key actions to achieve gender equality with 
strengthening  the  integration  of  a  gender  perspective  in  all  EU  policies  and  major 
initiatives (gender mainstreaming). The Strategy is coherent with the external policy on 
gender  equality  as  laid  out  in  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  Gender  Equality  and  Women’s 
Empowerment in External Action 2021-2025526. 

EU Action Plan on tackling the gender pay gap 

The  Commission  adopted  the  EU  action  plan  on  tackling  the  gender  pay  gap  in 
November 2017527. By October 2019, the Commission had completed a large majority of 
its 24 action points. An implementation report was published in March 2020528 together 
with  an  evaluation  of  the  Directive  on  equal  opportunities  and  equal  treatment  of 
women and men in employment and occupation (Directive 2006/54/EC)529. Finally, the 
Commission  presented  on  4  March  2021  a  proposal  for  binding  measures  on  pay 
transparency to support the equal pay principle. 

Women in Research and Innovation  

The Commission has strengthened the provisions for gender equality in Horizon Europe, 
the  new  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Innovation.  This  includes  setting 
Gender  Equality  Plans  as  an  eligibility  criterion  for  all  public  bodies,  research 
organisations  and  higher  education  establishments  applying  to  the  Programme; 
increasing  the  target  for  gender  balance  to  50%  women  in  all  Horizon  Europe  related 
decision-making  bodies  and  evaluators;  and  making  the  integration  of  the  gender 
dimension into R&I content a requirement by default530.  

525 COM(2020) 152 final.  
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A152%3AFIN  
526 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2184  
527 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52017DC0678  
528 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/com-2020-101_en.pdf  
529 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/swd-2020-50_en.pdf  
530 
https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-law-and-publications/publication-detail/-/publication/c0b30b4b-6ce2-
11eb-aeb5-01aa75ed71a1  

Factsheet  on  Gender 

strengthened 

commitment 

in  Horizon 

Equality: 

a 

Europe 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Building  on  this,  the  Commission’s  Communication  ‘A  new  ERA  for  Research  and 
Innovation’531  proposes  the  development  of  gender  equality  plans  with  inclusiveness 
addressed  on  three  different  levels:  intersectionality  with  other  social  factors  such  as 
ethnicity,  disability  or  sexual  orientation;  geographical  inclusiveness;  and  better 
inclusion  of  the  private  sector.  It  places  gender  equality  among  the  priority  areas  for 
deepening the European Research Area and strengthening the European R&I potential. 
This is reaffirmed in the Council Conclusions on the ‘New ERA’ of 1 December 2020532.  

Women in Transport – EU Platform for change 

With the setting-up of the ‘Women in Transport  – EU Platform for change’533 in 2017, 
the Commission has taken steps to address the gender gap in the transport sector and 
the  lack  of  attractiveness  of  transport  professions  for  young  people  and  women.  All 
important EU associations covering all transport modes, including social partners, have 
joined  this  action-oriented  platform  to  strengthen  women's  employment  and  equal 
opportunities for women and men in the transport sector thanks to the actions brought 
about by the Platform members. By end 2020, 19 different actions were put forward. 

The Declaration of commitment on women in digital, signed by EU Member States and 
Norway  on  9  April  2019534,  is  proof  of  the  general  agreement  of  Member  States  that 
increasing  women’s  participation 
in  Europe's  digital  economy  can  have  a 
transformational socio-economic impact and increase growth and competitiveness.  

Gender  equality  is  a  recurrent  theme  in  the  work  of  EU  sectoral  social  partners.  The 
railways  social  partners  are  negotiating  an  autonomous  agreement  to  promote  the 
employment of women. They regularly assess and report on the employment situation 
of  women  in  European  rail  companies.  The  local  and  regional  government  social 
partners implement the revised guidelines on drawing up gender equality action plans 
in local and regional government. Enhanced participation of women and other equality 
aspects  are  addressed  via  several  EU-funded  projects  implemented  by  social  partners 
(live performance, maritime transport).    

EU funding through Horizon 2020 contributes to implementing Principle 2. For instance, 
the RESISTIRE project535 (2021-2024) aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 policy 
responses on behavioural, social and economic inequalities on the basis of a conceptual 
framework  which  considers  intersections  between  gender  and  other  discrimination 
grounds, such as class, ethnicity, migration status, disability, sexual orientation or age. 
The UniSAFE project536 (2021-2024) will produce knowledge on gender-based violence in 
universities  and  research  organisations,  and  translate  this  into  operational  tools  and 
recommendations  for  universities,  research  organisations  and  policymakers  to  reduce 

531 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2020:628:FIN  
532 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-13567-2020-INIT/en/pdf  
533 https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/social/women-transport-eu-platform-change_en  
534 
women-digital  
535https://cordis.europa.eu/projects. 
536 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101006261  

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/eu-countries-commit-boost-participation-

58 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
gender-based  violence.  Two  projects  have  been  funded  to  bridge  the  gender  gap  in 
entrepreneurship  and  innovation:  Shemakes.eu537  (2021-2023)  blends  the  approaches 
of  two  leading  innovation  ecosystems  within  the  textiles  and  clothing  sector  and  will 
promote the leading role of women in innovation. EQUALS-EU538 (2021-2023) focusses 
on creating smart, sustainable and inclusive innovation ecosystems by building capacity 
and expanding networks for women and girls in social innovation and entrepreneurship, 
particularly in the ICT industry. For the whole of the Horizon 2020, over EUR 83 Million 
will have been allocated to over 40 collaborative projects and other actions on gender 
equality  in  research  and  innovation  through  the  ‘Science-with-and-for-Society’  work 
programme, benefitting around 300 organisations. 

A  project  in  Germany539  financed  by  a  multi-fund  ESF-ERDF  operational  programme 
addresses  the  needs  of  women  engineers  to  maintain  high  skills  levels  and  keep  a 
balance with family responsibilities. 

To celebrate remarkable women in research, innovation, education, culture and sports, 
break gender stereotypes and bring positive role models to young women and girls, the 
Commission launched the #EUwomen4future campaign540 in 2020.  

The cities of Bologna, Gijón, Ljubljana, Lyon, Madrid, Nantes and Vienna have pledged 
to  involve  3 000  girls  and  160  businesses  in  ‘gender-free’  career  days  and  to  finance 
centres to combat gender-based violence, while taking into account gender budgeting 
and mainstreaming541. 

Madrid  has  reaffirmed  its  commitment  to  gender  equality  via  its  Strategic  Plan  2018-
2020,  targeting  (1)  gender  mainstreaming  in  public  action,  (2)  a  city  free  of  violence 
against  women,  (3)  sustainability  of  life,  employment  and  co-responsibility  and  (4) 
women’s  participation  and  new  forms  of  leadership542.  The  city  of  Gijón  is  prioritising 
gender  equality,  in  cooperation  with  civil  society  and  social  partners.  This  includes 
specific  actions  to  combat  violence  against  women,  support  employability,  conciliate 
work and family life and remove gender stereotyping in education543. Ljubljana has put 
in  place  a  Gender  Equality  Group  with  representatives  from  across  the  city 
administration  and  has  appointed  a  coordinator  for  equal  opportunities;  set  out  a 
second  action  plan  for  Gender  Equality  for  2019-2022;  and  put  an  emphasis  on  the 
visibility of women by naming streets and erecting relevant monuments544.  

https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/Germany/fishing-from-the-silent-reservoir-of-

537 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101006203  
538 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101006396  
539 
germanys-stem-skills  
540 https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/euwomen4future  
541 Eurocities pledges. 
542 City of Madrid pledge. 
543 City of Gijón pledge. 
544 City of Ljubljana pledge. 

59 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Principle 3: Equal opportunities 

EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025 

On 18 September 2020, the Commission adopted the EU anti-racism action plan 2020-
2025545. It aims at fighting racism and racial discrimination in Europe more effectively, 
including through national action plans. It sets outs actions to tackle racism and racial 
discrimination  through  EU  law;  working  with  Member  States,  including  national  law 
enforcement authorities, and with the media and civil society; harnessing EU tools; and 
looking  into  the  Commission's  own  human  resources.  The  Commission  has  committed 
to  appoint  a  coordinator  for  anti-racism  who  will  liaise  with  people  with  a  minority 
racial or ethnic background and interact with Member States, the European Parliament, 
civil society, academia and the Commission to strengthen policy responses. 

EU Roma strategic framework  

The  Commission  adopted  on  7  October  2020  the  EU  Roma  strategic  framework  for 
equality,  inclusion  and  participation546  to  promote  effective  equality,  socioeconomic 
inclusion  and  the  meaningful  participation  of  Europe’s  largest  ethnic  minority.  It  sets 
objectives and quantitative headline targets at EU level up to 2030, addressing equality, 
inclusion  and  participation,  and  four  policy  areas:  education,  employment,  health  and 
social  services,  housing  and  essential  services.  The  proposal 
for  a  Council 
recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation547 (currently negotiated 
in  the  Council,  planned  for  adoption  in  March  2021)  strengthens  the  guidance  to 
Member  States  on  fighting  discrimination  including  by  tackling  antigypsyism.  It 
promotes the implementation of relevant EU legislation548, the use of Union funds and 
the strengthening of partnerships, institutional capacities and monitoring. 

LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025 

On  12  November  2020,  the  Commission  adopted  the  LGBTIQ  Equality  Strategy  2020-
2025.  The  strategy  sets  out  measures  to  tackle  discrimination;  ensure  LGBTIQ  people’s 
safety; build LGBTIQ inclusive societies; and lead the call for LGBTIQ equality around the 
world.  The  Commission  will  also  integrate  the  fight  against  discrimination  affecting 
LGBTIQ people in all EU policies (equality mainstreaming). The LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 
announced that the Commission will promote the use of the European Social Fund Plus 
(ESF+) to improve the socio-economic position of the most marginalised LGBTIQ people 

545 COM(2020)565 final 
546 COM/2020/620 final 
547 COM/2020/621 final 
548  In  particular,  Directive  2000/43/EC  which  prohibits  discrimination  based  on  racial  or  ethnic  origin  in 
employment, social protection, social advantages, education, and access to and supply of the goods and 
services available to the public; Commission Recommendation (EU) 2018/951 establishing standards for 
an  effective  and  independent  functioning  of  bodies  for  the  promotion  of  equal  treatment  (‘equality 
bodies’); the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU; and Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA, 
designed to combat, through criminal law, certain forms and manifestations of racism and xenophobia.  

60 

 
 
 
                                                           
and  develop  initiatives  focusing  on  specific  groups,  such  as  the  gay,  lesbian,  bisexual, 
trans,  gather  evidence  on  the  barriers  to  full  equality  in  employment,  but  also  in  other 
areas, such as social protection, and develop guidance for Member States and businesses 
on  enhancing  trans  and  intersex  people’s  participation  in  the  labour  market.  Member 
States  are  encouraged  to  build  on  existing  best  practice  and  develop  their  own  action 
plans on LGBTIQ equality.  

Supporting the work of equality bodies 

The  Commission,  in  June  2018,  adopted  a  Recommendation  on  standards  for  equality 
bodies549,  encouraging  the  Member  States  to  enhance  the  effectiveness  and 
independence  of  national  equality  bodies.  The  Commission  has  been  working  together 
with the Member States to support the application of the Recommendation. For instance, 
in  June  2019,  the  Commission  brought  together,  within  the  High-Level  Group  on  Non-
discrimination,  Equality  and  Diversity,  representatives  from  the  Member  States,  the 
European  Network  of  Equality  Bodies  (Equinet)  and  some  of  its  members  to  exchange 
good practices on the implementation of the standards.  

Proposed Equal Treatment Directive   

The Commission continues to support the Member States to conclude the negotiations in 
Council of the proposal for a horizontal Equal Treatment Directive550. The main objective 
of the proposal is to combat discrimination based on religion or belief, disability, age or 
sexual  orientation  and  to  put  into  effect the  principle of equal treatment, beyond the 
field of employment which is already covered by EU law.  

Multidimensional inequality monitoring framework  

Following  a  request  from  the  European  Parliament,  the  Commission’s  Joint  Research 
Centre  is  finalising  a  pilot  project  to  develop  a  structured  indicator  framework  for 
monitoring  and  analysing  inequalities  in  the  EU551.  The  framework  spans  10  key 
dimensions  of  human  well-being  and  a  range  of  methodological  approaches  to 
measuring  inequality  of  opportunities  and  outcomes  (interpersonal,  between  social 
groups,  across  territories  and  across  generations).  It  can  contribute  to  further 
strengthening  the  agreed  EU  monitoring  framework  on  inequality  (in  particular  the 
Social Scoreboard552), complementing the work of the Indicators Subgroup of the Social 
Protection Committee. 

Integration of third-country nationals  

Through the Action Plan on integration of third-country nationals, adopted in 2016 and 
implemented  through  50  actions  at  EU  level,  the  Commission  provided  policy, 
operational and financial support to Member States in their integration efforts, and 16 
recommendations addressing pre-departure measures, education, employment, access 
to basic services, participation and inclusion. The Action Plan positively contributed to 

549 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018H0951  
550 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52008PC0426  
551 
framework_en  
552 As well as the Social Protection Performance Monitor and the Joint Assessment Framework. 

https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/projects-activities/multidimensional-inequality-monitoring-

61 

 
 
                                                           
improving  the  integration  of  third-country  nationals  across  the  EU  Member  States, 
increasing  awareness  of  their  situation,  and  coordination553.  In  November  2020,  the 
Commission  adopted  a  new  Action  Plan  on  integration  and  inclusion554  for  2021-2027 
addressing  third-country  nationals  legally  residing  in  the  EU  and  EU  citizens  with  a 
migrant background.  

On  20  December  2017,  the  European  Commission  and  the  European  social  and 
economic partners signed the European Partnership for Integration555. It laid down key 
principles  and  commitments  for  the  integration  of  refugees  into  the  labour  market, 
including  providing  support  as  early  as  possible,  ensuring  that  integration  benefits 
refugees,  the  economy  and  society  at  large,  and  adopting  a  multi-stakeholder 
approach556.  On  7  September  2020,  the  Commission  and  the  social  and  economic 
partners  relaunched  the  partnership  and  expressed  their  interest  in  exploring  how  to 
extend their dialogue and future cooperation on labour migration557. 

Digital Services Act 

The  Commission  proposal  for  a  Digital  Services  Act558  introduces  obligations  for 
intermediary  service  providers  to  ensure  the  safety  of  users  online  and  strong 
safeguards  to  protect  fundamental  rights.  Users  will  be  empowered  to  report  illegal 
content easily and effectively. A privileged channel will be created for trusted flaggers – 
entities  which  have  demonstrated  particular  expertise  and  competence  –  to  report 
illegal  content  to  which  platforms  will  have  to  react  with  priority.  Finally,  it  will 
introduce  measures  to  allow  competent  authorities  in  the  Member  State  to  enforce 
national and EU laws, for example on illegal hate speech online.  

eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020  

One  of  the  underlying  principles  of  the  eGovernment  Action  Plan  2016-2020559  is 
‘inclusiveness  and  accessibility’:  public  administrations  should  design  digital  public 
services that are inclusive by default and cater for different needs, such as those of the 
elderly  and  persons  with  disabilities.  Member  States  committed  to  the  principle  of 
inclusiveness  and  accessibility  in  the  2017  Tallinn  Declaration  on  eGovernment560.  In 

553  https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/pdf/20201124_swd-2020-758-commission-
staff-working-document.pdf 
554https://ec.europa.eu/home-
affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/pdf/action_plan_on_integration_and_inclusion_2021-2027.pdf 
555https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/e-library/documents/policies/legal-
migration/integration/docs/20171220_european_partnership_for_integration_en.pdf 
556 Examples of actions implemented by economic and social partners organisations in Member States in 
https://ec.europa.eu/home-
this 
affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/pdf/22122020_drafting_actions_partnership_en.pdf 
557 
policy/joint-statement-commission-economic-social-partners-renewal-european-partnership-
integration.pdf  
558 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-services-act-package  
559 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/european-egovernment-action-plan-2016-2020  
560 
declaration  

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/ministerial-declaration-egovernment-tallinn-

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/legal-migration-

available 

area 

are 

at 

62 

 
 
                                                           
2020 Member States reconfirmed their commitment to inclusive digital public services 
in the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society and Value-based Digital Government561.  

Since  April  2018,  a  law  lays  down  the  main  principles  and  working  arrangements  of 
social  enterprises  in  Latvia.  It  ensures  direct  support  to  social  entrepreneurship  by 
providing tax breaks and regularising volunteer involvement. Stakeholders, including the 
social entrepreneurship association, were involved in drafting the law. By 2022, almost 
EUR  9.5  million  from  the  ESF  will  be  available  for  starting  new  social  enterprises  and 
expanding  existing  ones. The  integration  of  disadvantaged  groups  into  the  labour 
market  is  one  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  project  coordinated  by  the  Ministry  of 
Welfare. 

in  the 

The  Regional  Integration  Accelerators’  (RIAC)  project  (2018-2020)562,  funded  by  the 
Commission  under  the  Employment  and  Social  Innovation  Programme  (EaSI),  has 
encouraged  the  rapid  and  long-term  integration  of  asylum  seekers  and  holders  of 
international  protection 
implemented  by  public 
labour  market. 
administrations, employment centres, research bodies and NGOs from Germany, Italy, 
Denmark and Turkey. Tools for the integration of specific target groups (women and the 
self-employed) into the labour market were translated and transferred to very different 
regional  contexts.  The  participants  received  a  concrete  job  perspective  early  on  and 
were integrated into the process by the cooperating employers from the beginning. The 
project  shows  that  by  inserting  the  beneficiaries  into  training  courses  and  enhancing 
employability, integration times and workers' demotivation risks are reduced.  

It  was 

“Empleando Digital” is a project developed jointly by the Red Cross and the Fundación 
Secretariado  Gitano,  with  the  Accenture  Foundation.  It  enhances  digital  inclusion  and 
employability  of  people  living  in  situations  of  high  vulnerability  and  marginalisation 
(including  Roma),  by  adapting  their  skills  to  the  digital  transformation  of  the  labour 
market,  through 
integration  pathways,  training  and 
qualifications. It is cofinanced by ESF, under the social innovation axis of the Operational 
Programme for Social Innovation and Social Economy. Its cost is EUR 1.2 million. More 
than  300  employment  professionals  from  Fundación  Secretariado  Gitano  and  the  Red 
Cross adapted their employment programmes that benefit more than 95 000 people a 
year.   

innovative  socio-economic 

EU  sectoral  social  partners  are  implementing  a  joint  EU  funded  project563  on  the 
integration  of  migrants  and  refugees.  Social  partners  of  the  sea  fishers  sector  are 
developing guidelines for the vessel owners on decent recruitment of migrant fishers564. 

The EUSOCIALCIT project565 (supported through Horizon 2020 in 2020-2024) examines 
policy  scenarios  to  strengthen  European  social  citizenships.  By  analysing  current 
indicators  and 
realities  and  alternative  policy  options, 
implementation  studies  on  social  investment,  working  conditions,  minimum  income 

it  will  provide  new 

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/berlin-declaration-digital-society-and-value-

561 
based-digital-government  
562 http://riac-project.eu/ 
563 https://www.csee-etuce.org/en/projects/migration-education/3453-introduction  
564 https://www.etf-europe.org/activity/pillars-of-the-sea/  
565 https://www.eusocialcit.eu/ and https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/870978 

63 

 
 
                                                           
protection and housing. The project ‘GEMM - Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration 
and  Markets’566  (2015-2018)  has  assessed  labour  market  inequalities  of  migrants  and 
minorities in Europe, focussing on highly skilled migrants. The project ‘DIAL - Dynamics 
of  inequality  across the  life-course’567  (2016  - 2022)  examines the  sources,  structures 
and  consequences  of  inequalities  as  they  unfold  over  the  life-course,  focussing  on 
education, child development, health, LBTQ citizens, and working life. 

The  cities  of  Athens,  Frankfurt,  Helsinki,  Leeds,  Lille,  Ljubljana,  Malmö,  Milan, 
Rotterdam, Stuttgart, Turku and Zagreb have pledged to take action in 51 of the most 
deprived urban areas in the EU. They will focus on training city staff on equal and non-
discriminatory access to public services, and reducing the employment and welfare gaps 
for the people in most vulnerable or marginalised situations, including migrants, Roma 
and  persons  with  disabilities568.  Amsterdam,  Helsinki,  Frankfurt,  Ghent,  Gijón  and 
Utrecht  have  pledged  to  use  the  current  crisis  as  an  incentive  for  positive  change 
towards a stronger social Europe, where all citizens are treated equally and have equal 
opportunities.  Helsinki  will  invest  EUR  6  million  to  enhance  the  youth  employment 
situation.  Gijón  will  support  the  self-employed  and  micro  companies.  Utrecht  will 
channel EUR 6 million to free 200 000 household of problematic debts. Ghent will focus 
on people most in need (LGBT with a migrant background, persons with disabilities and 
at  risk  of  poverty,  undocumented  immigrants).  In  2020,  EUR  5.8  million  have  been 
allocated to implementing equal opportunities policies. 

Principle 4: Active support to employment 

EU Public Employment Services Network  

In November 2020, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Commission 
proposal  to  continue  the  successful  work  of  the  EU  Public  Employment  Services 
Network  until  2027569.  As  Europe  moves  towards  the  recovery  phase,  public 
employment  services  are  helping  millions  of  workers  in  short-time  work  schemes  to 
preserve jobs and income, and assisting people in adapting their skills to the changing 
labour market. The Network570 brings together the public employment services of all EU 
Member  States,  Norway  and  Iceland.  It provides  a  platform  to  identify good  practices 
and learn from each other to boost performance and prepare for future labour market 
challenges. 

566 https://gemm2020.eu/ and https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/649255 
567 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/724363 and https://dynamicsofinequality.org/ 
568 Eurocities pledges. 
569  Decision  (EU)  2020/1782  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  November  2020 
amending  Decision  No  573/2014/EU  on  enhanced  cooperation  between  Public  Employment  Services 
(PES) OJ L 400, 30.11.2020, p. 7–10. 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1606741261195&uri=CELEX%3A32020D1782  
570 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1100&langId=en  

64 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Youth Employment Support, accompanied by a reinforced Youth Guarantee 

The 2020 Commission Communication “Youth Employment Support: a Bridge to Jobs for 
the  Next  Generation”571  presented  clear  and  tangible  EU  support  to  young  people  in 
their increasingly difficult school-to-work and early job-to-job transitions. A wide range 
of  actions  acknowledge  the  new economic  downturn,  while  equipping Europe’s  youth 
to  help  accelerate  the  digital  and  green  transitions.  These  actions  are  linked  to  a  vast 
array of EU funding, notably ESF+.  

The  Council  Recommendation  on  reinforcing  the  Youth  Guarantee  was  adopted  in 
October  2020572.  It  reaffirms  the  commitment  of  the  EU  Member  States  to  set  up 
national  schemes  through  which  young  people  can  receive  an  offer  of  employment, 
education, traineeship or apprenticeship within four months of becoming unemployed 
or  leaving  formal  education.  It  also  steps  up  the  outreach  to  vulnerable  and/or 
marginalised young people across the EU, and extends the age limit for targeted young 
people from 25 to up to 29 years.  

Integration of the long-term unemployed in the labour market 

In  2019  the  Commission  reported573  on  the  implementation  of  the  2016  Council 
Recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  long-term  unemployed  in  the  labour 
market574.  The  report  takes  stock  of  progress  made  to  help  long-term  unemployed 
people  (those  unemployed  for  more  than  one  year)  getting  back  to  work  since  the 
adoption of the Recommendation.  

The Recommendation proposes actions to strengthen the services offered to long-term 
unemployed  for  this  purpose.  One  of  the  key  aims  is  to  ensure  that  all  long-term 
jobseekers  receive  an  individual  assessment  and  a  job  integration  agreement,  for  a 
concrete  and  personalised  plan  back  to  work  before  reaching  18  months  of 
unemployment.  

The  report  showed  that  the  Recommendation  has  been  a  catalyst  for  change, 
encouraging  Member  States  to  put  in  place  more  holistic  and  individualised  support, 
while increasing coordination of services and employer involvement.  

European Globalisation Adjustment Fund  

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund575 has provided support to people losing 
their  jobs  as  a  result  of  major  structural  changes  in  world  trade  patterns  due  to 
globalisation, e.g. when a company shuts down or production is moved outside the EU, 
or as a result of the global economic and financial crisis. With an average annual ceiling 
of EUR 170 million for 2014-2020, it could co-finance up to 60% of the cost of measures 

571 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0276  
572https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.C_.2020.372.01.0001.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AC%3A2020%3A372%3ATO
C  
573 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=89&langId=en&newsId=9346  
574 Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the integration of the long-term unemployed into 
the labour market OJ C 67, 20.2.2016, p.1. 
575 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=326  

65 

 
 
                                                           
designed  to  help  workers  made  redundant  find  another  job  or  set  up  their  own 
business,  including  via  career  advice,  education and training,  mentoring and  coaching. 
Support for NEETs was also possible under certain conditions. 

Industrial Strategy and SME Strategy  

The New Industrial Strategy for Europe576 and its implementing actions support industry 
in  the  twin  green  and  digital  transition  to  create  new  quality  jobs  in  the  EU  and 
industrial  employment  in  this  transition.  For  example,  the  transition  to  a  circular  low-
carbon economy is expected to create more than 1 million jobs by 2030. 

The SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe577 is the compass for SME support 
in Europe’s recovery following the COVID-19 crisis. It supports SMEs in the transition to 
sustainability (green and social), digitalisation and resilience. It covers all types of SMEs, 
including social enterprises, and includes several actions to improve skills of employees 
(e.g. Digital Crash Courses, a digital volunteers programme and sustainability advice by 
the Enterprise Europe Network). 

The project ‘Mettersi in proprio’578 - Regional services in support of business creation 
and  self-employment,  co-funded  by  ESF  in  the  Piedmont  region,  supported  the 
emergence of new economic activities and fostered the spread of entrepreneurial spirit, 
both  among  job-seekers,  to  improve  the  levels  of  participation  in  the  labour  market, 
and  among  those  in  employment,  to  increase  the  level  of  responsibility  of  aspiring 
entrepreneurs and the competitiveness of new economic activities in the area.  

Groupe Terre579, based in Liège (Belgium), aims at creating business to offer permanent 
contracts to socially deprived employees. It is composed of both social enterprises and 
associations  active  in  a  variety  of  sectors  (sorting  of  clothes  and  paper  recycling, 
production of sound insulating panels or agricultural projects in  developing countries). 
To foster the participation of its employees in the governance of the group, it created a 
dedicated  tool  for  "participative  management",  based  on  questions  which  employees 
and  managers  are  asked  to  reflect  upon  regularly (following  a  methodology  similar  to 
audits).  Groupe  Terre  is  a  member  of  the  European  Network  of  Social  Integration 
Enterprises  (ENSIE),  which  has  been  receiving  an  operating  grant  from  the  EaSI 
programme since 2016. 

As a response to the economic crisis following the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the 
Danish Government is massively investing in education and upskilling so that the many 
people who have lost their employment can obtain new in-demand skills, giving them 
opportunities to adapt to new industries with labour shortage. The Danish Government 
has reached two ambitious political agreements that strengthens the opportunities for 
upskilling and job-focused education for the many unemployed following the COVID-19 
pandemic. They contain initiatives for a total sum of over DKK 730 million (approx. EUR 
100 million) in 2020-2023.  

576 COM(2020) 102. 
577 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/sme-strategy-launched-european-commission  
578 https://mettersinproprio.it/  
579 https://www.terre.be/  

66 

 
 
                                                           
In  the  context  of  the  Future  Skills  Initiative580,  the  Luxemburg  employment  agency 
(ADEM)  supports  the  anticipation  and  development  of  future  skills,  to  preserve 
employment. A special training programme for job seekers (online-training followed by 
internships  in  the  public  sector)  has  been  developed,  responding  to  current  market 
needs  and  aiming  to  develop  the  future  skills  (soft  skills  +  digital  skills)  needed  across 
sectors  and  jobs.  In  addition,  sector-level  studies  with  a  more  precise  analysis  and 
foresight  of  the  evolution  of  occupations,  activities  and  skills  within  the  sectors  are 
planned.  

Jobsplus581,  the  Maltese  public  employment  service,  has  been  implementing  various 
projects on labour market activation. The Access to Employment scheme (total budget: 
EUR 12 million) provides employment aid to enterprises to promote recruitment of the 
more  challenged  amongst  jobseekers  and  inactive  persons.  Employers  who  engage 
eligible individuals receive a subsidy of EUR 85 per week per new recruit for 26 weeks, 
52  weeks  or  104  weeks.  For  registered  persons with  disabilities,  a  subsidy  of  EUR  125 
per  week  is  provided  for  a  maximum  of  156  weeks.  Eligible  applicants  cover  all 
employers, including self-employed. The Work Programme Initiative (total budget: EUR 
2.2  million)  improves  the  employability  prospects  of  long-term  unemployed  by 
providing  individual  profiling,  training  and  work placement.  Training  activities  tailor  to 
individual  needs  are  financed  through  this  ESF  project  and  complement  the  profiling 
and placement activities that are financed by National funds. The Youth Guarantee 2.0 
(total  budget:  EUR  5.9  million)  provides  training  and  personalised  assistance  to  young 
people at risk of social exclusion and becoming long-term unemployed. It focuses on the 
current  stock  of  NEETs  and  those  at  risk  of  becoming  NEETs  or  young  unemployed 
through a mix of tailor-made interventions (i.e. activation scheme, work exposure, ECDL 
courses). 

The  ESF  transnational  project  “Social  Innovation  and  Employment  through  public 
procurement”582  allowed  Swedish  and  Finnish  authorities  to  explore  how  to  better 
integrate social employment criteria in their procurement. They looked into recruitment 
processes and labour market analysis, support measures for specific target groups (e.g. 
migrants), statistics and economic impact evaluation and the role of social enterprises. 
Based  on  this  project,  Sweden  developed  a  national  model  for  using  employment 
clauses  in  public procurement to  create  employment  for people  who  are  far  from the 
labour  market.  The  project  helped  Finnish  cities  launch  pilot  procurements  which 
produced substantial impact in terms of employment, apprenticeships and integration 
of disadvantaged persons in the labour market. 

Berlin, Lille, Lyon, Madrid, Malmö, Nicosia, Rennes, Rotterdam and Turku have pledged 
to allocate EUR 1.7 billion to create 26 000 new jobs583. Nicosia will combine support to 

580 https://adem.public.lu/en/employeurs/futureskills.html  
581 https://jobsplus.gov.mt/  
582  More  information  can  be  found  in  the  Commission  report  “Making  socially  responsible  public 
procurement work – 71 good practices” 
583 Eurocities pledges. 

67 

 
 
                                                           
employment  with  initiatives  for  economic  development,  by  creating  innovation  hubs 
and co-working spaces, to enhance entrepreneurship and job opportunities584. 

II. Fair working conditions 

Principle 5: Secure and adaptable employment 

Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) 

The  temporary Support  to  mitigate Unemployment Risks  in  an Emergency  (SURE)585  is 
available  as  a  second  line  of  defence  for  Member  States  that  need  to  mobilise 
significant  financial  means  to  fight  the  negative  economic  and  social  consequences  of 
the coronavirus outbreak on their territory. It can provide financial assistance up to EUR 
100 billion in the form of loans, granted on favourable terms, from  the EU to affected 
Member States to address sudden increases in public expenditure for the preservation 
of  employment  and,  as  an  ancillary,  some  health-related  expenditure586.  Proposed  by 
the Commission in April 2020, SURE entered into force on 19 May 2020 and will remain 
available until end-2022. By the end of 2020, the Council has approved EUR 90.3 billion 
in support to 18 Member States, and by the beginning of February 2021 EUR 53.5 billion 
have been disbursed to 15 Member States. This will help workers keep their income and 
ensure businesses can retain staff.  

Improving the working conditions of platform workers 

As announced in its 2021 work programme, the Commission is preparing an initiative to 
improve the working conditions of platform workers, and ensure dignified, transparent 
and  predictable  working  conditions  and  adequate  social  protection  in  platform  work. 
The Commission recently launched a first-stage consultation of the social partners587 on 
the direction of possible EU action. The consultation paper requests the social partners’ 
views in the following areas: i) addressing the possible misclassification of employment 
status  in  platform  work;  ii)  ensuring  fair  working  conditions  for  all;  iii)  guaranteeing 
protection  against  economic  and  social  risk  for  people  working  through  platforms;  iv) 
in  platform  work;  v) 
promoting  a  human-centred  automated-decision-making 

584 City of Nicosia pledge. 
585  https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal-policy-coordination/financial-
assistance-eu/funding-mechanisms-and-
facilities/sure_en#:~:text=The%20temporary%20Support%20to%20mitigate,coronavirus%20outbreak%20
on%20their%20territory. 
586 To finance SURE loans, the Commission has been issuing social bonds consistent with the Social Bond 
Framework,  designed  to  provide  investors  with  confidence  that  the  funds  mobilised  will  be  used  to 
finance  targeted  social  policy  measures.  The  Commission  will  evaluate  the  instrument  in  the  bi-annual 
reports  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  Economic  and  Financial  Committee  and  the 
Employment  Committee  based  on  reporting  requirements  established  by  the  Council  Regulation  (EU) 
2020/672. 
587 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_686 

68 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
addressing  access  to  collective  bargaining  and  collective  rights;  vi)  promoting  cross-
border  fairness  in  platform  work;  and  vii)  supporting the  professional  development of 
people working through platforms. 

Revision of the Posting of Workers Directive 

The revision of the Posting of Workers Directive was adopted in June 2018 and has to be 
applied by all Member States since 30 July 2020588. The changes introduced improve the 
working conditions of posted workers and guarantee a level playing field for employers 
in  the  internal  market.  The  main  changes  concern  the  payment  of  all  the  mandatory 
elements of remuneration instead of the “minimum rates of pay”, the right of workers 
posted  for  more  than  12  months  to  an  extended  set  of  terms  and  conditions  of 
employment  of  the  receiving  Member  State,  and  the  equal  treatment  of  posted 
temporary agency workers with local workers. 

New social rules governing the internal road transport market of the European Union  

On  15  July  2020,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  adopted  a  set  of  rules  to 
improve  the  working  conditions  of  drivers,  increase  road  safety  and  ensure  fair 
competition between operators. The new rules on driving times and rest periods, which 
apply  since  20  August  2020,  clarify  that  the  regular  weekly  rest  must  be  taken  in  an 
adequate accommodation paid by the employer589. The rules provide for some flexibility 
related  to  the  organisation  of  regular  and  reduced  weekly  rests  of  drivers  engaged  in 
international  transport,  promote  the  creation  of  safe  and  secure  parkings,  strengthen 
the right of drivers to regularly return home and give them more flexibility to be able to 
reach their base or residence before weekly rests.  

The package contains sector-specific rules on the posting of drivers in international road 
transport590. They make it clear when drivers are subject to the terms and conditions of 
employment  of  the  host  country  and  set  out  administrative  and  control  requirements 
that  provide  for  effective 
implementation  and  enforcement.  The  strengthened 
requirements  for  the    effective  and  stable  establishment  of  transport  undertakings591 
will help fight illicit employment practices such as letterbox companies. 

588 Directive 2018/957 amending directive 96/71. 
589 Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 amending 
Regulation  (EC)  No  561/2006  as  regards  minimum  requirements  on  maximum  daily  and  weekly  driving 
times, minimum breaks and  daily and weekly rest  periods and Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 as regards 
positioning by means of tachographs https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/1054/oj 
590 Directive (EU) 2020/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 laying down 
specific rules with respect to Directive 96/71/EC and Directive 2014/67/EU for posting drivers in the road 
transport  sector  and  amending  Directive  2006/22/EC  as  regards  enforcement  requirements  and 
Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012. 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2020.249.01.0049.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2020:249:TOC 
591 Regulation (EU) 2020/1055 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 amending 
Regulations (EC) No 1071/2009, (EC) No 1072/2009 and (EU) No 1024/2012 with a view to adapting them 
to developments in the road transport sector. 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2020.249.01.0017.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2020:249:TOC 

69 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
European Labour Authority (ELA) 

ELA was established in July 2019 to contribute to fair labour mobility across the EU592. 
ELA will support work to improve access for citizens and employers to  information on 
rights and obligations about EU labour mobility and relevant services, including via Your 
Europe, the EU’s Single Digital Gateway593 and EURES. Secure, fair and adaptable cross-
border employment also requires support to enforcement of free movement rights by 
tackling 
irregularities  and  undeclared  work.  ELA  will  support  the  organisation 
of   concerted  and  joint  inspections,  the  exchange  of  information  between  Member 
States,  and  strengthen  national  authorities’  and  social  partners’  capacities.  ELA’s 
management of EURES and the European Platform tackling undeclared work (from later 
in  2021)  and  its  analyses  and  risk  assessment  will  help  develop  the  necessary 
intelligence to promote, support and enforce fair EU labour mobility. 

Protection of seasonal workers in the context of COVID-19  

On  16  July  2020  the  Commission  presented  guidelines  to  ensure  the  protection  of 
seasonal  workers  in  the  EU  in  the  context  of  the  coronavirus  pandemic594.  The 
guidelines  provide  guidance  to  national  authorities,  labour  inspectorates  and  social 
partners  on  how  to  guarantee  the  rights,  health  and  safety  of  seasonal  workers  and 
ensure awareness of their rights. These guidelines complement those on the exercise of 
free movement of workers during COVID-19 outbreak595 published on 30 March 2020, 
and respond to a call by the European Parliament in its resolution of 19 June 2020596. 

Promoting decent work worldwide 

The Commission published in October 2020 a staff working document597 outlining how 
the  EU  is  promoting  decent  work  worldwide,  including  core  labour  standards, 
employment,  social  dialogue  and  social  protection.  The  document  covers  EU  regional 
and bilateral external action, in trade, development, enlargement, neighbourhood and 
human  rights  policies,  as  well  as  EU  action  in  international  and  multilateral  fora,  in 
particular  in  cooperation  with  the  ILO,  UN,  OECD  and  G7/G20.  It  addresses  also 
corporate  governance,  corporate  transparency,  sustainable  finance  and  public 
procurement,  and  recalls  how  the  EU  engages  with  stakeholder  on  decent  work,  for 
example social partners in the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committees. 

The RAISE UP project598 (supported by the EaSI programme  – EUR 350 000) promotes 
strategic  discussions  and  responsive  policies  to  tackle  undeclared  work  in  agriculture. 
The aim is to allow key actors to learn from each other, develop integrated approaches 
and ensure cross-border cooperation. The project is led by FLAI CGIL, the largest Italian 

592 https://www.ela.europa.eu/ 
593 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/single-digital-gateway_en 
594 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1342  
595 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020XC0330%2803%29   
596 European Parliament resolution of 19 June 2020 on European protection of cross-border and seasonal 
workers in the context of the COVID-19 crisis (2020/2664(RSP). 
597  SWD(2020)  235  final  https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/10102/2020/EN/SWD-2020-235-
F1-EN-MAIN-PART-1.PDF  
598 https://www.fondazionemetes.it/raise-up/  

70 

 
 
                                                           
trade union in the agriculture sector, with partners from Bulgaria, Romania and North 
Macedonia. It includes outreach campaigns to increase awareness of labour rights and 
obligations.  In  Italy,  an  info-point  has  been  activated  in  the  Apulia  (Puglia)  region  in 
cooperation  with  the  Romanian  Consulate.  Thanks  to  RAISE  UP  the  first  information 
point for Bulgarians in Italy was established, in Ginosa, in the Apulia region.  

The  Equal  Treatment  Office599  is  the  German  body  for  free  movement  of  workers, 
established as a provision of the Directive 2014/54 on measures facilitating the exercise 
of rights to which they are entitled  in the context of freedom of movement for workers. 
It supports European workers, including seasonal workers, with advice,  assistance and 
information  regarding  workers’  rights.  The  Office  promotes  dialogue  with  social 
partners  and  non-governmental  organisations,  and  it  acts  as  a  contact  point  for 
in  other  Member  States.  It  provides  comprehensive  on-line 
equivalent  bodies 
information in several languages for workers in the COVID-19 situation in Germany and 
has  a  free  Info-hotline  called  “Coronavirus  and  labour  law”  in  five  languages  (Polish, 
Hungarian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian)600. 

EU  sectoral  social  partners  promote  adequate  working  conditions  via  agreements, 
guidelines, projects and other joint efforts. Owing to the efforts of the inland waterway 
transport  social  partners,  certain  aspects  of  the  organisation  of  working  time  in  the 
sector are part of EU legislation, based on a social partner agreement601. Social partners 
of agriculture, construction, industrial cleaning and private security sectors have worked 
on  tackling  undeclared  work  in  their  industries  via  joint  projects  and/or  issued  joint 
statements on the topic602.   

The  road  transport  social  partners  contributed  to  the  revised  social  and  market  rules 
bringing clarity on minimum standards for social protection and pay of posted workers 
in  the  road  transport  sector  and  help  to  eliminate  illicit  employment  and  business 
practices, such as letterbox companies. They jointly work on better enforcement of EU 
rules.  The  temporary  agency  work  sector,  via  an  EU-funded  project603,  has  developed 
innovative  practices  to  improve  training,  working  conditions  and  social  protection  of 
agency workers.    

The TECHNEQUALITY project604  (supported  thought  Horizon 2020  in 2019-2021) helps 
provide  a  better  understanding  of  technologically  driven  social  inequalities.  It  will 
explore  new  ways  of  measuring  automation  rates  in  European  countries,  explain  how 
technological innovations are most likely to shape societal inequalities, study the role of 
various  forms  of  education  and  social  welfare  in  maximising  growth  and  reducing 
inequality,  and  assess  the  consequences  of  automation  for  public  finances.  PLUS  - 

599 http://www.eu-gleichbehandlungsstelle.de/eugs-en/about-us/mission-and-tasks.  
600 http://www.eu-gleichbehandlungsstelle.de/eugs-de/informationen-zu-corona.  
601 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5223  
602 
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&day=&month=&year=&sectorCode=&theme
Code=DOMS21&typeCode=&recipientCode=&mode=searchSubmit&subscribe=Search  
603 
europe-uni-europa-webconference/  
604 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/822330 and https://technequality-project.eu/ 

https://wecglobal.org/event-post/social-innovation-in-the-temporary-agency-work-industry-wec-

71 

 
 
                                                           
Platform  Labour  in  Urban  Spaces.  Fairness,  Welfare,  Development605  (2019-2021) 
addresses  the  platform  economy’s  impact  on  work,  welfare  and  social  protection  to 
contribute  to  promote  social  protection,  economic  development  and  well-being  in 
digital  labour.  The  project  intertwines  four  disruptive  platforms  (AirBnb,  Deliveroo, 
Helpling  and  Uber)  and  seven  European  cities  (Barcelona,  Berlin,  Bologna,  Lisbon, 
London, Paris and Tallinn).  

A  growing  number  of  public  buyers  across  the  EU  are  starting  to  use  public 
procurement to promote fair working conditions606 in Europe and globally. In labour-
intensive sectors (e.g. cleaning services, construction etc.), public authorities can rely on 
occupational health and safety measures, requirements to promote gender equality and 
work-life balance and safeguards to protect labour rights. In sectors with complex global 
supply  chains  (textiles,  ICT,  etc.),  there  is  increasing  awareness  concerning  risks  of 
human  rights  violations.  Public  buyers  are  responding by requiring  more  transparency 
and more due diligence in their procurements, in line with ILO standards. 

Principle 6: Wages  

Initiative on adequate minimum wages 

In  October  2020  the  Commission  proposed  a  Directive  to  ensure  that  workers  have 
access to adequate minimum wage protection in the EU607. This objective is relevant for 
both statutory minimum wage systems and for those relying on collective bargaining. To 
reach  this  objective,  the  proposal  provides  first  of  all  for  the  promotion  of  collective 
bargaining  on  wages  in all  Member  States.  It  also  aims  to  ensure that Member  States 
with  a  statutory  minimum  wage  put  in  place  the  conditions  for  statutory  minimum 
wages  to  be  adequate,  including  through  the  use  of  clear  and  stable  criteria  for 
minimum  wage  setting,  timely  updates  and  an  effective  involvement  of  the  social 
partners.  Finally,  it  strengthens  enforcement  of  minimum  wage  protection;  and 
provides for effective data collection and monitoring.  

The proposal is designed as to fully respect the specificities of Member States’ systems 
and competences, and social partners’ autonomy and contractual freedom. It does not 
seek to harmonise the level of minimum wages across the EU nor to establish a uniform 
mechanism  for  setting  minimum  wages  in  all  Member  States.  Minimum  wage 
protection  would  continue  to  be  provided  through  collective  agreements  or  legal 
provisions. 

605 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/822638 and https://project-plus.eu/ 
606  More  information  can  be  found  in  the  Commission  report  “Making  socially  responsible  public 
procurement work – 71 good practices”. 
607 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1968  

72 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Bulgaria  ratified  in  January  2018  the  ILO  Minimum  Wage  Fixing  Convention,  and 
supplemented  its  regulatory  framework  with  clearly  structured  and pre-defined  socio-
economic criteria for minimum wage setting.  

Croatia  adopted  a  new  Minimum  Wage  Law  in  2018,  setting  an  annual  frequency  for 
minimum  wage  updates,  a  clear  decision-making  process,  and  criteria  related  to  the 
broad economic situation to be taken into account for minimum wage updating. 

Slovakia introduced in 2020 an important reform of the minimum wage, whereby the 
government,  when  updating  minimum  wages,  has  to  adopt  the  outcomes  of  the 
bargaining  by  social  partners  in  case  they  reach  an  agreement,  otherwise  the 
government has to apply automatic minimum wage indexation to the average nominal 
wages. 

Eurofound provides regular updates on pay in the EU, including an annual study on how 
minimum  wage  rates  have  developed  across  the  EU,  reviewing  how  national 
governments  and  social  partners  engage  in  setting  new  rates.  It  also  looks  at  the 
concept  of  a  living  wage,  aimed  at  guaranteeing  workers  and  their  families  a  decent 
level of living and social participation in response to the inadequacy of income for many 
working households reliant on existing statutory minimum wage rates608. 

The project ‘WorkYP - Working and Yet Poor’609 (supported by Horizon 2020 in 2020-
2023)  focuses  on  the  increasing  social  trend  of  working  people  at  risk  or  below  the 
line.  It  will  explore  the  reasons  of  such  phenomenon  and  elaborate 
poverty 
recommendations. 

Principle  7:  Information  about  employment  conditions  and  protection  in  case  of 
dismissals 

Transparent and predictable working conditions  

The  current  Written  Statement  Directive610  has  since  1991  given  employees  starting a 
new job the right to be notified in writing of the essential aspects of their employment 
relationship. However, from the Commission’s REFIT evaluation of this Directive in 2017, 
it  emerged  that  many  workers  in  the  EU  did  either  not  receive  this  at  all  or  not  in  a 
timely  manner.  Moreover,  since  1991  the  labour  market  has  changed  and  new  needs 
have emerged.  

The new Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions611 sets new rights 
for all workers, addressing insufficient protection in more precarious jobs, while limiting 

608 Minimum Wages in 2020: Annual Review,  
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2020/minimum-wages-in-2020-annual-review     
609 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/870619 and https://workingyetpoor.eu/ 
610 Directive 91/533/EEC  https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=706&langId=en&intPageId=202  
611  Directive  (EU)  2019/1152  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  June  2019  on 
transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union, OJ L 186, 11.7.2019, p. 105–121. 

73 

 
 
 
                                                           
burdens on employers and maintaining labour market adaptability. It provides for: more 
complete information on the essential aspects of the work, to be received early by the 
worker, in writing; a limit to the length of probationary periods at the beginning of the 
job;  the  right  to  know  a  reasonable  period  in  advance  when  work  will  take  place,  for 
workers with very unpredictable working schedules, as in the case of on-demand work; 
anti-abuse legislation for zero hour contract work; the right to receive a written reply to 
a request  to  transfer to  another  more  secure  job,  and  to  receive cost-free  the 
mandatory training that the employer has a duty to provide.  

Its broad scope aims to ensure coverage of all workers in all forms of work, including in 
the  most  flexible  non-standard  and  new  forms  of  work.  It  also  sets  out  targeted 
provisions  on  enforcement,  to  make  sure  that  workers  effectively  benefit  from  these 
rights.  Member  States  have  until  August  2022  to  transpose  the  new  rules  into  their 
national law. 

Eurofound has expertise in monitoring and analysing working conditions across a wide 
range of dimensions612. It has looked specifically at the working conditions of men and 
women,  in  different  sectors  and  occupations  and  of  workers  of  different  age  groups. 
Since its launch in 1990, Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) has 
provided an overview of working conditions in Europe. Themes covered today include 
employment  status,  working  time  duration  and  organisation,  work  organisation, 
learning and training, physical and psychosocial risk factors, health and safety, work-life 
balance,  worker  participation,  earnings  and  financial  security,  as  well  as  work  and 
health. The seventh EWCS takes place in 2021, covering 37 countries613.  

Several  Spanish  diocesan  Caritas  are  members  of  the  Local  Domestic  Workers 
Platforms  helping  ensure  compliance  with  regulations  regarding  wages  and  working 
conditions, offering information to both workers and employers and facilitating access 
to jobs with decent conditions. 

Principle 8: Social dialogue and involvement of workers 

Supporting and promoting social dialogue in the EU 

The  involvement  of  social  partners  has  been  central  to  the  delivery  of  social  rights614. 
Social partners have strongly supported the implementation of the Pillar via collective 
bargaining, promoting good practices across Europe and contributing to EU and national 
policy-making. The Commission acted on the priorities set out in the joint statement on 
a new start for social dialogue signed in 2016 by the EU social partners, the Commission 
and the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

612 https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/topic/working-conditions  
613 https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/surveys/european-working-conditions-surveys-ewcs  
614 Promoting dialogue between management and labour is enshrined as a common objective of the EU 
and  its  Member  States,  in  Article  151  TFEU.  At  EU  level,  in  the  policy  domains  covered  by  Article  153 
TFEU,  social  partners  are  to  be  consulted  in  accordance  with  Article  154  TFEU  and  may  request 
implementation of their agreements at EU level under Article 155 TFEU. 

74 

 
 
 
                                                           
 
The involvement of social partners in the European Semester at European and national 
level  has  greatly  improved  over  the  last  years  and  now  is  well  established.  However, 
there  is  some  diversity  in  how  governments  involve  national  social  partners  in  the 
Semester cycle (notably as concerns the preparation of National Reform Programmes) 
and in the design and implementation of reforms. 

The  Commission,  following  the 
introduction  of  new  forms  of  social  partner 
consultations, going beyond the obligations for a two-stage social partner consultation 
on  legislative  action  based  on Article 153 TFEU, increased the  number of  consultation 
meetings  with  social  partner  on  new  political  and  legislative  initiatives,  e.g.  via 
dedicated  hearings  and  meetings  at  high  political  level.  In  2020,  dedicated  social 
partners hearings took place inter alia on the Skills Agenda, the Youth Guarantee, pay 
transparency  measures  and  the  Child  Guarantee.  The  Commission  has  also  put 
emphasis  on  capacity  building  of  social  partners  in  its  proposal  for  the  ESF+.  The 
Commission has also supported the negotiations of social partner agreements.   

Social  partners  have  been  active  in  projects  promoting  the  functioning  of  social 
dialogue.615  Linked  to  the  New  Start,  the  cross-industry  and  several  sectoral  social 
partners (e.g. metal, ports, postal services) took joint positions on the functioning and 
the  role  of  EU  level  social  dialogue.  Via  several  projects,  EU  level  social  partners 
promoted  capacity  building  and  stronger  dialogue  in  countries  and  areas  where  it  is 
weak.  

With the support of EU funding, social partners have been strengthening their capacities 
and structures at national level. For instance the project “Strengthening social dialogue 
in  the  hospital  sector  in  the  East,  South  and  Central  Europe”  (2019-2020)  was 
implemented by EPSU and HOSPEEM to strengthen hospital sector social partners in 14 
countries. 

Sectoral  social  dialogue  covers  forty-three  sectors,  which  amounts  to  80%  of  the  EU 
workforce.  Each  year,  the  EU  sectoral  social  partners  adopt  around  forty  joint 
documents616.  2020  saw  a  record-high  activity  with  about  eighty  joint  documents, 
including  43  in  response  to  the  COVID-19  emergency  alone.  Linking  with  the  2020 
autonomous  agreement  on  digitalisation  of  the  EU  cross-industry  social  partners617, 
several  sectorial  social  partners  have  implemented  projects  and  agreed  on  joint 
outcomes on the impact of digitalisation on their sectors. Sectoral social partners in the 
railways  sector  are  negotiating  an  autonomous  agreement  on  promoting  the 
employment  of  women.  Social  partners  of  the  personal  services/hairdressing  sector 
have agreed on an Action Plan for implementation of their 2016 European Framework 
Agreement on health and safety, with the support of the Commission.  

In  some  Member  States,  social  partners  are  adapting  to  the  platform  economy.  This 
includes  expanding  existing  trade  unions  to  include  platform  workers  or  creating  new 

615  The  social  partners  in  Air  Traffic  Management  (CANSO,  ETF  and  ATCEUC)  have  promoted  through  a 
project funded under the Commission their Toolbox for successful social dialogue in the implementation 
of the Single European Sky. 
616 Social partner agreements, framework of actions, mutual learning or guidance documents etc. 
617 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5665  

75 

 
 
                                                           
organisations for them. German trade unions, such as IG Metall or ver.di or the  French 
Confédération  Générale  du  Travail  (CGT),  have  taken  the  first  approach.  In  France  a 
labour  law  from  2016  gives  platform  workers  the  right  to  constitute  a  trade  union.  
Delivery  workers  in  Paris  founded  a  new  organisation,  the  Collectif  de  Livreurs 
Autonomes  de  Paris.  Trade  unions  are  also  providing  a  range  of  services  to  non-
standard  workers,  from  training  and  administrative  support,  to  legal  advice  and 
accounting. Foodora couriers in Vienna founded what is probably the first works council 
of online platform workers. This was facilitated by the Austrian transport and services 
trade  union  "vida".  The  main  aim  of  the  council  is  to  negotiate  better  working 
conditions  between  couriers  and  management,  and 
increasing  the  number  of 
employment contracts. 

In February 2020 the social partners in Denmark, CO-industri, and Danish Industry (DI), 
agreed  on  a  collective  agreement  which  includes  a  protocol  regarding  the  green 
transition,  to  increase  the  focus  on  workers’  competences  and  to  upskill  these 
competences continuously.  

Principle 9: Work-life balance 

Directive on Work-Life Balance  

The Directive on  Work-Life  Balance618  entered  into  force  in  August 2019  and Member 
States  will  have  to  transpose  it  into  national  law  by  2  August  2024.  It  introduces 
minimum  standards  for  family  leaves  and  flexible  working  arrangements  for  workers 
with caring responsibilities, and promotes their equal take-up by women and men. A set 
of  policy  measures  are  designed  to  support  Member  States  in  achieving  these  aims, 
including  by  using  EU  funds  to  improve  the  provision  of  formal  care  services.  The 
Commission will encourage Member States to monitor the impact of the Directive using 
the indicators developed with the Employment Committee’s and the Social Protection 
Committee’s indicators group.   

Through the EaSI programme, the Commission is supporting the ‘Redesigning Activities 
in a Family Friendly wAy in VitErbo’s workpLaces’ (R.A.F.F.A.E.L) project619 (2019-2021) 
to foster a culture of sharing responsibilities among men and women. The  project has 
developed  and  tested  a  model  for  work-life  balance  in  the  Tuscia  area  (Viterbo 
Province)  of  Italy,  based  on  the  collaboration  of  public  and  private  organisations,  to 
promote women’s (especially young women’s) labour market participation. It also aims 
at testing services at the workplace and “community work-life balance”, i.e. a system in 
which  both  public  and  private  entities  are  actively  involved  and  share  services  and 
instruments,  including  ICT  solutions.  Lastly,  it  has  raised  awareness  of  the  sharing  of 
care responsibilities, also through fathers’ parental leave. 

618 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019L1158  
619 http://raffael.iasi.cnr.it/ 

76 

 
 
 
                                                           
Also  financed  via  EaSI,  the  ‘Men  in  Care’  (MiC)  project620  (2019-2022)  is  helping 
reducing the barriers for men who want to become involved in caring activities. MiC is 
improving workplace conditions to promote men taking up caring roles and helps assess 
how policies and workplace cultures can change to enable men to become more active 
in  caring  for  children,  older  persons,  partners,  co-workers  and  friends.  By  involving 
workers, trade unions, employers, and families, the project will enable men to take time 
to  care  for  themselves  and  others.  The  project  involves  partners  from  different 
European  countries  (Austria,  Germany,  France,  Slovenia,  Poland,  Spain,  Norway  and 
Iceland)  and  is  led  by  the  Universidad  Nacional  de  Educacion  a  Distancia  (UNED)  in 
Spain. 

Ljubljana  and  Lyon  have  pledged  to  improve  parental  leave  rights  for  their  staff. 
Ljubljana  is  committed  to  continue  investing  in  subsidised  and  accessible  childcare  to 
ensure  all  children  get  a  place  in  kindergarten;  continue  the  high-quality  scheme  of 
parental rights and cash benefits; co-financing programmes of NGOs to provide holiday 
care,  after-school  and  leisure  activities,  including  sports  and  cultural  activities  that 
promote inclusion and participation of all children621. 

Principle 10: Healthy, safe and well-adapted work environment and data protection 

Revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 

The  Carcinogens  and  Mutagens  Directive622  is  regularly  updated  to  improve  workers' 
protection against cancer, in line with new scientific evidence and technical data623. The 
Commission proposed the fourth revision in September 2020624 to add new or revised 
occupational  exposure  limits  for  acrylonitrile,  nickel  compounds  and  benzene.  This 
initiative  has  been  developed  in  collaboration  with  scientists  and  representatives  of 
workers,  employers  and  Member  States.  It  will  benefit  workers  by  preventing  work-
related cases of cancer and other serious illnesses, improving health and quality of life; 
companies will benefit from reduced costs caused by work-related ill health and cancer, 
like absences and insurance payments. 

620 https://www.men-in-care.eu/ 
621 City of Ljubljana pledge. 
622 Directive 2004/37/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the protection 
of  workers  from  the  risks  related  to  exposure  to  carcinogens  or  mutagens  at  work  (Sixth  individual 
Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Council Directive 89/391/EEC), OJ L158, 30.4.2004, p.50. 
623  Three  previous  updates  have  addressed  workers'  exposure  to  26  chemicals.  These  three  initiatives 
were  adopted  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council 
in December  2017  (Directive  (EU) 
2017/2398), January 2019 (Directive (EU) 2019/130) and June 2019 (Directive (EU) 2019/983). 
624 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_1691  

77 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Revision of the Biological Agents Directive 

The Commission published in June 2020 an update to the Biological Agents Directive625 
to include SARS-CoV-2 among the list of biological agents it covers. The directive takes 
into account new risks in the workplace and offers additional protection to all workers, 
particularly those in direct contact with the virus in hospitals, industrial  processes and 
laboratories. For the update, the Commission relied on the scientific advice of experts 
from all Member States, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the 
World  Health  Organisation,  stakeholders  and  interest  groups.  In  April  2020,  the 
Commission,  with  the  European  Agency  for  Safety  and  Health  at  Work,  published 
guidance for a safe return to the workplace after the COVID-19 crisis626.  

EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020 

The  EU  Strategic  Framework  on  Health  and  Safety  at  Work  2014-2020627  has  helped 
trigger  actions  and  mobilise  actors  to improve  the  implementation  of  existing  health 
and  safety  rules,  and  the  prevention  of  work-related  diseases by  tackling  new  and 
emerging risks without neglecting existing risks, and taking account of the ageing of the 
EU's workforce.  

Given the growing concerns about psychosocial risks at the workplace, the Commission 
with  the  Swedish  Ministry  of  Employment  and  the  Swedish  Working  Environment 
Authority organised in 2019 a peer review on legislation and practical management of 
psychosocial  risks  at  work628.  It  gathered  experts  from  ten  Member  States,  the 
Commission,  EU-OSHA,  the  Senior  Labour  Inspectors'  Committee  (SLIC)  and  social 
partners  to  share  experiences  on  legislative  and  enforcement  approaches  to  protect 
workers  from  psychosocial  risks,  particularly  among  micro,  small  and  medium-sized 
enterprises. Participants also discussed how gender aspects and the self-employed are 
addressed and how to raise awareness among enterprises.  

Since  the  early  days  of  the  COVID-19  outbreak,  the  European  Agency  for  Safety  and 
Health  at  Work  (EU-OSHA),  in  coordination  with  the  Commission,  has  provided 
resources  and  practical  guidance  to  the  OSH  stakeholders  to  assess  and  mitigate  the 
risks  and  impact  on  workplaces629.  This  includes  practical  tips  to  make  home-based 
telework healthy, safe and effective. EU-OSHA has released a new online specific OiRA 
tool  on  Covid-19  to  carry  out  risk  assessment  and  extensive  information  related  to 
biological agents at work.  

The  WorkinAge  project630  (supported  through  Horizon  2020)  combines  the  efforts  of 
employers,  employees  and  society to  improve  the  health  and  well-being  of  people  at 

625  Commission  Directive  (EU)  2020/739  amending  Annex  III  to  Directive  2000/54/EC  as  regards  the 
inclusion of SARS-CoV-2 in the list of biological agents known to infect humans and amending Commission 
Directive (EU) 2019/1833 (2020).  
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=9695&furtherNews=yes  
626 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_729  
627 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=151&langId=en  
628 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=9803&furtherNews=yes 
629 https://osha.europa.eu/en/themes/covid-19-resources-workplace#pk_campaign=ban_homecw 
630 https://www.workingage.eu/project/  

78 

 
 
                                                           
work.  It  seeks  to  prevent  illnesses  at  the  workplace  (including  work-related  illnesses, 
working  accidents,  and  stress), by  providing  an  improved  environment thanks  to 
networked  sensors.  Moreover,  societal  elements,  such  as  cohesion  among  individuals 
obtained 
friendly/intelligent  human 
technology 
interfaces, strengthens the  potential  for  health and  well-being  at  the  workplace  and  a 
healthy balance between working and private life.  

through  personalised 

and 

Occupation  safety  and  health  (OSH)  is  central  to  the  efforts  of  the  EU  sectoral  social 
partners.  Social  partners  of  the  personal  services/hairdressing  sector  implement  the 
autonomous agreement on health and safety631, supported by the Commission, for an 
agreed set of activities. The signatories of the European Network for Silica multi-sectoral 
agreement632  have  continued  their  commitment  to  protect  workers by minimising  the 
exposure  to  respirable  crystalline  silica.  Enhanced  workers’  protection  is  also  at  the 
heart  of  guidelines  developed  and  implemented  by  social  partners  of  several  sectors: 
the  multi-sectoral  guidelines  to  tackle  third  party  violence  and  harassment  related  to 
work633, the telecommunications “Good Work, Good Health Guidelines II”634 on mental 
well-being,  “Guidelines  on  training  for  port  workers  on  fumigated  containers”, 
“International  guidelines  on  players’  health  protection  during  the  emergency calendar 
of football competitions”635. Furthermore, since March 2020, in response to the COVID-
19  emergency,  the  social  partners  have  issued  some  43  joint  statements636  with 
proposals to deal with the crisis and pave the way to recovery, with a focus on OSH637.       

Social  partners  also  helped  implement  teleworking  measures  to  avoid  the  risks  of 
infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Austria, the chamber of labour of the region 
of  Styria  (AK  Steiermark)  with  the  government  of  the  region  of  Styria  launched  a 
campaign  to  promote  teleworking,  and  to  support  investments  in  information  and 
communication  technology  for  small  and  medium  enterprises.  The  Maltese  social 
partners were consulted on a government financial support package to help employers 
invest in the technology needed for teleworking.  

The  EU  cross-industry  social  partners  have  concluded  an  autonomous  agreement  on 
digitalisation638  and  the  central  government  social  partners  have  started  negotiations. 
Signed  by  BusinessEurope,  ETUC,  CEEP  (now  SGI  Europe)  and  SMEunited,  the 
agreement supports the digital transformation of Europe’s economy, to help manage its 

631 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5460  
632 https://www.nepsi.eu/  
633 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5175  
634 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5590  
635 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5690  
636 
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&day=&month=&year=&sectorCode=&theme
Code=DOMS07&typeCode=&recipientCode=&mode=searchSubmit&subscribe=Search  
637 The inland waterways, ports, maritime transport, shipbuilding and railways social partners, in the Joint 
industry Statement of 23 March 2020: Transport keeps us going, highlighted the importance of protecting 
health  and  safety  of  transport  workers.  The  sea  fisheries  social  partners,  on  27  March  2020,  urged  to 
secure free movement  of fishing crews and protection of fishermen’s health. The social partners of the 
woodworking  and  furniture  sectors  signed,  on  24  April  2020,  a  joint  opinion  proposing  a  number  of 
measures focusing on OSH and economic activity and recovery of their sectors.   
638 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId=en&agreementId=5665  

79 

 
 
                                                           
implications for labour markets, the world of work and society at large. The agreement 
enables  employers  and  unions  to  introduce  digital  transformation  strategies  in 
partnership  in  a  human  oriented  approach  at  national,  sectoral,  company  and 
workplace  levels,  including  on  the  modalities  of  connecting  and  disconnecting  and 
respect of working time rules and appropriate measures to ensure compliance. 

Several  sectorial  social  partners  have  implemented  projects  and  agreed  on  joint 
outcomes  on  the  impact  of  digitalisation  on  their  sectors.  For  instance,  the  maritime 
transport  social  partners,  via  an  EU  funded  project,  are  developing  guidelines  on  the 
provision  and  appropriate use  of  internet  access  on board  and  studying  the  impact of 
increased use of digitalisation on-board ships.  

The  European  social  partners  from  the  telecom  sector,  UNI  Europa,  ICTS  (EU  trade 
unions of the ICT sector) and ETNO (the European employer organisation of incumbent 
telecom operators) investigated the impact of digitalisation and related new challenges 
for  the  health  and  safety  of  workers  in  the  sectors.  They  published  guidelines  to 
improve the mental health of workers in the sector. These guidelines provide advice in 
the event of stress caused by being expected to be available for work at any time. The 
social  partners  from  the  banking  sector  signed  a  joint  declaration  on  telework  in 
November 2017, agreeing on some minimum standards and best practices to ensure a 
healthy work environment for the employee. 

III. Social protection and inclusion 

Principle 11: Childcare and support to children 

Preparatory action on the European Child Guarantee  

In 2015 the European Parliament called for a child guarantee to help ensure that every 
child  in  Europe  at  risk  of  poverty  or  social  exclusion  has  access  to  free  healthcare, 
education  and  early  childhood  education  and  care,  decent  housing  and  adequate 
nutrition.  In  2017,  the  European  Parliament  requested  the  European  Commission  to 
implement a multi-annual preparatory action to clarify the concept of such a guarantee, 
its  feasibility  and  potential  to  contribute  to  fighting  child  poverty.  Also,  the  2017 
evaluations  of  the  implementation  of  the  2013  Recommendation  on  Investing  in 
Children  concluded  that  there  was  room  for  improvement  in  stepping  up  efforts  to 
reduce child poverty.  

In this context, in 2018 the Commission commissioned a feasibility study639 to explore 
how  a  child  guarantee  scheme  could  contribute  to  combating  poverty  and  social 
exclusion, particularly amongst the EU’s most disadvantaged children and ensuring the 
access of these children to the five areas identified by the European Parliament.  

639 https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=22253&langId=en  

80 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
The second phase of the preparatory action (March 2020-2021) is a study on the costs 
and benefits of the Child Guarantee. In the third phase (summer 2020  - summer 2022) 
pilot projects will be carried out in several Member States. 

Quality framework for early childhood education and care 

The  Council  Recommendation  on  high  quality  early  childhood  education  and  care 
systems, adopted in 2019640, supports Member States in their efforts to improve access 
to and quality of their early childhood education and care systems. It includes a quality 
framework  with  5  key  components  and  recommendations  on  how  to  address  them: 
access to early childhood education and care, training and working conditions of staff, 
the  definition  of  appropriate  curricula  and  governance,  funding,  and  monitoring  and 
evaluation of systems. These actions are linked to an array of EU funding, notably ESF 
and  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF).  Within  this  framework,  the 
Commission,  through  the  Technical  Support  Instrument,  is  supporting  Member  State 
reforms aimed at setting up national quality frameworks on early childhood education 
and care.  

To improve the access and quality of education and training in the EU and achieve the 
European Education Area, Member States agreed that by 2030 at least 96% of children 
between  3  years  old  and  the  starting  age  for  compulsory  primary  education  should 
participate in early childhood education. This framework has since been completed by a 
toolkit for inclusion in early childhood education and care, to support Member States in 
their  efforts  to  provide  accessible  and  affordable  education  and  care  to  all  young 
children across Europe, regardless of their individual or family circumstances.   

The “Priority to the Children” programme of Caritas Portugal focuses on children in the 
most vulnerable situations. It identifies cases of children and youth affected by poverty, 
neglect, abandonment, mistreatment and abuse; it monitors the cases; refers them to 
the competent institutions, and proposes appropriate measures. The programme Social 
services for children with disabilities, run by Caritas Latvia, promotes the inclusion of 
children with disabilities and their families, via a day care centre, the provision of social 
rehabilitation of disabled children and social care at home.  

The  cities  of  Bilbao,  Bristol,  Brno,  Ghent,  Hamburg,  Leeds,  Lyon,  Madrid,  Malmö, 
Nicosia,  Pau,  Timisoara,  Vantaa,  Vienna  and  Warsaw  have  pledged  to  invest  EUR  6 
billion  for  children.  Cities  will  build  291  new  and  affordable  childcare  centres  and  will 
reinforce  integrated  services  to  help  children  in  need641.  Malmö  has  pledged  to  open 
additional  family  centres  with  Swedish  classes  to  facilitate  the  social  inclusion  of 
migrant  families642.  Bilbao  has  committed  EUR  78  million  from  2018-2021  for  socio-
educational  and  psychological  programmes  for  children  and  adolescents643.  Brno  has 
pledged  to  ensure  the  quality  and  access  to  education  including  the  facilitation  of 

640  COUNCIL  RECOMMENDATION  of  22  May  2019  on  High-Quality  Early  Childhood  Education  and  Care 
Systems (2019/C 189/02). 
641 Eurocities pledges. 
642 City of Malmö pledge. 
643 City of Bilbao pledge. 

81 

 
 
                                                           
quality  hobbies  and  non-formal  education644.  Ljubljana  has  committed  to  creating  a 
good  contingency  plan  for  the  functioning  of  kindergartens  and  schools  and  the 
provision  of  food  for  children  in  most  vulnerable  situations,  based  on  the  experience 
during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Principle 12: Social protection 

Council Recommendation on access to social protection 

In  November  2019,  the  Council  adopted  the  Recommendation  on  access  to  social 
protection  for  workers  and  the  self-employed645.  Since  then,  the  Commission  has 
developed  a  monitoring  framework  with  the  Social  Protection  Committee646  and 
ensured  mutual 
formal  access,  effective  access,  adequacy  and 
transparency647. The Commission continues to support Member States and stakeholders 
in the follow-up of the Recommendation. The Recommendation asks Member States to 
submit a plan setting out the corresponding measures to be taken at national level by 
15 May 2021 to implement the principles set out in the Recommendation. These would 
feed into a review of the Recommendation by the Commission by November 2022.   

learning  on 

Revision of social security coordination rules 

Free  movement  would  not  be  possible  in  practice  without  European  rules  on  the 
coordination of social security systems, guaranteeing that mobile citizens maintain their 
social  security  rights  acquired  in  another  Member  State.  In  December  2016,  the 
Commission  presented  its  proposal  to  update  the  social  security  coordination  rules  in 
the  following  areas:  long-term  care,  unemployment  benefits,  family  benefits  and 
applicable legislation648. The proposed revision aims to modernise the existing rules and 
ensure  they  respond  to  the  current  challenges,  by  making  them  fairer,  clearer  and 
easier to enforce. Negotiations with the European Parliament and Council are ongoing.  

In  2017-2019,  some  Member  States  adopted  significant  reforms  to  improve  access  to 
social protection for the self-employed or non-standard workers. For instance,  Ireland 
extended  access  to  dental  and  optical  care,  invalidity  benefits  and  unemployment 
benefits for the self-employed. Belgium took a series of measures to improve or create 
family-related  leaves  for  the  self-employed  (maternity  leaves,  paternity  leaves,  foster 
parent  leaves)  and  shortened  or  abolished  waiting  periods  in  other  domains  (sickness 
benefits, pensions).  

644 City of Brno pledge. 
645 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019H1115%2801%29  
646 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8358&furtherPubs=yes  
647 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8357&furtherPubs=yes  
648 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=849&newsId=2699&furtherNews=yes  

82 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
The  COVID-19  crisis  has  put  the  spotlight  on  people  who  are  not  or  not  adequately 
covered by social protection, such as non-standard workers or the self-employed. As a 
response, Member States took a number of temporary measures to address emergency 
situations.  For  instance,  during  the  first  months  of  the  crisis  (March/April  2020), 
Member States extended and scaled up existing schemes, and loosened their eligibility 
conditions  (for  instance,  unemployment  benefits  or  sickness  benefits  schemes). 
Unemployment  benefits  were  prolonged 
(e.g.  Denmark,  Greece,  Bulgaria  or 
Luxembourg), increased (Bulgaria) or their degressivity was frozen, like in Belgium. Self-
employed received more possibilities to benefit from income support schemes, mostly 
for  a  limited  period  or  through  one-off  payments  (e.g.  Belgium,  Cyprus,  Czechia, 
Portugal).  Finally,  in  March  2020,  Spain  adopted  extraordinary  measures  to  ensure 
temporary income support for specific groups affected by the pandemic. In particular, 
the measures target temporary workers or those working in the domestic sector whose 
job has been totally or partially interrupted (including job termination) and lack access 
to regular unemployment benefits. 

The EUROSHIP  project649  (supported through  Horizon  2020  in  2020-2023)  investigates 
the  effectiveness  of  social  protection  policies  targeted  at  reducing  poverty  and  social 
exclusion  in  Europe.  It  focusses  on  the  role  of  social  protection  systems  (including 
minimum  income  schemes),  digitalisation  of  work  and  social  protection  delivery,  and 
the  social  and  political  opportunities  for  active  agency  by  youth  at  risk,  precarious 
workers with care obligations and people with long-term care needs. 

Principle 13: Unemployment benefits 

Access to unemployment benefits 

The  scope  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  access  to  social  protection  includes 
unemployment  benefits.  The  monitoring  framework  that  the  Social  Protection 
Committee  adopted  in  November  2020  shows  that  some  self-employed  and  non-
standard workers did not have access to unemployment benefits before the beginning 
of  the  COVID-19  crisis.  However,  even  before  the  crisis,  a  number  of  Member  States 
decided  to  enhance  the  unemployment  benefits  to  better  cover  new  forms  of  work. 
During the crisis, coverage was also extended to previously uncovered group (see box 
below). 

Benchmarking framework  

The  Commission  has  developed  a  benchmarking  framework  together  with  Member 
States  on  unemployment  benefits  and  active  labour  market  policies.  The  framework, 
agreed by the Employment Committee (EMCO), has been used as part of the European 
Semester  since  2018.  It  covers,  among  others,  the  net  replacement  rate,  entitlement 
periods and unemployment benefit coverage. It notably shows that, on average, before 

649 https://euroship-research.eu/ and https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/870698 

83 

 
 
 
                                                           
the COVID-19 crisis, around one third of the short-term unemployed were covered by 
unemployment benefits in the EU. 

Public employment services are playing an important role in containing the impact of 
the  crisis  and  supporting  people  facing  barriers  to  employment.  Public  employment 
services are going beyond traditional ways of working to tackle a surge in the number of 
job-seekers and to support them in their transitions across occupations or sectors. The 
adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of Decision (EU) 2020/1782 of 25 
November  2020  is  an  important  step  to  continue  and  strengthen  the  successful 
cooperation  among  public  employment  services  also  in  their  key  role  mitigating  job 
losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In  2017-2019,  some  Member  States  adopted  significant  reforms  to  improve  access  to 
social  protection  for  the  self-employed  or  non-standard  workers  in  the  system.  For 
instance,  Spain  made  coverage  for  unemployment  and  accidents  at  work  mandatory; 
France and Malta granted access to their unemployment scheme to the self-employed.  

In Denmark, the new unemployment scheme implemented in 2018 aims to handle all 
types  of  employment  and  to  increase  coverage  for  people  in  non-standard  jobs,  with 
multiple  jobs  and  persons  combining  employment  and  self-employment.  In  this  new 
scheme, unemployment is defined in relation to activities rather than a categorisation 
as either self-employed or wage earner. Income as both wage earner and self-employed 
as  well  as  income  from  multiple  sources  (such  as  surplus  in  own  company  and 
secondary activities) establishes eligibility and entitlements. 

As  a  result  of  the  2008  economic  and  financial  crisis,  Ireland  committed  in  2016  to 
extend  unemployment  benefits,  in  the  form  of  the  Jobseeker’s  Benefit,  to  the  self-
employed. Around 13% of the Irish workforce are self-employed. With this new scheme, 
which came into force on 1st November 2019, the self-employed have the same access 
to unemployment benefits (and activation) as standard employees, whilst they pay the 
same contribution rate as before.  

 The  Danish  and  Irish  approach  both  offer  the  possibility  to  combine  work  with  the 
unemployment  benefit and  provide  access  to  active  labour  market  policies.  The  latter 
should  be  specialised  on  the  nature  of  self-employment  work,  for  example  training  in 
entrepreneurship. 

During  the  COVID-19  crisis,  a  range  of  countries  temporarily  amended  their 
unemployment  benefit  scheme.  Member  States  further  extended  existing  schemes  to 
groups  that  were  previously  uncovered,  and  rolled  out  a  series  of  new  measures,  to 
close  some  gaps.  Governments  decided  to 
lift  some  eligibility  conditions  for 
unemployment  benefits,  extended  the  duration  of  unemployment  benefits  and  /  or 
granted  access  to  non-standard  workers  in  at  least  14  Member  States.  In  Italy,  Spain, 
Cyprus,  Greece,  Estonia,  Croatia  and  Romania,  procedures  to  access  unemployment 
benefits  were  simplified,  mainly  to  lower  the  administrative  burden  and  to  speed  up 
processes. 

In  Spain,  access  to  unemployment  protection  was  improved:  seasonal  workers 
(permanent-discontinuous workers) are entitled to unemployment benefit for 90 days, 
even if they have exhausted their unemployment entitlements or have not contributed 

84 

 
 
enough.  A  temporary  extraordinary  unemployment  benefit  was  established  for 
domestic  employees  in  the  event  of  lack  of  activity,  reduction  of  hours  worked  or 
termination of the contract as a result of COVID-19. The amount of the subsidy is70% of 
the Social Security “regulatory base”, with a maximum amount of EUR 950 per month. 
The duration of the benefit is open. An exceptional subsidy was introduced for workers 
with a temporary contract of at least two months, when their work contract expires and 
they  do  not  have  the  minimum  period  required  to  access  ordinary  unemployment 
benefits. This allowance (EUR 430) lasts for one month and can be extended. Moreover, 
unemployment  benefits  received  under  these  schemes  during  this  situation  will  not 
count towards consumption of future unemployment benefits.  

In Poland, a special allowance was granted to persons working under civil law contracts. 
Croatia, the scheme for “permanent seasonal workers” was modified, to better support 
employers and permanent seasonal workers within the tourism sector. 

Principle 14: Minimum income 

EU framework on minimum income 

current  Union 

framework  on  minimum 

The 
includes 
recommendations  on  common  criteria  concerning  sufficient  resources  and  social 
assistance  in  social  protection  systems650,  on  the  active  inclusion  of  people  excluded 
from the labour market651, and monitoring and policy coordination activities within the 
European  Semester,  underpinned  by  the  EU  benchmarking  framework  on  minimum 
income protection.  

income  protection 

To strengthen the exchange of experience and good practices, the Commission, assisted 
by the Social Protection Committee, initiated a mutual learning platform - the Minimum 
Income  Network  (MINET),  reuniting  representatives  from  national  administrations  in 
charge of minimum income schemes. Several discussions were organised in 2019-20 to 
exchange views on elements of minimum income schemes design and identify common 
implementation challenges.  

A  study  on  the  methodology  to  measure  the  returns  on  investment  from  integrated 
social assistance schemes was conducted to advance knowledge and evidence gathering 
on  the  design  and  effectiveness  of  Member  States’  social  safety  nets652.  Harmonising 
and integrating data on participation in active labour market policies and other services 
and  transitions  to  employment,  this  study  attempts  to  assess  how  social  assistance 
beneficiaries are more effectively supported in returning to employment. 

in 

650 Council Recommendation 92/441/EEC on common criteria concerning sufficient resources and social 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
assistance 
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A31992H0441  
651  Commission  Recommendation  2008/867/EC  on  the  active  inclusion  of  people  excluded  from  the 
labour market. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32008H0867  
652 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8362&furtherPubs=yes  

protection 

systems. 

social 

85 

 
 
 
                                                           
In 2020, the Commission launched a call to co-fund local/regional-level projects to put 
in  place  comprehensive systems  to  support  people  in  (the  most)  vulnerable  situations 
and test the integrated approach within minimum income schemes.  The call is funded 
by the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation and has a total budget of 
EUR  10  million.  The  selected  projects  will  test  innovative  practices  to  provide  for  the 
integrated  delivery  of the  three  strands of  active  inclusion:  adequate income  support,  
labour market activation and effective access to enabling goods and services.  

On  12  October  2020,  the  Council  of  the  EU  adopted  conclusions  on  “Strengthening 
Minimum  Income  Protection  to  Combat  Poverty  and  Social  Exclusion  in  the  COVID-19 
Pandemic  and  Beyond”.  Taking  into  account  that  Member  States  are  responsible  for 
designing their social protection systems, the Council has invited:  

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

the  Commission  to  initiate  an  update  of  the  Union  framework  to  effectively 
support and complement the policies of Members States on national minimum 
income protection;  
the  Commission  and  Member  States  to  strengthen  the  exchange  of  good 
practice  and  mutual  learning  in  further developing  minimum  income,  including 
within the Minimum Income Network (MINET) as a technical forum of the Social 
Protection Committee (SPC); 
the Commission, SPC and EMCO to prepare periodically a joint report to analyse 
and review progress achieved in the development of minimum income.  

In May 2020, Spain approved a new national minimum income scheme (Ingreso Mínimo 
Vital) supplementing the existing 17 regional schemes. It establishes a subjective right 
to  income  support,  non-conditional  on  budget  availability.  It  targets  the  23-65  age 
group  [or  from  18  if having  a  dependent  child],  who  have  been  residing  legally  in  the 
country for at least one year. Eligibility is subject to an income and a wealth test. The 
benefit  rate  varies  depending  on  the  household  composition.  Beneficiaries  must  be 
registered as job seekers and participate in activation schemes provided by regional and 
local administrations, with the involvement of the private sector. This is a major step, as 
Spain  was  the  only  Member  State  without  a  comprehensive  national  system.  This  has 
the  potential  to  address  the  adequacy  and  coverage  gaps  of  the  previous  fragmented 
system. 

The city of Barcelona has pledged EUR 172 million to help 2 500 households to get out 
of poverty and to regenerate 16 most deprived neighbourhoods653.  

653 Eurocities pledges. 

86 

 
 
  
 
 
                                                           
Principle 15: Old age income and pensions 

Policy coordination on pensions 

The  Commission  has  supported  national  efforts  to  ensure  adequate  pensions  and 
minimum income in old age by identifying joint challenges, exchange of best practices 
and guidance on policy responses654. The triennial Pension Adequacy  Reports (PAR) of 
the Commission and the SPC (next edition due in 2021) analyse how current and future 
pensions  help  prevent  old-age  poverty  and  maintain  income  for  the  duration  of 
retirement. The 2019 joint EPC-SPC paper on pensions considered how to reconcile the 
policy  objectives  of  fiscal  sustainability  and  adequacy  of  pensions  in  our  ageing 
societies.  A  majority  of  Member  States  have  received  pension-related  CSRs  in  the 
European  Semester,  mostly  focusing  on  sustainability,  but  also  on  adequacy  and 
fairness,  depending  on  their  individual  situation.  The  High-level  group  of  experts  on 
pensions reported in 2019 on the contribution of supplementary pensions to adequacy 
and  recommended,  in  particular,  to  promote  pension  credits  in  occupational  schemes 
to  foster  gender  equality.  The  triennial  Ageing  report  looks  at  the  long-run  economic 
and fiscal implications of Europe's ageing population (next edition due in 2021). 

Through the Technical Support Instrument, the Commission is supporting Member State 
reforms  aimed  at  designing  pension  information  web-portals  aimed  at  providing 
comprehensive, up-to-date and accessible information to citizens about their expected 
income situation in old age; and the setting-up of funded pension savings schemes.  

Initiatives on demographic change  

The importance of demographic change for social policies has been illustrated through 
facts  and  figures  in  the  Commission  Report  on  the  Impact  of  Demographic  Change655. 
This  evidence  provided  a  foundation  for  the  Green  Paper  on  Ageing  published  by  the 
Commission  on  27  January  2021656,  which  opened  a  wide  debate  on  possible  ways  to 
respond  to  the  impacts  of  Europe’s  ageing  population.  The  Green  Paper  looks  at 
challenges  and  opportunities  brought  by  ageing,  and  implications  for  all  generations. 
Key issues for the public debate include the future social protection systems, long-term 
care and pension systems and healthy and active ageing.  

In Sweden, the cross-party parliamentary Working Group on Pensions adopted in 2017 
the  Action  plan  for  gender-equal  pensions,  to  monitor  gender  differences  in  pension 
entitlements  including  occupational  pensions.  The  group  monitors  why  women  have 
shorter  careers,  what  the  pension  entitlements  for  parental  leave  are  and  how  this 
contributes to gender (in)equality in pensions. It also investigates the impact of factors 
unrelated to the national pension system, such as the development of part-time work, 

654 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=752  
655 COM(2020) 241 final, 17.6.2021. 
656 
Ageing/public-consultation  

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12722-Green-Paper-on-

87 

 
 
 
                                                           
the  social  security  system  for  parents,  the  inequalities  at  the  labour  market  and  the 
differences in occupational pension schemes coverage.  

Belgium offers a national pension tracking system through the portal mypension.be. All 
individuals registered in Belgium can access information on their accrued statutory and 
occupational  pension  rights  and  the  projected  statutory  and  occupational  pension 
entitlements. The projections covering the two pillars are available since 2016 thanks to 
cooperation  of  the  public  institutions  and  the  occupational  pension  industry.  The 
development of a database for occupational pensions was triggered by the need to get 
more  insight  into  occupational  pensions  to  make  better  policy  decisions  and  improve 
savers’ awareness of their total pension rights. 

Ireland is implementing a new funded pension savings scheme. Through the Technical 
Support Instrument, the Commission is providing technical support towards establishing 
an ‘automatic enrolment’ workplace retirement savings system in Ireland, expected to 
improve  the  financial  retirement  readiness  of  employees,  and  contribute  to  more 
adequate pension income for future generations of pensioners. 

Principle 16: Access to healthcare 

Building a European Health Union  

In  its  Communication  of  11  November  2020  ‘Building  a  European  Health  Union: 
Reinforcing the EU’s resilience for cross-border health threats’657, the Commission has 
put forward proposals to strengthen the EU's health security framework, and the crisis 
preparedness  and  response  role  of  key  EU  agencies.  This  responds  to  challenges 
revealed by the pandemic and aims at protecting citizens with high quality healthcare, 
more resilient health systems and better preparation to future crises. The package also 
sets out the main elements of the future Health Emergency Response Authority, to be 
proposed by the end of 2021.  

Europe’s Strategy for Covid-19 vaccines 

On  17  June  2020,  the  Commission  presented  the  European  vaccines  strategy658  to 
accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of vaccines against COVID-
19. Based on this Strategy, the Commission and Member States agreed on a joint action 
at  the  EU  level  for  a  centralised  EU  approach  to  securing  supplies  and  support  the 
development  of  COVID-19  vaccines.  On  15  October  2020,  a  second  Commission 
Communication659 was published to support Member States in preparing for large-scale 
vaccination  at  all  levels,  including  (cold-chain)  infrastructure,  sufficiently  resourced 
vaccination  centres  and  vaccination  registries.  Member  States  were  also  invited  to 

657 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2041  
658 COM(2020) 245 final of 17.06.2020. 
659 COM(2020) 680 final of 15.10.2020. 

88 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
define  priority  groups  for  vaccination,  for 
professionals. 

instance  older  persons  and  health 

Europe’s beating cancer plan  

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan660, presented by the Commission on 3 February 2021, will 
help improving access to healthcare for cancer patients. It proposes actions at every key 
stage of the disease: prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and quality 
of  life  for  patients  and  survivors.  Inequalities  in  access  to  cancer  prevention  and  care 
will  be  monitored  to  close  the  persisting  gaps for  disadvantaged people.  The  Plan  will 
promote actions for continuous access to care during shocks and specific measures to 
improve access to care for children.  

Pharmaceutical strategy for Europe  

The  Pharmaceutical  Strategy  for  Europe  adopted  in  November  2020  aims  to  ensure 
Europe's supply of safe and affordable medicines to meet patients' needs661. It seeks to 
create  a  future  proof  system,  which  reaps  the  benefits  of  digitalisation  and  promotes 
innovation  especially  in  areas  of  unmet  needs,  such  as  antimicrobials,  medicines  for 
children and for rare diseases. It will be instrumental in improving access to affordable 
treatments. 

Digital transformation of health and care 

In  2018,  the  Commission  published  a  Communication  on  the  digital  transformation  of 
health  and  care  in  the  digital  single  market662.  It  prioritises  the  secure  exchange  of 
health data of EU citizens and patients, also across borders for better and more efficient 
diagnosis  and  treatment,  with  full  respect  of  citizens’  privacy.  It  promotes  the  use  of 
digital tools  and technologies  to empower people  to  look  after  their health,  stimulate 
prevention  and  enable  feedback  and  interaction  between  users  and  healthcare 
providers.  

Improving evidence on gaps in access to healthcare  

Following the call from the European Parliament for the Commission to improve data on 
access  to  healthcare,  the  Commmission  carried  out  a  pilot  project  in  2018,  which  fed 
into the State of Health in the EU cycle, proposing possible ways forward to improve the 
accessibility  metrics.  Further  work  was  carried  out  in  the  Health  System  Assessment 
Expert Group, with a report on improving access to healthcare through more powerful 
policy  tools,  published  in    February  2021.  The  report  explores  more  granular  ways  of 
measuring  accessibility.  It  brings  to  the  policy  debate  a  need  for  fairer  distribution  of 
health benefits and argues for a policy change to address better health inequity-related 
problems in access to healthcare. 

660 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2021%3A44%3AFIN  
661 https://ec.europa.eu/health/human-use/strategy_en  
662 https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=51628  

89 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Addressing challenges of medical deserts 

The Commission launched in 2020 a call for projects under the third Health Programme, 
to  improve  access  to  healthcare  in  medical  deserts.  This  initiative  should  support 
policies related to workforce retention in underserved areas and approaches to adjust 
the  allocation  of  resources  of  health  systems  to  local  needs.  The  projects  will  be 
implemented in 2021 and 2022. 

In  the  Joint  Action  on  Health  Equity663,  funded  under  the  2014-2020  Health 
Programme, Member States worked jointly to address health inequalities and improve 
health  and  well-being  in  Europe.  The  action  has  also  a  specific  focus  on  groups  in 
vulnerable  situations  and  migrants.  Measures  supported  the  formulation  of  national, 
regional  and  local  policies  and  programmes  to  reduce  inequalities  in  access  to  health 
and social services and capacity building to implement them. 

Member  States  continue  to  modernise  their  health  systems,  e.g.  by  increasing  access 
and  availability  of  healthcare  services.  Some  provide  incentives  or  grants  to  family 
doctors  or  medical  students  to  work  in  underserved  areas  (e.g.  in  Estonia,  Latvia, 
France, Germany) or increase the salaries of (certain professions of) healthcare workers 
(in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania). Primary care is being strengthened by 
establishing  community  health  centres,  local  health  care  units,  or  general  practitioner 
group practices (in Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Luxembourg, Romania). Lithuania 
put in place measures to shorten waiting lists and reduce co-payment to prescriptions. 
Cyprus  implemented  the  first  phase  of  out-patient  care  in  2019,  which  is  expected  to 
reduce significantly out of pocket payments and further increase access to healthcare. 
The final phase of the general health system reform in Cyprus was launched on 1 June 
2020, with the introduction of hospital care coverage as part of the benefits package. A 
number  of  Member  States  are  planning  or  implementing  improved  health  workforce 
planning  and/or  training  (Sweden,  Germany,  France,  Estonia,  Spain,  Lithuania, 
Luxembourg, Latvia).  

in 

The pandemic prompted some changes, such as the removal of user charges for primary 
care 
in  Portugal  or  covering  for 
contributions  for  those  out  of  work  to  some  extent  in  Hungary,  Slovenia,  Greece  and 
Croatia. 

Ireland,  extending  coverage  for  migrants 

The  cities  of  Leipzig,  Ljubljana,  Utrecht  and  Zagreb  have  pledged  to  renovate  health 
centres  and  equipment,  and  promote  healthy  urban  and  work  environments.664 
Ljubljana  has  pledged  to  continue  working  on  the  renovation  of  health  centres  and 
purchase of high-quality healthcare equipment.665 

663 https://jahee.iss.it/  
664 Eurocities pledges. 
665 City of Ljubljana pledge. 

90 

 
 
 
                                                           
Principle 17: Inclusion of people with disabilities 

European Accessibility Act 

The  European  Accessibility  Act  entered  into  force  in  2019  and  Member  States666  will 
have to transpose it into national law by 28 June 2022. The directive aims to improve 
the functioning of the internal market for accessible products and services, by removing 
barriers  created  by  divergent  rules  in  Member  States.  This  will  thus  facilitate  the 
employment and  participation  of persons  with disabilities  in  society on  an  equal  basis 
with others. 

European Electronic Communications Code 

The European Electronic Communications Code667 entered into force at the end of 2018.  
Member States had to transpose it by 21 December 2020 into national law and apply it 
from that date. The transposition process is still on-going in most Member States. The 
Directive has maintained and strengthened the general obligation to ensure equivalent 
access  to  and  choice  of  electronic  communications  for  end-users  with  disabilities 
already  existing  in  the  electronic  communications  legislation  framework  (Directive 
2002/22).  Under  the  universal  service  provisions  (see  below  under  Principle  20), 
Member States are also required to ensure the availability and affordability of specific 
equipment  and  services,  including  total  conversation and  relay  services, to  consumers 
with  disabilities.  The  European  Electronic  Communications  Code  requires  Member 
States  to  ensure  that  access  for  end-users  with  disabilities  to  emergency  services  is 
available  through  emergency  communications  and  is  equivalent  to  that  enjoyed  by 
other end-users.  

Web Accessibility Directive  

The Web Accessibility Directive668, in force since 2016, harmonises the internal market 
for web accessibility products and services and increases digital inclusion by making the 
websites  and  mobile  applications  of  public  sector  bodies  more  accessible  based  on 
common requirements, thus contributing to equal opportunities and full participation of 
persons  with  disabilities  in  society.  The  Commission  will  review  the  application  of  the 
Web Accessibility Directive by June 2022.  

for 

666  Directive  (EU)  2019/882  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  17  April  2019  on  the 
accessibility 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
requirements 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019L0882  
667  Directive  (EU)  2018/1972  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  December  2018 
establishing 
the  European  Electronic  Communications  Code.  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L1972&qid=1558365285548 
668 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/2102/oj  

products 

services. 

and 

91 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Audiovisual Media Services Directive 

The  revised  Audiovisual  Media  Services  Directive669  strengthens  the  provisions  on 
accessibility by obliging all media service providers to make their services continuously 
and progressively more accessible to persons with disabilities. The means to achieve the 
accessibility  of  audiovisual  media  services  should  include,  but  not  be  limited  to,  sign 
language,  subtitling  for  the  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing,  spoken  subtitles  and  audio 
description.  Under the  new rules,  Member  States  will  have  an obligation  to  report  on 
these measures and to encourage the development of accessibility action plans. 

Passenger rights and other transport related measures 

Passenger  rights  legislation670  (adopted  mostly  between  2004  and  2011)  ensures  that 
persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility are not discriminated when 
they  intend  to  use  collective  transport  (air,  rail,  bus  and  coach  and  waterborne 
transport) and if necessary receive assistance free of charge.  

In  2013,  the  Commission  proposed  to  amend  the  air  passenger  rights  Regulation. 
Among  other  points,  the  Commission  proposed  to  increase  the  liability  of  air  carriers 
with  regard  to  mobility  equipment  up  to  the  actual  value  of  the  equipment.  This  is 
achieved,  in  conformity  with  the  Montreal  Convention,  by  compelling  air  carriers  to 
automatically offer the option to make a special declaration of interest laid out within 
the Convention, at no additional cost671. In 2017, the Commission proposed to amend 
the regulation on rail passenger rights.  In line with the commitments undertaken under 
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the 
proposal  aimed  to  contribute  to  making  rail traveling  more  inclusive.  The  Commission 
started  also  to  evaluate  the  other  three  passenger  rights  Regulations672  to  assess 
whether amendments are necessary.  

Evaluation of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020  

In November 2020 the Commission published the evaluation of the European Disability 
Strategy 2010-2020673. It shows that, while there is room for improvement, the Strategy 
had a positive impact on EU rules and policies. Examples of its positive impact are the 
inclusion  of  disability  issues  in  EU  legislation  and  policy,  with  the  adoption  of  the 
European Accessibility Act, the Web Accessibility Directive and legislation on the rights 
of  passengers.  Despite  the  efforts  of  the  EU  and  its  Member  States,  persons  with 
disabilities continue to face challenges, like high rates of unemployment or poverty. The 

669 Directive (EU) 2018/1808 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018.  
670 https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/passengers_en  
671  COM(2013)130  final  (Article  2(4)  of  the  proposal  –  Article  6a  of  the  amended  Regulation  (EC)  No 
2027/97). 
672  Regulation  (EC)  No  1107/2006  concerning  the  rights  of  disabled  persons  and  persons  with  reduced 
mobility when travelling by air; Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus 
and coach transport; Regulation (EU) No 1177/2010 concerning the rights of passengers when travelling 
by sea and inland waterway. 
673 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1137&furtherNews=yes&newsId=9835  

92 

 
 
                                                           
results  of  this  evaluation  fed  into  the  new  Strategy  for  the  rights  of  persons  with 
disabilities 2021-2030 presented by the Commission on 3 March 2021674.  

Accessing published works  

The EU is a party to the Marrakesh treaty675 to facilitate access to print works in formats 
adapted for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. The EU 
has regulated the making and dissemination of copies of printed works in the internal 
market through the so-called “Marrakesh Directive”676, and their exchange with non-EU 
countries677.  These  rules  provide  for  a  mandatory  exception  to  copyright  for  persons 
who  are  print  disabled  as  regards  their  access  to  printed  works  in  accessible  formats. 
The Commission will prepare a report in 2021 assessing the availability of printed works 
and works for disabilities not covered by the “Marrakesh Directive”678.  

EU Disability Card project 

In  2016-2018  eight  Member  States  (Belgium,  Cyprus,  Estonia,  Finland,  Italy,  Malta, 
Romania and Slovenia) implemented the pilot project on the EU Disability Card. Its aim 
was  to  facilitate  free  movement  of  persons  with  disabilities  by  mutual  recognition  of 
their disability status. The Card ensures equal access to benefits and services in some or 
all  of the  selected  areas  (culture,  leisure,  sports and transport).  Member  States  retain 
their  discretion  to  determine  who  is  eligible  to  receive  the  Card,  using  the  national 
definition  of  disability,  the  issuing  procedure  and  what  areas,  services  and  benefits 
would be available for cardholders from other countries. The Commission is considering 
how to scale up the initiative in the context of the new Strategy for the rights of persons 
with disabilities 2021-2030 presented by the Commission on 3 March 2021. 

Estonia launched the “Work ability reform” in 2016. It created a system to support the 
full-fledged  life  of  people  with  reduced  work  ability,  changing  attitudes  of  society 
towards them and supporting their integration in the labour market. The reform helped 
update the assessment of work ability, the support system and offer a range of services. 
The reform is co-financed by ESF during 2016-2023 with EUR 170 million. Services have 
been  provided  in  54  900  cases,  with  950  different  actions  supporting  employers  and 
employees.  

674 COM(2021) 101. 
675  The  Marrakesh  Treaty  is  an  international  copyright  treaty  administered  by  the  World  Intellectual 
Property Organisation (WIPO). The Treaty was signed by the EU in 2014 and was ratified in 2018. 
676  Directive  (EU)  2017/1564  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13  September  2017  on 
certain  permitted  uses  of  certain  works  and  other  subject  matter  protected  by  copyright  and  related 
rights  for  the  benefit  of  persons  who  are  blind,  visually  impaired  or  otherwise  print-disabled  and 
amending Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in 
the information society, OJ L 242, 20.9.2017, p. 6–13. 
677 Regulation (EU) 2017/1563 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2017 on 
the cross-border exchange between the Union and third countries of accessible format copies of certain 
works and other subject matter protected by copyright and related rights for the benefit of persons who 
are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled. OJ L 242, 20.9.2017, p. 1–5. 
678 Article 9, Directive (EU) 2017/1564. 

93 

 
 
                                                           
Specialisterne679 is a socially innovative company where the majority of employees has 
autism.  Employees  work  as  business  consultants  on  tasks  such  as  software  testing, 
programming  and  data  entry  for  the  public  and  private  sectors.  Specialisterna  Ireland 
has  received  ESF  funding  through  its  participation  in  the  Ability  Programme.  This 
programme  facilitates  Specialisterne  to  assist  over  100  students  and  recent  graduates 
from  third  level  colleges  throughout  Ireland  to  prepare  for  and  gain  meaningful 
employment in the workplace.  

The Ability Programme680 is an ESF funded programme aimed at guiding young persons 
with  disabilities  aged  between  15-29  towards  the  labour  market.  Ability  provides 
funding  on  a  local,  regional  and  national  level.  The  programme  aims  to  be  person-
centred and assists individuals who are not currently work-ready. Ability has an overall 
budget of up to EUR 16 million from 2018 to 2021. 

The  cities  of  Brno,  Ljubljana  and  Stuttgart  have  pledged  to  spend  EUR  304  million  on 
inclusion of persons with disabilities681. Ljubljana mainstreams the inclusion of persons 
with  disabilities  across  all  city  relevant  policy  areas.  In  education,  it  offers  tutoring 
programmes in the pre-school and school environment, together with support services 
for  pupils  with  intellectual  disabilities.  It  allocates  around  EUR  2.5  million  annually  for 
inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities. Ljubljana provides adapted non-
profit rental housing to adults with disabilities. The municipal housing fund is expected 
to provide an additional 1 500 non-profit rental housing units by 2022 with at least 10% 
adaptable  for  persons  with  disabilities  in  accordance  with  the  principle  of  universal 
design, ensuring an accessible and barrier-free living environment. The city commits to 
contributing to independent living for persons with disabilities by co-financing personal 
assistance for those who are not entitled to the coverage of such costs directly from the 
State  budget.  Over  EUR  10  million  are  earmarked  annually  for  various  forms  of 
assistance682. 

679 https://specialisterne.com/  
680 https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d38c9e-apply-for-funding-under-the-ability-programme/  
681 Eurocities pledges, City of Brno pledge. 
682 City of Ljubljana pledge. 

94 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Principle 18: Long-term care  

EU-level actions on long-term care include legislative measures providing opportunities 
for workers to be granted leave to care for dependent relatives683 and the Commission 
proposal to bring more clarity on the coordination of long-term care benefits in cross-
border situations684. Analytical work685 is on-going to better understand common long-
term  care  challenges  such  as  the  need  to  improve  long-term  care  access  and 
affordability,  support  the  quality  of  long-term  care  ,  and  ensure  adequate  long-term 
care  workforce.  The  Commission  is  working  with  the  Member  States  on  a  common 
portfolio of EU-level indicators. The dialogue with the Member States is taking place in 
the context of the social open method of coordination. A joint Commission-SPC Report 
mapping out the state of play of long-term care systems across the EU will be published 
in mid-2021. 

Digitalisation of the health and care sector 

Since  2012,  the  Commission  has  supported  the  European  Innovation  Partnership  on 
Active  and  Health  Ageing686,  gathering  innovators,  policy  makers,  patients,  health  and 
care  providers  to  ensure  the  deployment  of  digital  innovations  for  health  and  care  of 
older  people.  These  actions  range  from  integrated  care  to  independent  living  and  to 
age-friendly  environments,  and  include  tackling  age-related  difficulties  such  as  frailty 
and falls. 

international 

industrial  opportunities 

The Commission supports the Active and Assisted Living (AAL) Programme687 to create 
better living conditions for older adults with the help of technology, and to strengthen 
the 
information  and  communication 
technology.  The  programme  has  funded  more  than  200  projects,  involving  small  and 
medium enterprises (SMEs), research bodies and end-user organisations (representing 
seniors).  The  Joint  Programming  “Initiative  More  Years,  Better  Lives”688  (JPI  MYBL) 
consolidates  the  activities  of  more  than  15  countries  to  enhance  coordination  and 
collaboration  between  European  and  national  research  programs  related  to 
demographic change. 

in 

683 Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life 
balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU. 
684 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 
883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and regulation (EC) No 987/2009 laying down the 
procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, COM(2016) 815 final. 
685 Recent studies focus on social protection against the risk of LTC, LTC workforce, informal care and the 
LTC  market.  See  also  JRC,  Healthcare  and  long-term  care  workforce:  Demographic  challenges  and 
technology, 
migration 
potential 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC121698. 
686 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/ageing/home_en  
687 http://www.aal-europe.eu/  
688 https://www.jp-demographic.eu/  

contribution 

digital 

and 

of 

95 

 
 
 
                                                           
Seven social innovation projects in the area of long-term care (LTC) are ongoing at EU, 
national and regional level with the support of EaSI Programme. They aim to design and 
test innovative ways to address LTC challenges: designing integrated care models, new 
ways  to  provide  LTC  in  rural  sparsely  populated  areas,  new  funding  models  for  LTC, 
strengthening individual autonomy and introducing participatory decision-making in LTC 
policy  formation.  Some  projects  have  a  national/regional  focus  and  are  based  in 
Slovakia, Poland (Podlaskie voivodship) and Spain (Region of Castile and León). Others 
have  a  pan-European  dimension  covering  different  countries  (France,  Italy,  Portugal, 
Greece,  Germany,  Poland,  Austria,  Spain,  North  Macedonia,  Belgium,  Montenegro, 
Republic of Serbia, etc.). They run for three years (2020-2023), have an average budget 
of EUR 1.6 million (of which 80% EU grant), and target people in need of LTC and their 
carers. If successful, the new models could later be up-scaled using EU structural funds. 

Croatia  launched  a  programme  using  EU  funding  to  encourage  the  employment  of 
disadvantaged  women  (especially  aged  50+)  to  care  for  older  people  in  their 
communities.  France  introduced  an  allowance  for  persons  entitled  to  carer’s  leave. 
Malta reinforced homecare by introducing a cash benefit for persons employing a full-
time carer of their choice to assist them in their daily needs. The Netherlands improved 
working  conditions  in  the  care  sector  through  better  protected  contracts  (e.g.  open-
ended  contracts,  flexible  working  time,  leave).  Portugal  established  a  formal  status  of 
informal  carers.  Germany  has  enhanced  in-house  quality  assurance,  external  quality 
assessments and quality reporting in residential care. 

Croatia  is  strengthening  the  position  of  informal  carers  by  redefining  their  status. 
Through  the  Technical  Support  Instrument  (formerly  known  as  Structural  Reform 
Support Programme), the Commission is providing technical support to develop policy 
recommendations  to  review  the  policy  framework  for  long-term  care  services  and 
implement a new social benefit for informal care delivered at home. This is expected to 
contribute to poverty eradication (i.e. by providing additional support to an at-risk social 
category),  and  enhance  social  protection  for  informal  carers  (mostly  women),  by 
providing  them  with  a  salary  for  their  caring  duties,  and  rendering  them  eligible  to 
receive contribution-based pensions (thus reducing the gender gap in pensions).  

In  Lithuania,  the  ESF  supports  the  provision  of  integrated  social  care  and  nursing 
services  at  home  for  older  people  or  people  with  disabilities,  including  children.  The 
project called ‘’Integrated services at home’’ also provides consultation and training for 
family  members  to  improve  their  knowledge  and  skills  to  help  people  that  need  such 
services. Overall, some EUR 30 million (ESF) are dedicated to such projects in Lithuanian 
municipalities. 

The pandemic prompted some changes. Finland has adopted amendments to the Act on 
Care  Services  for  Older  Persons  to  increase  the  minimum  staffing  level  and  quality  of 
care  for  24-hour  care  and  for  long-term  institutional  care  for  older  people  gradually, 
from  0.5  employees  per  client  in  October  2020  to  0.7  employees  per  client  by  April 
2023. Portugal established the legal statute of the informal caregivers. To protect care 
recipients  during  the  pandemic,  several Member  States  (e.g. Austria,  Belgium,  France, 
Germany,  Ireland,  Italy,  Slovenia)  have  introduced  measures  to  isolate  residents  from 
other  care  recipients  within  the  care  home.  Member  States  (e.g.  Belgium  (Wallonia), 
Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain) have also introduced measures to fight increased 

96 

 
 
loneliness resulting from the pandemic and containment measures. As labour shortages 
in  the  long-term  care  sector  have  worsened  during  the  crisis,  Member  States  (e.g. 
Austria,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  the  Netherlands,  Slovenia,  Sweden)  have  introduced  or 
extended  measures  to  increase  the  pool  of  long-term  care  workers.  Some  Member 
States  (e.g.  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Slovakia,  Spain)  also  introduced  measures  to 
support informal carers during the pandemic, e.g. through benefits, allowing to reduce 
working time or introducing special leave schemes. 

The  Homes4Life  project689  –  supported  through  Horizon  2020  in  2018-2020  -  has 
developed  a  European  certification  scheme  based  on  a  long-term  vision  of  people’s 
health, care, social and other needs as they age in their homes. The certification scheme 
aims to develop better living environments integrating construction and digital solutions 
where beneficial.  

The  Commission  has  been  supporting  a  pilot  project  on  the  personal  and  household 
services  sector  (2018-2020)690,  which  can  play  an  important  role  in  long-term  care 
systems in the context of the demographic transition. 

The  cities  of  Bilbao,  Braga,  Brno,  Timisoara,  Warsaw  and  Zaragoza  have  pledged  to 
spend  EUR  34.5  million  on  affordable  long-term  care.  Their  main  aim  is  to  improve 
residential care, homecare and tele-care691. Bilbao a member of the Global Network of 
Age-Friendly  Cities  to  encourage  active  ageing,  social  participation  and  the  overall 
quality of life of elder people692.  

Principle 19: Housing and assistance for the homeless 

Renovation wave  

The  Communication  "A  Renovation  Wave  for  Europe:  greening  our  buildings,  creating 
jobs, improving lives”693 helps ensure access to decent, safe and affordable housing. It 
acknowledges  affordability  as  a  key  principle  of  building  renovation  and  the  need  to 
make energy-performing buildings widely available, in particular for medium and lower-
income  households.  One  focus  area  is  tackling  energy  poverty.  It  seeks  to  stimulate 
investments  in  affordable  housing,  notably  via  incentives  for  owners  and  tenants  to 
undertake renovations, to ensure adequate funding and scale up technical assistance694. 
Moreover,  it  should  benefit  persons  with  disabilities  by  making  renovated  buildings 
accessible.  

689 http://www.homes4life.eu/  
690 https://ad-phs.eu/  
691 Eurocities pledges. 
692 City of Bilbao pledge. 
693 COM(2020) 662 final of 14 October 2020. 
694  See  Staff  Working  Document  (2020)550  “Support  from  the  EU  budget  to  unlock  investment  into 
building renovation under the Renovation Wave”. 

97 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
The Commission encourages Member States to make the renovation of buildings a pillar 
of  their  Recovery  and  Resilience  and  National  Energy  and  Climate  plans.  It  monitors 
progress  through  the  national  long-term  renovation  strategies695,  the  European 
Semester and the governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action696. 

Furthermore,  cohesion policy supports  integrated  investments  in  social  housing  which 
contribute  to  social  inclusion,  as  well  as  measures  to  prevent  and  combat  spatial 
segregation and provide access to quality mainstream services. 

Finland  is  the  only  EU  Member  State  where  homelessness  has  decreased  significantly 
over the last two to three decades. This success lies in the Housing First Principle, i.e. a 
home  rather  than  temporary  accommodation,  as  a  human  right.  This  principle  means 
that  when  addressing  the  problems  faced  by  homeless  people,  the  first  support 
measure  should  always  be  the  provision  of  housing.  A  dwelling  is  a  precondition  for 
solving  other  problems,  and  hence  housing  is  always  a  top,  unconditional  priority. 
Positive drivers for the consistent fall in homelessness in Finland over the last decades 
include  the  adoption  of  a  long-term  strategic  policy  response,  a  multi-level  political 
commitment to ending homelessness and a shared collaborative approach in policy and 
service provision.  

In the Netherlands, in the framework of the 2012 Covenant on Energy Saving Industry, 
the  housing  corporations,  the  Woonbond  and  the  public  authorities  agreed  that  the 
total rental housing stock for 2021 reaches an average energy efficiency index of 1,25 
(average energy label B). 

is 

implementing  a  five-year  plan  on 

'housing  first'697  and  combatting 
France 
homelessness (2018-2022). Through the Technical Support Instrument (formerly known 
as  Structural  Reform  Support  Programme),  the  Commission  is  providing  technical 
assistance towards implementing change management strategies for stakeholders and 
training  of  technical/administrative  personnel.  The  project  envisages  also  the 
development  of  a  monitoring  and  evaluation  framework,  and  extensive  consultation 
with  stakeholders  to  raise  awareness  of  the  housing  first  approach  and  generate  the 
necessary buy-in.  

The HOME_EU project698 – supported through Horizon 2020 in 2016-2019 – looked at 
how  people  with  a  lived-experience  of  homelessness  perceive  the  opportunities, 

695https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/long-term-
renovation-strategies_en  
696  Article  2a  of  the  Energy  Performance  of  Buildings  Directive  requires  Member  States  to  notify  their 
national Long-Term Renovation Strategies to the Commission by 10 March 2020. Most Member States did 
not  respect  the  deadline:  as  of  15  November  2020,  13  Member  States  had  submitted  their  strategies 
Ireland,  Luxembourg, 
(Austria,  Cyprus,  Czechia,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  France,  Germany, 
Netherlands, Spain and Sweden). In addition, in Belgium, the Brussels Region and the Flanders Region had 
submitted their regional Long-Term Renovation Strategies. The Commission is in contact with all Member 
States to provide guidance on the drafting and accelerate the submission process. 
697 Housing First refers to an alternative system of emergency/transitional housing progressions. Rather 
than moving homeless individuals through different ‘levels’ of housing, whereby each level moves them 
closer to ‘independent housing’, Housing First moves the homeless individual or household immediately 
from the streets or homeless shelters into their own accommodation.  
698 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/726997          

98 

 
 
                                                           
choices and capability gains with services and existing social policies; what strategies are 
considered  to  be  more  effective  in  reversing  homelessness;  and  how  to  develop  an 
indicator on policy and programme efficacy.  

The  EaSI-financed  project  on  integrated  housing  and  labour  services  in  the  social 
rental  enterprise  model  (HomeLab  -  2016  –  2019)699  promoted  the  social  and  labour 
market  integration  of  groups  in  situations  of  vulnerability  through  housing  and 
employment. It was based on the implementation of the Social Rental Enterprise (SRE) 
model, an institutionalised model of integration, expanding the usual concept of social 
housing, by integrating the private rental market into it. The model is characterised by 
intensive,  long-term  and  personalised  case-handling  solutions.  It  was  tested  by  five 
implementing  organisations  in  nine  locations  in  the  Czech  Republic,  Hungary,  Poland, 
and Slovakia.  

EnergieSprong700  is  an  approach  initially  implemented  in  the  Netherlands  in  2012  to 
undertake  large-scale  energy  renovation  of  social  housing  districts  to  reach  net-zero 
level consumption, while ensuring affordability of renovated units (residents charges do 
not increase) and minimum disturbance for residents (as they can remain in their homes 
during renovation works and be involved in the process). More than 5000 homes could 
take advantage of the method in France and the Netherlands and 14 000 other projects 
are being developed in Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands. 

Other  actions  like  the  Social  Green  project701  funded  via  the  European  Regional 
Development Fund help regional authorities to identify, share and transfer methods of 
formulating  and  implementing  green  social  housing  policies  and  instruments  cutting 
greenhouse gas emissions from social housing and tackling energy poverty. The projects 
involves partners from Croatia, Estonia, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.  

The  cities  of  Athens,  Barcelona,  Birmingham,  Bologna,  Ghent,  Glasgow,  Hamburg, 
Leipzig, Lille, Ljubljana, Lyon, Nantes, Poznan, Timisoara, Utrecht, Vienna and Zaragoza 
have  pledged  EUR  4.3  billion  of  city  investments  in  more  affordable  housing,  to 
providing 82 709 new and affordable housing units in  cities and to building 3 500 new 
‘Housing First’ shelters and temporary housing for homeless. They will continue working 
for  the  renovation  of  social  housing  and  recycling  of  vacant  housing702.  The  city  of 
living, 
Florence  pursues  a  Smart  Liveability  model  that  supports 
complementing its integrated system for temporary accommodation. It has taken action 
to build 7 994 social houses to host 7 302 families; open 4 new winter shelters for the 
homeless,  hosting  over  400  people;  extend  temporary  shelters  during  lockdown,  and 
create 8 new social canteens.  

independent 

699 http://homelab.mri.hu/ 
700 https://energiesprong.org/  
701 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/Estonia/mutual-learning-for-greener-social-housing  
702 Eurocities pledges. 

99 

 
 
 
                                                           
Principle 20: Essential services 

The  report  on  “Access  to  essential  services  for  people  on  low  incomes  in  Europe”, 
published in September 2020, provides a first mapping of the measures Member States 
have put in place to help people on low incomes to access essential services703.  

European Accessibility Act  

The  European  Accessibility  Act  includes  provisions  and  accessibility  requirements 
relevant  for  essential  services  and  to  ensure  access  for  people  with  disabilities  or 
reduced  mobility,  and  specific  obligations  for  transports,  electronic  communication 
services  and  consumer  banking  services.  In  addition,  it  contains  obligations  for  e-
commerce,  so  when  services  are  sold  on  line their  e-commerce  platforms  and  related 
mobile device based services have to be accessible. 

Tackling energy poverty  

The  Commission  has  put  forward  several  initiatives  to  address  energy  poverty  and 
enhance  access  to  energy  services.  The  Clean  energy  for  all  Europeans  package704  
integrates  energy  poverty  in  its  instruments.  It  introduced  obligations  for  Member 
States to monitor the situation and to indicate specific national objectives and actions in 
their  national  energy  and  climate  plans  (NECPs)  and  national  long-term  renovation 
strategies  to  alleviate  energy  poverty.  This  has  resulted  in  energy  poverty  rising  in 
Member States’ political and legislative agendas and becoming an increasingly relevant 
part of local government programmes. 

The  Renovation  Wave  Strategy,  adopted  in  October  2020,  includes  a  Commission’s 
Recommendation  on  Energy  Poverty705.  The  Recommendation  aims  to  help  Member 
States define, monitor and assess energy poverty and spread best practices. It calls for 
the  assessment  of  the  distributional  effects  of  the  energy  transition  and  for  targeted 
support  for  low-income  households  (such  as  grants  and  support  to  overcome  high 
upfront  costs  of  renovations).  The  accompanying  guidance706  presents  the  energy 
poverty  situations  across  Member  States  with  indicators  available  from  the  Statistical 
office  of  the  European  Union  and  the  European  Energy  Poverty  Observatory.  It  maps 
good practices and available EU funding for energy poverty projects.  

The Commission’s prioritisation of energy poverty is largely reflected in the EU Energy 
Poverty  Observatory707,  launched  in  2018  to  collect  data,  develop  indicators  and 
disseminate  best  practices  to  tackle  energy  poverty.  As  of  2021,  the  Observatory  will 

703 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1135&newsId=9764&furtherNews=yes  
704 https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-strategy/clean-energy-all-europeans_en  
705 Commission Recommendation C(2020)9600 on Energy Poverty. 
706 
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/swd_on_the_recommendation_on_energy_poverty_swd20
20960.pdf  
707 https://www.energypoverty.eu/  

100 

 
 
 
                                                           
take  on  an  active  role  in  steering  municipal  policies  and  measures  to  greater 
effectiveness  through  targeted  (both  thematic  and  regionally  organised)  technical 
assistance. It will go beyond the platform for exchange it was originally designed to be, 
offering  to  practically  assist,  coordinate  and  promote  successful  local  actions  for  just 
transitions.  

Since  2008, the  Commission  has been  supporting  the  Covenant  of Mayors  for  Climate 
and  Energy,  which  helps  about  10,000  local  authorities  across  the  EU  adopt  and 
implement  plans  on  energy  savings,  adaptation  to  climate  change,  and,  since  2015, 
addressing energy poverty. The Covenant of Mayors will have a reinforced purpose to 
help share experience on how to deal with energy poverty at local level through events 
and working groups, attended by municipalities from across Europe and beyond.  

Revision of the Drinking Water Directive 

The  revised  Drinking  Water  Directive708  will  guarantee  safer  access  to  water  for  all 
Europeans.  The  Directive  introduces  the  obligation  for  Member  States  to  improve  or 
maintain  access  to  safe  drinking  water  for  all,  with  a  focus  on  vulnerable  and 
marginalised  groups.  It  also  provides  for  better  access  to  information  for  citizens 
regarding  water  suppliers,  concerning  for  example  the  quality  and  supply  of  drinking 
water  in  their  living  area. It  is  based  on  the proposal  presented  by  the  Commission in 
February 2018, as a direct follow-up to the first-ever successful Right2Water European 
Citizens' Initiative. 

WiFi4EU  

The WiFi4EU initiative aims to provide free high-quality internet access across the EU via 
Wi-Fi  hotspots  in  public  spaces  such  as  parks,  public  squares,  administrations,  public 
libraries, health centres, etc. As part of the Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy, 
WiFi4EU also brings digital services (e-Government, e-Health, e-Tourism, etc.) to work in 
practice for local citizens and visitors. It has distributed over 8,800 vouchers across 30 
participating countries since its inception.  

European Electronic Communications Code 

The universal service provisions in the European electronic communications regulatory 
framework provide a safety net to ensure that a set of services is available to all end-
users and at an affordable price to consumers. One of these services is connection at a 
fixed location to a public communications network. These provisions have been updated 
and strengthened in the European Electronic Communications Code709, where the focus 
is  on  affordability  to  all  consumers  of  an  adequate  broadband  internet  access  service 
and of voice communications services (see also under Principle 17).  

708 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-drink/review_en.html  
709  Directive  (EU)  2018/1972  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  December  2018 
establishing  the  European  Electronic  Communications  Code  (Recast)Text  with  EEA  relevance.  OJ  L  321, 
17.12.2018, p. 36–214. 

101 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Digital government 

The  Commission  has  been  supporting  digital  government  in  Europe  through  the 
eGovernment  Action  Plan  2016-2020710.  In  the  2017  Tallinn  Ministerial Declaration  on 
eGovernment711, Member States and EFTA states confirmed their commitment to strive 
to  be  open,  efficient  and  inclusive,  providing  borderless,  interoperable,  personalised, 
user-friendly,  end-to-end  digital  public  services  to  all  citizens  and  businesses  –  at  all 
levels of public administration. In the Annex of the Tallinn Declaration, Member States 
emphasise  the  importance  of  user-centric  digital  public  services,  e.g.  by  engaging 
citizens  in  the  creation  of  digital  public  services.  Member  States  signed  the  Berlin 
Declaration  on  Digital  Society  and  Value-based  Digital  Government  on  8  December 
2020712.  The  Declaration  acknowledges  the  public  sector  as  a  driving  force  innovative 
technological solutions for public services and societal challenges and a role model for a 
value-based digital transformation that fully respects citizens’ rights and freedoms. 

In  the  6  June  2020  Council  Conclusions  ‘Shaping  Europe's  Digital  Future’713  Member 
States called on the Commission to propose a reinforced EU digital government policy, 
bearing in mind the e-inclusion of all citizens and private actors, to ensure coordination 
and  support  for  the  digital  transformation  of  public  administrations  in  all  EU  Member 
States,  including  interoperability  and  common  standards  for  secure  and  borderless 
public  sector  data  flows  and  services.  Member  States  recognise  that  public 
administrations  have  the  responsibility  for  ensuring  citizens  are  treated  equally  in 
access to digital government.  

France’s Long-Term Renovation Strategy points to gradual measures to address worst-
performing  buildings,  starting  with  a  ban  on  rent  increase  in  the  case  of  poorly 
performing buildings (“passoire énergétique”) as from 2021, a ban on renting these as 
from 2023 and an obligation to renovate all worst performing buildings as from 2028. It 
also envisages the establishment of an annual report on the achievement of the energy 
renovation  targets  for  housing,  and  in  particular  the  eradication  of  “passoires 
thermiques”. 

The  city of  Antwerp  has  pledged to  reduce  energy  poverty by helping  people  save  on 
energy costs. It aims to provide a one-stop-shop (Ecohouse Antwerp) to connect all city 
services  on  sustainable  building  and  living,  uniting  practical  and  financial  support  and 
counselling on energy reduction, renewables, energy retrofitting, etc714. 

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/ministerial-declaration-egovernment-tallinn-

710 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0179  
711 
declaration  
712 
based-digital-government  
713 
future-council-adopts-conclusions/   
714 Eurocities pledges. 

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/berlin-declaration-digital-society-and-value-

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/06/09/shaping-europe-s-digital-

102 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
4.  MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PILLAR  

I. 

Targets 

The  Action  Plan  proposes  three  headline  targets  with  a  2030  time  horizon.  They 
complement  those  set  out  or  announced  in  other  frameworks,  such  as  the  European 
Green  Deal,  the  European  Skills  Agenda,  the  European  Education  Area,  the  EU  Roma 
strategic  framework  for  equality,  inclusion  and  participation,  and  the  Digital  Decade. 
The proposed headline targets, building on the revised Social Scoreboard and reflecting 
the three chapters of the Pillar, are set in continuation with the social and employment 
targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy715. They will replace the current headline targets in 
the employment, education and social area, and are:  

1)  Employment  rate  of  the  20-64  year-old716  (already  part  of  the  Europe  2020 

targets); 

2)  Adult participation in learning during the last 12 months (new target relative to 

Europe 2020)717; 

3)  At  risk  of  poverty  or  social  exclusion  rate  (already  part  of  the  Europe  2020 

targets)718. 

The numerical targets by 2030 are set as follows: 

Target minimum 
for 2030 

Current level 

Expected minimum 
change 

78.0% 

60.0% 

73.1% (2019) 

+ 4.9 pps 

37.4% (2016) 

+ 22.6 pps 

Employment rate 

Adult participation rate 
in learning during the 
last 12 months 

At-risk-of-poverty or 
social exclusion rate 

Decline by at least 
15 million people 

Around 91 
million persons 

Decline by at least 
15 million people 

(2019) 

The following sub-sections present the rationale for each target’s choice, as well as their 
recent trends and projection scenarios up to 2030, featuring in the impact of the COVID-
19 crisis as much as possible. The significant level of uncertainty linked to the evolution 

715  This  strategy  notably  included  an  employment  rate  target  of  75%,  education  targets  (reducing  the 
early school leaving rate and tertiary education target) and a target to reduce the number of people at 
risk  of poverty or social exclusion by 20 million. Cf.  COM(2010) 2020 final: EUROPE 2020 A strategy for 
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. 
716  Work  will  be  carried  out  to  explore  the  possibility  of  extending  this  age  bracket  to  better  reflect 
demographic  developments,  societal  changes  and  active  ageing,  also  in  view  of  the  Green  Paper  of 
Ageing, in consultation with the relevant EPSCO Committees. 
717 This indicator will be available every two years starting from 2022. 
718  To  keep  pace  with  recent  developments,  the  definition  of  the  indicator  will  be  updated  in  the 
components of severe material (and social) deprivation and quasi-jobless households.  

103 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
of  the  pandemic  and  its  future  impact  on  economic  and  societal  outcomes  has  been 
taken into account by elaborating alternative scenarios where relevant. Complementary 
goals and ambitions for improvement on other indicators, with a view to helping reach 
the headline targets, are discussed where relevant. 

Employment rate  

Ensuring  a  high  employment  rate  remains  a  key  priority  for  2030  to  support  active 
participation in society, strengthen the growth potential and ensure the adequacy and 
sustainability of social protection systems in the light of ageing.  

In this context, the inclusion of underrepresented groups in the labour market will play 
an  important  role.  In  particular,  halving  the  gender  employment  gap  will  be  essential 
and would contribute to reducing gender inequalities more generally (and together with 
further reductions in the gender pay gap, will contribute to reduce the gender pension 
gap).  Increasing  employment  rates  among  other  disadvantaged  groups  –  e.g.  young 
people, the low skilled, persons with disabilities, people with a minority racial or ethnic 
background,  particularly  Roma,  people  with  a  migrant  background  –  would  also 
contribute to the overall goal, while ensuring equal opportunities in the labour market 
and preventing social exclusion. In particular, the Action Plan explicitly puts forward the 
ambition to significantly reduce the share of young people neither in employment, nor 
in education or training (NEETs).  

In addition, a higher labour market participation of older people would be important to 
achieve the headline employment rate target as well as for ensuring the sustainability 
and  adequacy  of  our  pension  systems  (as  it  would  raise  contributions  and  lower  the 
number  of  beneficiaries  in  relation  to  the  active  population),  while  supporting  active 
ageing. Finally, addressing gaps in employment rates across regions (including between 
rural  and  urban  areas),  which  are  relevant  in  some  Member  States,  will  also  be 
important to achieve the overall target. 

Why this indicator?  

The employment rate is one of the most comprehensive, well established and reliable 
indicators in the employment and social domains. It has been already used as a headline 
target  in  the  Europe  2020  strategy.  It  is  also  part  of  the  EU  SDG  indicator  set.  The 
employment  rate  of  the  20-64  years  old  focusses  on  participation  in  paid  work  in 
general,  including  that  of  a  short  period.  The  indicator  spans  across  all  population 
groups,  types  of  employment  and  payment  regimes.  Available  data  from  the  Labour 
Force Survey allow for breaking down the overall employment rate across a number of 
relevant sub-groups.  

After the 2009 economic and financial crisis, the EU entered a job-rich recovery, which 
hinged especially on an increase in the employment rate among older and high-skilled 
workers,  while  the  gender  employment  gap  has  remained  broadly  stable719.  Based  on 

719 The gender employment gap (i.e. the difference between the employment rates of men and women) 
amounted to 11.8 pps in 2013 and 11.7 pps in 2019, while remaining roughly constant during the period.   

104 

 
 
                                                           
this trend, an employment rate of 73.1% was reached in 2019720, before the onset of the 
COVID-19 crisis (still somewhat below the 75% Europe 2020 employment rate target by 
2020).  

In  2019,  seven  Member  States  (Sweden,  Germany,  Czechia,  Estonia,  the  Netherlands, 
Denmark and Lithuania) had an employment rate above 78%. On the other hand, Spain, 
Croatia,  Italy  and  Greece  had  employment  rates  as  low  as  68%,  66.7%,  63.5%  and 
61.2%.  Population  groups  with  lower  than  average  employment  rates  include  in 
particular  women  (67.2%),  low-skilled  persons  (ISCED  0-2)  (55.7%),  older  people  aged 
55-64 (59.1%) and non-EU born people (64.4%). Data available from surveys of the EU 
Fundamental  Rights  Agency  also  point  to  substantially  lower  employment  rates  and  a 
higher gender employment gap for most important ethnic (Roma) and racial minorities.  

The COVID-19 crisis has strongly affected the economic and employment performance 
in the EU thereafter. The employment rate fell to 72.1% in the second quarter of 2020, 
to then partly recovered to 72.4% in the third quarter721. The Autumn Forecast projects 
that, on a yearly basis, the employment rate will start increasing again only in 2022722. 
The  proposed  target  of  78%  by  2030  takes  into  account  the  impact  of  the  crisis, 
assuming  that  a  more  substantial  recovery  in  employment  figures  may  only  happen 
from 2023 onwards.  

As shown in Figure 1, different scenarios have been simulated based on projected GDP 
growth  up  to  2022723  and  potential  GDP  growth  rates  from  2023  to  2030724,  and  on 
Eurostat population projections up to 2030 for all Member States. The employment rate 
in  2030  is  computed  by  applying  the  elasticities  of  the  employment  rate  to  GDP  and 
population  estimated over  2013-2019  (i.e.  by  assuming that  the forthcoming  recovery 
will  be  as  job  rich  as  the  last  one,  without  the  impact  of  additional  policies)725  and 
averaging  the  results  at  EU  level.  The  baseline  scenario  leads  to  an  estimated 
employment rate of 78% in 2030, corresponding to the proposed target.  

Alternative  scenarios  are  estimated  by  assuming,  for  all  Member  States,  GDP  growth 
respectively  0.5  percentage  points  (pps)  higher  or  0.5  pps  lower  than  in  the  baseline, 
which implies a median GDP growth of 1.6% per year over the period 2023-2030 (in the 
alternative scenarios, median GDP growth is therefore at 2.1% and 1.1% respectively). 
Under  the  two  scenarios  the  employment  rate  would  reach  respectively  79.4%  and 
76.6%  in  2030,  compared  to  78%  in  the  baseline.  It  should  be  noted  that,  during  the 

720  This  represents  a  substantial  increase  compared  to  67.5%  in  2013,  mostly  owing  to  increasing  rates 
among the elderly and the highly educated. 
721 Seasonally adjusted. 
722 Based on the Commission Autumn Economic Forecast, the employment rate would amount to 71.7% 
on average in 2020, remain stable in 2021, and increase to 72.3% in 2022. These projections are based on 
the  forecast  for  the  employment  rate  in  the  age  group  15-64  (by  making  a  proportion).  Note  that  the 
Winter (interim) Forecast published on 11 February 2021 does not present estimates for the employment 
rate (but only for GDP and inflation).  
723 From the Commission Winter (interim) Economic Forecast. 
724 Long-term T+10 projections by ECFIN, with a median value of 1.6% per year. 
725 Projections using long-term periods such as the 20-year average would not capture the recent increase 
in  elasticity  accompanying  the  job  rich  recovery  of  2013-2019.  An  alternative  scenario  using  the  lower 
elasticity estimated over 2000-2019 would lead to an estimated employment rate of 74% in 2030. 

105 

 
 
                                                           
2013-2019  recovery,  the  actual  median  GDP  growth  was  on  average  2.3%  per  year 
(which  implies  that  the  employment  rate  in  2030  could  be  even  higher,  if  economic 
growth were to follow a similar path after the current crisis).   

Figure 1: Employment rate projections (for EU) and target  

Note: Projections based on forecast of potential GDP growth rates up to 2030 (±0.5 pps 
yearly for the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios), Eurostat population projections and 
average elasticity of employment to GDP and population during the 2013-2019 recovery. 
The  projections  from  2020  to  2022  are  based  on  the  Autumn  Economic  Forecast  (note 
that the Winter Forecast does not include projections for employment). 

To reach the headline target on the employment rate,  it will be important to increase 
the employment rate of women. With a view to addressing the persisting challenge of 
women’s  under-representation  in the  labour market,  the  ambition is  to  at  least  halve 
the gender employment gap (i.e. the difference between the employment rates of men 
and women). Reducing this gap is a priority highlighted in the European Pillar of Social 
Rights and supported by other EU initiatives, notably the Gender Equality Strategy. It is 
also  instrumental  in  responding  to  the  challenges  of  an  ageing  population  and  a 
shrinking workforce, and improving equal opportunities in the society, including in view 
of  the  generally  higher  educational  outcomes  of  women.  It  may  also  be  conducive  to 
progress  on  the  target  of  reduction  of  poverty  and  social  exclusion,  including  among 
children, through the positive impact on households’ incomes. 

Gender differences persist in the EU labour market. Between 2005 and 2019, the female 
employment  rate  in  the  EU-27  has  increased  from  58.7%  to  67.3%,  while  the  gender 
employment  gap  has  declined  from  around  16.4 pps  to  11.7 pps.  However,  the 
reduction of the gap has stagnated in recent years. In a similar way as for the general 
employment  rate,  the  impact  of  the  COVID-19  crisis  is  expected  to  weigh  on  female 
employment  rates  until  2021.  Current  data  suggest  that,  so  far,  the  drop  in  the 
employment rate of women (down to 66.6% in Q3-2020) has been comparable in size 

106 

64.066.068.070.072.074.076.078.080.082.020052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027202820292030EU-27 (observed)Autumn ForecastBaseline scenarioTargetOptimistic scenarioPessimistic scenario 
 
 
with that of men, leaving the gender gap almost unaffected. However, women’s over-
representation  in  lower  paid  sectors  and  occupations,  as  well  as  in  part-time 
employment, makes them particularly vulnerable until the recovery sets in. 

Gender  gaps  are  larger  for  women  with  young  children,  as  well  as  for  older,  non-EU 
born and low-skilled women, and women with disabilities. Increasing employment rates 
for  these  groups  would  be  crucial  to  achieve  the  proposed  reduction  of  the  gender 
employment gap by (at least) half by 2030. To this purpose, increasing the provision of 
formal  early  childhood  education  and  care  (ECEC),  thus  contributing  to  better 
reconciliation  between  professional  and  private  life  will  be  important.  While  on 
average, the EU has reached the Barcelona target of 33% of children below the age of 3 
in  early  childhood  education  and  care  (35.5%  at  EU-27  level  in  2019),  there  remain 
significant  gaps,  with  15  Member  States  not  having  reached  this  level  and  a  lower 
access for children from lower income households. The revision of the Barcelona targets 
on the provision of formal early childhood education and care will further contribute to 
this goal. 

Halving the gender employment gap would require a decrease from 11.7 pps in 2019 to 
5.8 pps  in  2030.  Despite  the  stagnation  of  this  indicator  over  the  last  few  years,  the 
gender employment rate has seen considerable improvements in the long run, from a 
peak of 16.4 pps in 2005. The improvement has been especially strong among Member 
States with lowest rates. In 2019 four Member States had a gender gap below 5.8 pps 
(Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania), all with employment rates very close or above 
78%  (which  indicates  that  reaching  that  level  for  the  gender  employment  gap  will 
contribute to achieve the headline employment rate). On the other hand, the gap was 
close  or  above  20  pps  in  Greece,  Italy,  Malta  and  Romania  –  indicating  scope  for 
progress, on top of the reduction already achieved by some of these countries in recent 
years. 

Reducing  the  rate  of  young  people  neither  in  employment,  nor  in  education  or 
training (NEET) will also contribute to achieving the overall employment rate target. The 
ambition for the EU is to reduce this share (in the age group 15-29) from 12.6% in 2019 
to  9%  in  2030  (taking  into  account  the  impact  of  the  COVID-19  crisis  as  explained 
below). 

Promoting  youth  employment  and  improving  school-to-work  transitions  has  been  a 
priority  for  the  EU  since  the  adoption  of  the  Youth  Guarantee  and  the  Youth 
Employment Initiative in 2013. With the reinforced Youth Guarantee adopted in 2020, 
Member States have committed to ensuring that all young people under 30 years of age 
receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or 
a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal 
education, in line with Principle 4 of the European Pillar of Social Rights.  

Despite  the  pre-pandemic  progress  in  youth  employment  rates  and  a  decrease  in  the 
number of young people neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET), the 
transition of young people from school to work is still facing challenges in relation for 
instance  to  labour  market  segmentation  and/or  unsatisfactory  outcomes  of  education 
and training systems. The COVID-19 crisis, which is proving to have a disproportionate 
effect on young people - with an increase in the youth unemployment rate of 2.6 pps 

107 

 
 
between  the  first  and  third  quarter  2020,  compared  to  0.9  pps  overall  –  will  further 
compound  these  challenges.  The  NEET  rate  is  a broad  measure  of  untapped  potential 
and lowering it will help the EU mitigate the economic and social costs of the crisis on 
young people.  

The Action Plan’s ambition of reducing the NEET rate is aligned with the implementation 
of  the  reinforced  Youth  Guarantee.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  complementary  with  the 
adult  learning  headline  target,  based  on  which  more  people  in  the  age  bracket  25-29 
will have access to training, with the ambition to reduce the share of early leavers from 
education and training to 9% (see below), and with the targets proposed in the context 
of the European Education Area.  

The NEET rate of those aged 15-29 years old was 12.6% in 2019, down from a peak of 
16.1% in 2013. The COVID-19 crisis has pushed the NEET rate up in the short run (up to 
14.7%  in  Q2-2020,  then  decreasing  to  13.5%  in  the  third  quarter)  and  is  expected  to 
have a negative impact on it also in 2021. Reaching 9% would require a 4 pps decrease 
compared  to  2019,  and  a  steeper  one  considering  the  impact  of  the  current  crisis.  In 
2019,  7  Member  States  (the  Netherlands,  Sweden,  Luxembourg,  Germany,  Malta, 
Austria and Slovenia) already had NEET rates lower than 9%, while Bulgaria, Romania, 
Greece and Italy had the highest rates, at 16.7%, 16.8%, 17.7% and 22.2%, respectively. 
Countries in the first group have particularly high employment rates for the 15-29, and 
have  benefitted  more  from  the  job-rich  recovery  and  an  increased  participation  in 
education and training after 2013. 

A simulation based on the post-2013 recovery pattern shows that, with uninterrupted 
progress and continuing policy effort, the EU could reach a NEET rate of around 7.5% by 
2030726.  Both  a  rapid  recovery  after  the  COVID-19  crisis  as  well  as  the  ambitious 
education  agenda  could  make  this  transition  plausible.  However,  the  COVID-19  crisis 
has  hit  youth  employment  hard;  this  calls  for  caution  in  projecting  a  substantial 
decrease  in  the  NEET  rate  at  this  stage  of  the  cycle.  Adjusting  to  a  possibly  more 
permanent  negative  shock  to  the  NEET  rate,  a  reduction  from  current  levels  to  9% 
appears both ambitious and realistic. 

Adult participation in learning in the last 12 months 

In today’s society and fast-changing labour markets, adults cannot afford any longer to 
rely solely on what they have learned in their initial education and training, but need to 
constantly  update  their  skills  and  competences  to  thrive.  A  large  majority  of  EU 
companies  cite  the  scarcity  of  skilled  staff  as  the  first  obstacle  to  investment727.  This 
problem is likely to exacerbate in the future with ongoing transformations of jobs and 
workplaces. 

726 This would imply a period of faster decrease from 12.6% in 2020 to 9.5% in 2025 (one could observe a 
similar decrease between 2014 and 2019 for Member States starting from a level close to the current EU-
27 average), followed by a  slower one to 7.5% by 2030 (one could observe a  similar decrease between 
2014 and 2019 for Member States starting from the value projected for 2025). 
727 In 2019, 77% of companies considered that scarcity of skilled staff remained the most frequent reason 
limiting long-term investments (European Investment Bank Group Investment Survey 2019, p. 19). 

108 

 
 
                                                           
Both the digital and green transitions will fundamentally change the skill requirements 
of many jobs and will create new ones. The digital transition reaches beyond the labour 
market, as an increasing number of services, e.g. banking or public administration, are 
turning to online access – and will increasingly do so in the future. In this context, digital 
skills  are  critical  to  ensure  labour  market  participation,  competitiveness,  innovation 
capacity  and  active  participation  of  people  in  society.  Also  the  success  of  the  green 
transition  will  depend  on  people  who  have  the  skills  that  are  needed  for  a  significant 
change of “business as usual”. Job creation in the green economy is expected to include 
mostly middle-skilled, middle-paying jobs728.  

The  COVID-19  crisis  is  having  a  significant  impact  on  labour  markets  that  will  also 
translate  into  the  need  to  support  and  ease  transitions  across  jobs  and  sectors. 
Appropriate upskilling and reskilling will be essential to this purpose, also in the light of 
the more structural changes mentioned above.  

Adult  learning  captures  a  broad  range  of  education  and  training  activities  that  equip 
people with the skills they need, including digital skills from basic to advanced ones such 
as  coding.  Countries  with  higher  participation  rates  in  adult  learning  typically  display 
higher  employment  rates;  this  positive  correlation  suggests  that  the  targets  on 
employment  and  adult  learning  are  interrelated  and  mutually  reinforcing,  while 
achieving  higher  skills  levels  among  adults  may  contribute  to  reducing  poverty  and 
social exclusion.  

Why this indicator?  

Adult participation in learning is a comprehensive and well-established indicator. It has 
been endorsed by the Member States in several Council Conclusions, is already used by 
the Commission to monitor Member States’ progress in this area in the context of the 
Social Scoreboard, and is one of the targets of the European Skills Agenda. It is also one 
of  the  indicators  used  in  the  European  Semester’s  benchmarking  framework  for  adult 
skills and learning. It covers all forms of formal and non-formal learning in the 25-64 age 
group, thereby referring to the acquisition of skills needed for the labour market as well 
as, more generally, for full participation in society. The European Skills Agenda proposes 
to increase the reference period for which learning activities are considered from one 
month to one year: a longer reference period better captures shorter trainings, which 
are becoming increasingly important in today’s labour markets. 

In  2016  (latest  available  data),  37.4%  of  adults  in  the  EU-27  participated  in  learning, 
showing  an  increase  of  3.3  pps  compared  to  34.4%  in  2011.  In  2016,  the  best 
performing  Member  States  (Sweden,  the  Netherlands,  Austria  and  Hungary)  reached 
adult  learning  participation  rates  of  58.8%,  57.1%,  55.3%  and  54.8%,  respectively. 
Poland, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, on the other hand, had participation rates as low 
as 20.9%, 16.0%, 11.8% and 5.8% in the same year. Some groups of adults participate 
less  in  learning.  People  with  lower  education  levels  (ISCED  0-2),  the  inactive  and  the 

728 Also the success of the green transition will depend on people who have the skills that are needed for 
a  significant  change  of  “business  as  usual”.  Job  creation  in  the  green  economy  is  expected  to  include 
mostly middle-skilled, middle-paying jobs. While no dedicated quantitative indicators on green skills exist 
at this stage, the Commission will develop such indicators as part of the Skills Agenda. 

109 

 
 
                                                           
unemployed had participation rates of 17.9%, 21.3% and 26%, respectively, well below 
the EU average. Participation of employees in micro-enterprises (35.6%) was well below 
participation in large companies (55.1%).  

The Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights sets a new target for 
adult  participation  in  learning  at  60%  for  2030.  Figure  2  shows  different  scenarios  on 
which  the target  setting  was  based.  If  growing  at  the  same rate  as observed between 
2011 and 2016, the indicator would reach around 47.3% in 2030. This implies a growth 
rate of 1.7% per year and is reflected below as the pessimistic scenario, as it does not 
take into account of the reinforced EU and Member States’ policy efforts triggered by 
the  European  Skills  Agenda  and  the  Action  Plan,  nor  the  unprecedented  available  EU 
funding for skills, notably with Next Generation EU. Considering these additional efforts, 
the  growth  rate  may  be  expected  to  double  (i.e.  to  3.4%  per  year)  reaching  the  60% 
target in 2030. An optimistic scenario could even envisage a tripling of the growth rate 
compared  to  the  baseline.  This  would  lead  to  a  growth  rate  of  5.1%  per  year  and  a 
target  of  75%  reached  by  2030.  However,  considering  that,  as  shown  above,  some 
groups are particularly difficult to reach, this is considered as not sufficiently realistic. 

Monitoring this target will be based on the Labour Force Survey, which will include adult 
learning  participation  in  the  past  12  months  every  second  year  starting  in  2022.  The 
past trend and baseline values can be estimated based on the Adult Education Survey 
waves of 2011 and 2016.  

 Figure 2: Adult participation in learning in the EU (in %) and target 

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

34.4 

37.4 

75 

60 

47.3 

2011

2016

2025

2030

Observed

Target

Pessimistic

Optimistic

Note: Projections based on different growth scenarios up to 2030.  

Achieving the adult learning headline target will be instrumental to increase the share 
of  individuals  with  basic  or  above  basic  digital  skills  to  at  least  80%  by  2030.  A  still 
large  part  of  the  EU  population  lacks  basic  (44%  in  2019)  or  above  basic  (69%)  digital 
skills. At the same time, the mismatch between demand and supply of ICT specialists is 
substantial  (57%  EU  companies  found  it  difficult  to  recruit  ICT  specialists  in  2019729, 

729 Eurostat community survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in entreprises [isoc_ske_itrcrn2]. 

110 

 
 
 
                                                           
while  only  3.6%  of  all  graduates  have  a  degree  in  ICT  subjects730)  and  women  are 
significantly under-represented within this group. Europeans need digital skills in a great 
part  of  their  life  and  work  activities:  90%  of  jobs  already  require  some  kind  of  digital 
ability.  Moreover,  participation  in  society  increasingly  requires  basic  digital  skills  (e.g. 
for  education,  e-government  and  social  interaction).  A  successful  and  inclusive  digital 
transition,  including  the  collaborative  economy,  artificial  intelligence  and  e-services, 
depends on a population with digital skills. However, the supply of digital skills from the 
education  and  training  systems  is  often  not  sufficient.  The  COVID-19  pandemic  has 
emphasised the need to reinforce our efforts.  

Looking at basic digital skills reflects the spirit of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in 
particular its first principle, which affirms that everyone should have the opportunity to 
acquire  skills  that  enable  them  to  participate  fully  in  society  and  manage  successfully 
transitions  in  the  labour  market.  In  2019,  on  average  within  the  EU27,  56%  of 
individuals aged between 16 and 74 were reported to have at least basic digital skills731. 
The  European  Skills  Agenda  for  sustainable  competitiveness,  social  fairness  and 
resilience put a particular emphasis on these skills and set the objective to increase the 
share of adults 16-74 with at least basic digital skills from 56% in 2019 to 70% in 2025732. 
In the context of the Action Plan, the ambition – complementary to the achievement of 
the  adult  learning  headline  target  –  is  to  further  increase  this  share,  with  the  view  to 
reach 80% in 2030.  

Since  2015  (the  first  year  with  available  data),  this  share  increased  by  2  percentage 
points  from  54  to  56%.  Assuming  that  this  growth  rate  continues,  progress  would  be 
limited  to  reaching  59%  with  at  least  basic  digital  skills  in  2025  and  62%  in  2030. 
However, the impact of demography (with older cohorts, having on average lower levels 
of digital skills733, progressively leaving the sample) and reinforced policy efforts would 
make  this  ambitious  goal  within  reach.  The  Skills  Agenda  objective  foresees  that 
reinforced policy efforts would lead to increasing the average growth rate from 0.9% to 
3.8% each year until 2025. Keeping a similar rate, while taking into account the fact that 
this  will  require  additional  efforts  to  reach  increasingly  hard-to-reach  subsets  of  the 

730  At  the  same  time,  ICT  professionals  represent  8.2%  of  all  vacancies  (according  to  CEDEFOP’s  Skills-
OVATE - Online vacancy analysis tool for Europe).  
731  The  data  for  the  indicator  is  from  the  Community  Survey  on  ICT  usage  in  households  and  by 
individuals.  Digital  skills  are  measured  as  a  composite  measure  based  on  a  series  of  yes/no  questions, 
measuring  to  what  extent  someone  has  performed  a  number  of  activities  such  as  seeking  information 
online,  sending  emails,  installing  software  or  using  a  word  processing  software.  An  individual  is  then 
deemed to have “at least basic digital skills” if there is at least one “basic”  but  no “no skills” in all four 
domains. 
here: 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/tepsr_sp410_esmsip2.htm     
732 The European Data Strategy from February 2020 had announced a 65% target by 2025. However, the 
COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light even more how crucial basic digital skills are to be able to take 
part in society. Moreover, the additional EU funding that will be available through the “Next Generation 
EU” budget is an opportunity to aim for an even more ambitious digital skills target for 2025. 
733 The skills indicators are strongly influenced by socio-demographic aspects. For example, 82% of young 
individuals (16-24), 85% of those with high formal education, 68% of employed or self-employed people 
and 87% of students have at least basic digital skills. By contrast, only 35%  of those aged  55-74 and 30% 
of  the retired and the inactive possess basic skills. 

description 

detailed 

found 

can 

be 

A 

111 

 
 
                                                           
population,  achieving  80%  by 2030  looks  both  ambitious  and  feasible.  This  represents 
an average growth rate of 3.3% each year until 2030. 

Educational attainment  is  a  major factor  in determining the  employment  prospects of 
young  people.  People  with  low  levels  of  education  are  exposed  to  lower  rates  of 
participation in adult learning: a key factor of success to ensure that adults are able to 
engage in up- and reskilling later in life is a strong foundation of basic and transversal 
skills acquired in initial education and training. Early leavers display lower employment 
rates, lower earnings, and have a higher risk of social exclusion and ultimately poverty.  

Reducing  early  leaving  from  education  and  training  has  been  a  priority  of  the  EU  for 
over  a  decade.  Being  a  headline  target  in  Europe  2020  raised  the  visibility  of  the 
challenge  and  the  ambition  of  Member  States  to  take  measures  against  early  leaving 
from education and training.  

There has been a substantial decrease in the percentage of early leavers from education 
and training (ELET) at EU level over the past 10 years. The ELET rate of those aged 18-24 
years  old  was  10.2%  in  2019,  down  from  13.8%  in  2010,  only  0.2  percentage  points 
above  the  10%  value  of  the  Europe  2020  headline  target  on  early  leaving  from 
education and training. During the latter half of the ten-year period, the development 
stagnated,  however.  While  there  was  a  reduction  in  the  ELET  rate  at  EU  level  of  2.7 
percentage  points  from  2010-2014,  the  reduction  from  2015-2019  was  only  0.8 
percentage points.  

In 2019, a higher percentage of men (11.9%) than women (8.4%) were early leavers in 
the  EU.  This  has  been  the  trend  over  the  past 10  years.  A  significantly  lower  share  of 
native-born people (8.9%) were early leavers than foreign-born people (22.2%). At the 
level of the Member States, 19 had ELET rates below 10% in 2019. In the eight Member 
States  with  rates  above  10%,  the  rates  ranged  from  10.3%  in  Germany  to  17.3%  in 
Spain734. 

In  the  Council  Resolution  on  a  strategic  framework  for  European  cooperation  in 
education  and  training  towards  the  European  Education  Area  and  beyond  (2021-
2030)735, adopted on 18 February 2021, Member States agreed that the share of early 
leavers from education and training should be less than 9% by 2030736.  

Reaching 9% in 2030 would require a 1.2 percentage point decrease in the current ELET 
rate  (2019).  While  this  seems  a  modest  reduction  in  absolute  terms,  reducing  early 
school  leaving  becomes  increasingly  difficult  with  every  percentage  point,  since 
measures  need  to  address  increasingly  those  hard  to  reach  and  hard  to  motivate  to 
continue  education  and  training.  The  situation  of  education  and  training  systems  has 
also  changed  dramatically  during  the  last  year.  With  the  massive  interruption  of 

734 BG (13.9), DE (10.3), ES (17.3), IT (13.5), HU (11.8), MT (17.2), PT (10.6) and RO (15.3). 
735 2021/C 66/01,  
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32021G0226%2801%29&qid=1614343723885  
736 Early leavers from education and training is defined as the percentage of the population aged 18-24 
with at most lower secondary education (i.e. ISCED levels 0-2) and who were not in further education and 
training during the last four weeks preceding the EU Labour Force Survey (LFS).  

112 

 
 
                                                           
education  and  training  programmes,  increases  in  the  rate  of  early  leavers  from 
education are expected. Consequently, 2019 does not take the effects of the crisis into 
account.  The  goal  of  achieving  a  rate  below  9%  is  therefore  both  realistic  and 
challenging with regard to the expected increase in the ELET rate due to the COVID-19 
crisis.  This  goal  will  be  accompanied  by  monitoring  the  rate  of  young  people  (20-24) 
completing  upper  secondary  education.  Stepping  up  efforts  in  this  direction  will 
contribute to reaching the headline target on adult participation in learning, set out in 
the Action Plan. 

This  EU-level  target  will  be  complemented  by  an  accompanying  indicator  on  upper 
secondary level attainment, measuring the share of people aged 20-24 with at least an 
upper  secondary  qualification  through  data  made  available  by  Eurostat,  EU  Labour 
Force Survey737.  

At-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate (AROPE)  

Achieving  an  ambitious  decline  in  poverty  and  social  exclusion  is  essential  to  ensure 
inclusive growth and upward social and economic convergence in the EU, with benefits 
spreading  over  the  whole  population,  including  those  living  in  the  most  vulnerable 
situations. This would also significantly help to break the intergenerational transmission 
of poverty. Therefore a continuation of the Europe 2020 approach appears warranted 
by looking at poverty  and  social  exclusion  in  an  integrated  and  multidimensional  way, 
covering income, access to goods and services and labour market integration.  

The  poverty  and  social  inclusion  target  entails  a  decline  by  at  least  15  million  in  the 
number  of  people  at risk  of  poverty or  social  exclusion  (AROPE)  in the  EU  by 2030,  in 
light of the potential for improvement in Member States and population groups that are 
currently  relatively  more  affected.  The  2019  level  for  the  EU-27,  before  the  COVID-19 
crisis,  was  around  91  million  people  or  20.9%  of  the  population  at  risk  of  poverty  or 
social exclusion. In 2019, the best performing Member States (Czech Republic, Slovenia 
and Finland) reached AROPE rates of 12.5%, 14.4% and 15.6% respectively. On the other 
hand,  Bulgaria,  Romania  and  Greece  had  rates  as  high  as  32.5%,  31.2%  and  30.0% 
respectively  in  2019.  Population  groups  with  higher  rates  include  children,  single 
parents  (mostly  women),  older  women,  Roma,  persons  with  disabilities  and  non-EU 
born  people,  as  well  as  rural  population  in  some  EU  territories.  Also  in  view  of  the 
expected  increase  in  AROPE  rates  following  the  COVID-19  crisis,  there  is,  therefore, 
ample room for improvement across both Member States and vulnerable groups.  

Children, in particular, remain structurally more exposed to poverty or social exclusion 
than  the  rest  of  the  population  in  Europe,  and  are  disproportionally  affected  by  the 
impact  of  the  crisis.  This  is  why  the  Action  Plan  sets  a  specific  and  complementary 
ambition  to  reduce  the  number  of  children  (aged  0-17)  at  risk  of  poverty  or  social 
exclusion by 5 million in 2030 (more details below). 

Why this indicator?  

The  at-risk-of-poverty  or  social  exclusion  rate  is  the  most  widespread  and  reliable 
indicator in monitoring poverty and exclusion. It reflects the central importance of the 

737 Eurostat Online data code: [edat_lfse_03]. 

113 

 
 
                                                           
relative  dimension  of  poverty.  It  accounts  for  the  overall  living  standards  and  weak 
labour  market  attachment  by looking  respectively  at  the  extent  of  material  and  social 
deprivation  and  at  people  living  in  very  low  work  intensity  households.  It  allows  to 
capture  the  situation  of  the  whole  population  in  a  consistent  manner,  across  age 
groups, from childhood to working and older age. It is also part of the EU SDG indicator 
set.  Two  of  the  components  of  the  AROPE  indicator  used  under the  EU 2020  strategy 
will  be  slightly  revised  for  the  monitoring  of  the  new  AROPE  target:  those  related  to 
severe material (and social) deprivation738 and quasi- jobless households739. 

While the COVID-19 crisis is expected to have a significant adverse impact on average 
household  incomes  and  living  conditions,  information  on  the  impact  on  poverty  or 
social  exclusion  is  not  yet  available  for  2020.  Changes  in  2020  are  difficult  to  foresee, 
also due to the likely impact of the crisis on median incomes. Simulation results740 show 
that,  thanks  to  the  policy  measures  adopted  in  response  to  the  crisis,  the  AROP  rate 
may only increase by 0.1pp on average in the EU in 2020.  

A  decline  of  AROPE  by  15  million  over  the  next  decade  would  be  both  realistic  and 
ambitious,  and  consistent  with  the    target  envisaged  under  the  initial  Europe  2020 
target741. It corresponds to a scenario where the EU would experience around two and a 
half  bad  years  (for  AROPE  trends)  and  seven  and  a  half  good  ones  over  the  next 
decade742. This pattern743 would roughly correspond to a scenario where income levels 
and GDP would recover after around 2.5 years to their pre-crisis levels (such as outlined 
in the Winter Economic Forecast)744.  

738  Accounting  for  a  revised  and  extended  set  of  deprivation  items,  leading  to  the  replacement  of  the 
severe material deprivation component by the severe material and social deprivation component. 
739 Corresponding to the extenstion of the age bracket from 0-59 to 0-64. 
740  The  anchored  AROP  rate  (i.e.  the  rate  computed  against  a  poverty  threshold  fixed  on  a  base  year) 
would  instead  increase  by  1.7  pps,  reflecting  the  substantial  expected  drop  of  income  levels  against  a 
fixed poverty line. See Almeida et al. (2020), Households´ income and the cushioning effect of fiscal policy 
measures  during  the  Great  Lockdown,  JRC  Working  Papers  on  Taxation  and  Structural  Reforms  No 
06/2020.  Available  at:  https://europa.eu/!Vj39hX  and 
the  accompanying  policy  brief  at 
https://europa.eu/!JU66Gc 
741 Reflecting also the impact of the Brexit, while some of components such as the  severe material (and 
social) deprivation could show a lower decline in the next decade than over the last decade. 
742  Bad  and  good  years  in  this  context  are  years  where  the  change  in  the  number  of  people  at  risk  of 
poverty  or  exclusion  corresponds  to  the  average  increase  and  decline  respectively  observed  over  the 
period when the 2008 double dip recession hit (2009-2012) and years of recovery since then (2013-19). 
743 Relatively short compared to what happened over the past decade, whereby there was a double dip 
recession in 2009 and then afterwards in 2012. 
744 With GDP levels reaching the levels of end 2019 around mid 2022. 

114 

 
 
                                                           
Figure 3 – At-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate trend (for the EU) and target  

Note:  the  5  best  and  5  worst  performer  lines  correspond  to  the  average  rate  of  the  5 
best (or worst) applied to the whole EU population.  

In this baseline scenario, the pace of annual decline in the number of people at risk of 
poverty or exclusion after the crisis would remain similar to the one observed over the 
last  decade  (reflecting  a  similar  degree  of  progress  and  upwards  convergence  in  the 
reduction  of  poverty  and  social  exclusion),  though  it  would  take  place  over  a  longer 
period  than  previously  observed.  This  decline  for  AROPE  over  the  next  decade  would 
reflect the expected speed of the recovery as well as the impact of further policy action 
and upward convergence in the effectiveness of policies to address poverty and social 
exclusion across Europe, following the implementation of the European Pillar of Social 
Rights.  

There is obviously significant uncertainty surrounding the baseline scenario. This can be 
illustrated by considering the impact of a longer period of increase in poverty and social 
exclusion  than  in  the  baseline  (pessimistic  scenario),  or  looking  at  the  impact  of  a 
quicker  decline  after  the  period  of  increase  resulting  from  the  2020  recession 
(optimistic scenario). In the pessimistic scenario, the duration of the period of increase 
of  poverty  and  social  exclusion  would  be  of  3.5  years  instead  of  2.5  years  as  in  the 
baseline  and,  all  other  things  being  constant,  this  would  translate  into  a  decline  by 
around 11 million people at risk of poverty or social exclusion over the decade. In the 
optimistic scenario, while the duration of the increase of AROPE due to the crisis would 
remain  similar  (2.5  years),  the  speed  of  the  decline  in  the  good  years  would  be 
stronger745,  reflecting  better  socio  economic  conditions  and  stronger  upwards 
convergence in Europe, which would lead to an overall decline over the decade reaching 
around 20 million people. 

745 Corresponding to the average decline observed over the period 2015-19. 

115 

 
 
 
                                                           
A reduction in the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 
5 million746 will be instrumental to reach the headline target, but also important per se. 
A  specific  focus  on  children  is  key  to  break  the  intergenerational  cycle  of  poverty and 
contribute  to  more  equal  opportunities  throughout  the  EU,  setting  the  conditions  for 
social progress.  

The  gap  in  the  at-risk-of-poverty  or  social  exclusion  rate  of  children  (aged  0-17) 
compared to the general population has not closed over the last decade, in spite of a 
slight reduction in recent years. This slow progress hampers equality of  opportunities: 
children  from  lower-income  households  fare  worse  throughout  their  lives747,  scoring 
lower  on  tests  of  cognitive  skills  in  early  childhood,  being  more  likely  to  drop  out  of 
school and less likely to attain tertiary education. Achieving a quicker reduction in the 
at-risk-of-poverty  or  social  exclusion  rate  of  children  than  of  the  general  population 
should  be  a  priority  in  view  of  building  more  resilient  and  inclusive  economies  and 
societies, especially in view of the expected stronger impact of the COVID-19 crisis on 
children (not yet visible in the data). As the risk of poverty or exclusion is captured at 
the household level, this goal entails de facto a focus on households with children.  

Overall, in 2019, the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate for children (aged 0-17) 
was 22.2%, compared to 20.9% for the overall population. This gap of 1.3 pps has been 
almost halved compared to the first half of the decade (when it ranged between 2.5 pps 
and 3 pps), thanks in particular to the positive impact of the recovery allowing to partly 
reabsorb  the  negative  impact  before  the  2008  crisis.  In  the  EU,  children  experience  a 
lower risk of poverty or social exclusion than the general population in one third of the 
Member States (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, 
Slovenia  and  Finland),  while  the  two  rates  are  very  close  in  Czechia,  Greece,  Cyprus, 
Lithuania and Portugal. The largest gaps (by between 4 and 5 pps) can be observed in 
Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovakia. 

Reducing  the  number  of  children  at  risk  of  poverty  or  social  exclusion  by  5  million  is 
both  realistic  and  ambitious.  While,  similarly  to  the  2008  crisis,  the  pandemic  can  be 
expected to negatively impact on child poverty and on the gap with the total population 
in  the  short  run,  the  progress  needed  to  reach  the  goal  is  close  to  the  one  observed 
over the period 2012-19. In terms of drivers, reducing poverty and social exclusion more 
quickly  among  children  than  for  the  general  population  entails  a  focus  on  both 
households with children and children.  

746 Ensuring that the risk of poverty of exclusion rate of children declines by at least 5 million, while the 
overall  reduction  of  the  number  of  people  at  risk  of  poverty  and  exclusion  in  the  general  population 
would experience a reduction of at least 15 million by 2029 corresponds to a situation where the risk of 
poverty and exclusion of children would decline faster.  
747  See  for  instance  Mayer  (1997),  Duncan  et  al.  (2012),  Cooper  and  Stewart  (2013),  Thévenon  and  al 
(2018). 

116 

 
 
 
                                                           
II. The Social Scoreboard 

The Social Scoreboard748 has been designed as reference framework to monitor ‘societal 
progress’ in a tangible, holistic and objective way. It monitors, notably in the context of 
the European Semester, Member States' performance in relation to the European Pillar 
of Social Rights and contributes to assessing convergence or divergence patterns across 
Member  States749.  The  Social  Scoreboard  is  also  used  as  reference  framework  in  the 
Economic  Reform  Programmes  (ERP)  which  mirrors  the  European  Semester  in  the 
enlargement countries. 

The  proposed  update  of  the  Social  Scoreboard  accompanying  the  Action  Plan  to 
implement  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  aims  at  reaching  a  better  and  more 
comprehensive  alignment  between  the  Scoreboard  indicators  and  the  twenty  Pillar 
principles. This should allow a closer monitoring of the dimensions of the Pillar and of 
the initiatives put forward under this Action Plan. 

The  proposal  for  the  revised  Scoreboard  includes  17  headline  indicators  and  31 
secondary indicators. For the choice of new indicators, priority has been given to those 
already  used  in  existing  monitoring  (or  policy)  frameworks  by  the  EU  (such  as  the  EU 
Sustainable  Development  Goals  indicators  set,  the  Joint  Assessment  Framework,  the 
European Skills Agenda and the European Education Area).  

The  proposal  is  based  on  the  respect  of  several  criteria.  First  of  all,  the  selected 
indicators have to be available for all Member States, be comparable across them, and 
statistically reliable. In this perspective, whenever possible, the priority has been given 
to indicators supplied by Eurostat. In specific circumstances, indicators currently under 
development have been included, provided that – once available – they will respect all 
above-mentioned criteria.  

Second, a principle of parsimony has guided the choice of the indicators. The basis for 
the  update  is  the  Social  Scoreboard  presented  by  the  Commission  in  2017750, 
incorporating a few subsequent revisions agreed with the Employment Committee and 
the Social Protection Committee751. Starting from that set (including 14 headline and 20 
secondary  indicators),  the  proposal  adds  a  few  headline  and  a  number  of  secondary 
indicators,  while  deleting  (or  changing  status,  i.e.  from  headline  to  secondary)  other 

748  In  2018  the  Joint  Employment  Report  (JER)  presented  for  the  first  time  the  Social  Scoreboard. 
Following  a  methodology  agreed  within  the  Employment  Committee  (EMCO)  and  the  Social  Protection 
Committee  (SPC),  the  Member  States’  performance  is  analysed  in  the  JER  looking  jointly  at  levels  and 
changes of each indicator in comparison with the respective EU averages. 
749 The online visualisation tools for the Social Scoreboard developed by the Joint Research Centre allow 
users 
trends  and  compare  performance  across  Member  States 
(https://composite-indicators.jrc.ec.europa.eu/social-scoreboard/). 
750 SWD(2017) 200 final, accompanying the Communication COM(2017) 250 final of 26 April 2017. 
751 In particular, the headline indicators “participation in ALMPs per 100 persons  wanting to work” and 
“compensation of employees per hour worked”, included in the initial proposal, have been replaced by, 
respectively,  “long-term  unemployment  rate”  and  “net  earnings  of  a  full-time  single  worker  without 
children earning an average wage”. 

to  visualise  convergence 

117 

 
 
                                                           
ones,  either  because  they  are  less  relevant  in  the  current  context  or  because  their 
practical use and relevance for monitoring purposes has proved limited752.  

The  main  differences  in  the  proposed  updated  Social  Scoreboard  compared  to  the 
current one concern the addition, among the headline indicators, of the participation of 
adults  in  learning  over  the  previous  12  months,  the  child  poverty  rate  (AROPE),  the 
disability employment gap753, and the housing cost overburden. The inclusion of these 
indicators  reflects  current  political  priorities  and  recent  or  upcoming  strategic 
initiatives. In addition, the age group for the NEET rate indicator is extended from 15-24 
to 15-29 in line with the goal discussed in the previous section. In particular, the adult 
learning indicator is in line with the European Skills Agenda, highlighting the importance 
of  upskilling  and  re-skilling,  also  in  light  of  strengthening  social  resilience.  The  child 
poverty rate (AROPE) underlines the importance that the EU attaches to fighting child 
poverty,  and  will  accompany  the  forthcoming  Commission  proposal  for  a  European 
Child  Guarantee. The  employment disability gap  stresses  the  importance  of  improving 
the  inclusion  of  persons  with  disabilities  in  line  with  Pillar  principle  17,  and  will 
accompany the new strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities, launched by the 
Commission  in  March  2021.  The  housing  cost  overburden  will  help  monitor  a  key 
dimension of poverty emerging in recent years and at risk of exacerbating in the current 
crisis. 

At the same time, the net earnings of a full time single worker earning the average wage 
is taken out from the Scoreboard as rarely used in policy documents, and also due to its 
partial  overlap  with the gross  disposable  household  income  indicator.  The  variation  in 
performance explained by students' socio-economic status is removed, as rarely used in 
policy  documents  and 
in 
underachievement  between  the  bottom  and  top  quarter  of  the  socio-economic 
index754”) used in DG EAC’s monitoring framework and in Semester outlets like the Joint 
Employment Report. 

replaced  with 

the  standard 

indicator 

(“Gap 

is 

Among the secondary indicators, the main changes refer to: 

 

 

the  integration  of  some  European  Skills  Agenda  indicators  (participation  of  low-
qualified adults in learning activities and the share of unemployed adults with recent 
learning experience);  
the  integration  of  some  SDG  monitoring  indicators  (e.g.  the  income  share  of  the 
bottom  40%  earners  to  capture  inequality  developments  for  the  lower  middle 

752  The  Social  Scoreboard  complements  other  monitoring  tools  focusing  on  the  inclusion  of  specific 
groups,  notably  the  portfolio  of  indicators  and  the  headline  targets  proposed  under  the  EU  Roma 
strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation, adopted on 7 October 2020. 
753 On the disability employment gap (i.e. the difference between the employment rates of persons with 
and  without  disabilities),  the  aim  is  to  use  the  indicator  based  on  the  Survey  of  Living  and  Income 
Conditions (SILC) until the one based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) will be available in 2022.  
754  OECD  measures  the  ESCS  index  taking  into  consideration  multiple  variables  related  to  pupils’  family 
background, namely: parents’ education, parents’ occupation, home possessions, number of books and 
educational resources available at home. The gap is measured between the top and bottom quartile of 
this index. 

118 

 
 
                                                           
class755; an indicator on fatal accidents at work per 100,000 workers to capture the 
health  and  safety  at  work  dimension;  the  share  of  the  population  unable  to  keep 
home adequately warm);  

  a  reinforcement  of  indicators  related  to  healthcare  and  long-term  care,  which  are 
key  policy  domains  in  the  current  context  (e.g.  the  coverage  of  long-term  care 
needs,  public  long-term  care  expenditure  as  %  of  GDP756  and  an  indicator  of 
standardised  preventable  and  treatable  mortality,  the  latter  also  part  of  the  SDG 
indicators set);  

  and  strengthening  social  inclusion  and  social  protection  statistics  under  some 
particularly  relevant  dimensions  (e.g.  the  median  at-risk-of-poverty  gap;  the 
coverage rates of unemployment benefits, and the overall benefit recipient rate). 

Compared  to  the  current  situation,  where  six  Pillar  principles  are  not  monitored  with 
any  indicator,  only  two  principles  would  remain  uncovered:  Principle  7  (“information 
about  employment  conditions  and  protection  in  case  of  dismissals”),  for  which 
indicators are currently unavailable757, and Principle 8 (“social dialogue and involvement 
of workers”) for which further work is needed, including with Member States and social 
partners,  to  identify  measurable  dimensions  of  social  dialogue  and  improve  the 
statistical  reliability  and  timeliness  of  available  indicators  (e.g.  coverage  of  collective 
agreements). 

Of the other four principles, which will now be covered: 

  Principle  10  (“healthier,  safe  and  well-adapted  work  environment  and  data 
protection”)  will  be  monitored  through  a  secondary  indicator  (fatal  accidents  at 
work per 100,000 workers); 

  Principle  17  (“inclusion  of  people  with  disabilities”)  will  be  monitored  through  a 
headline indicator (disability employment gap) as well as with breakdowns of other 
indicators by disability, where available.   

  Principle 18 (“long-term care”) will be monitored through two secondary indicators 
(public long-term care spending as % of GDP; and coverage of long-term needs); 
  Principle  20  (“access  to  essential  services”)  will  be  partly  monitored  through  a 
secondary  indicator  (share  of  the  population  unable  to  keep  home  adequately 
warm). 

755 It is worth noting that the SDG indicator on the income  share of the bottom 40% of  the population 
does not directly capture the concentration of income among those at the top of the income distribution 
(which  is  monitored  via  the  income  quintile  share  ratio,  or  S80/S20),  and  the  associated  risk  of  a 
‘shrinking share’ of those in the middle. More work is planned to develop indicators that would reflect the 
income situation of the middle class.  
756  The  proposed  source  is  the  Ageing  Report.  Member  States  provide  national  administrative  data  on 
number  of  recipients  per  setting  (institutional  care/home  care/cash  benefits)  to  the  Ageing  Working 
Group, which is relatively complete and the only data source available. By  showing benefits in kind and 
benefits 
in  cash  separately,  double-counting  can  be  avoided.  Furthermore,  the  Ageing  Report 
compensates for the lack of reporting of long-term care (social) expenditure data by many Member States 
in  the  System  of  Health  Accounts.  These  estimates  are  validated  by  the  national  authorities  of  each 
country. Both indicators have been agreed upon by the SPC indicators sub-group for the portfolio of long-
term care indicators. 
757  This  principle  is,  in  any  case,  covered  through  the  monitoring  of  the  implementation  of  Directive 
2019/1152 on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions. 

119 

 
 
                                                           
Breakdowns to the Social Scoreboard indicators by age group, gender, country of birth, 
and disability status will be used to complement the analysis where relevant. 

Further  work  will  be  conducted  to  develop  indicators  on  the  principles  that  would 
remain only partly covered and for which stronger indicators are currently unavailable, 
including notably principles 18 on long-term care and 20 on access to essential services. 
Benchmarking  frameworks,  both  already  available  or  under  development  (see  next 
section), would contribute to monitoring the Pillar principles, especially in cases where 
specific indicators are currently unavailable. 

III. Benchmarking  

In  addition  to  the  monitoring  in  the  context  of  the  Social  Scoreboard,  benchmarking 
allows for a systematic examination of performance and policy settings across countries 
and  time.  It  helps  identify  performance  gaps,  needs  for  action  and  policy  priorities, 
therefore supporting the formulation of policy responses and facilitating monitoring of 
progress over time.  

The  Communication  establishing  a  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights758 
identified 
benchmarking  as  a  key  tool  to  support  structural  reforms  and  foster  upward 
convergence in the employment and social fields within the European Semester.  

Since  then,  benchmarking  frameworks  have  been  developed  by  the  Commission  and 
discussed with Member States in several areas, in line with a common approach agreed 
by the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the Social Protection Committee (SPC). This 
approach  focuses  on  the  identification  of  specific  policy  parameters  that  can  have  a 
positive  impact  on  socio-economic  outcomes  (so-called  ‘policy  levers’),  which  are 
accompanied  by  general  principles  for  policy  guidance  and,  when  available,  specific 
indicators. In the benchmarking exercises developed so far (on unemployment benefits 
and  active  labour  market  policies,  adult  skills  and  learning,  and  minimum  income), 
policy 
is  ongoing  on 
benchmarking  minimum  wages,  on  mapping  collective  bargaining,  on  benchmarking 
pension adequacy and on benchmarking childcare and support to children. 

levers  are  not  accompanied  by  reference  values.  Work 

The  benchmarking  framework  on  unemployment  benefits  and  active  labour  market 
policies  was  first  used  in  the  2018  European  Semester,  with  analysis  presented  in  the 
annual Joint Employment Report and in the context of the country reports. It is linked to  
the implementation of Principle 4 on “Active support to employment” and Principle 13 
on  “Unemployment  benefits”  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights.  This  framework 
covers two closely related policy domains: (i) the generosity of unemployment benefits 
systems, for which policy lever indicators on unemployment benefits' replacement rate, 
duration  and  coverage  are  identified;  and,  (ii)  the  capacity  of  national  systems  to 
preserve  the  labour  market  attachment  and  employability  of  job-seekers,  for  which 
policy lever indicators on the availability-to-work and job-search requirements attached 
to  receiving  unemployment  benefits  are  proposed.  Work  is  to  be  finalised  with  the 
development of indicators on early-support services. The benchmarking framework on 
adult  skills  and  learning  was  agreed  by  the  EMCO  and  EDUC  committees  in  October 

758 COM(2017) 250 final. 

120 

 
 
                                                           
2018,  and  has  been  used  in  the  European  Semester  since  then,  notably  in  the  Joint 
Employment  Report  and  in  the  country  reports.  Adult  skills  and  learning  are  linked  to 
Principle  1  on  “Education,  training  and  life-long  learning”  and  Principle  4  on  “Active 
support  to  employment”  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights.  The  framework  puts 
forward  three  policy  levers  to  improve  adult  skills  and  learning:  (i)  the  provision  of 
guidance  to  individuals  about  learning;  (ii)  the  provision  of  learning  to  specific 
disadvantaged  groups,  such  as  the  unemployed  and  the  low-qualified  adults;  and  (iii) 
the provision of financial support to companies for training purposes. 

The  benchmarking  framework  on  minimum  income  was  fully  integrated  in  the  2019 
European Semester cycle, again for use in the Joint Employment Report and the country 
reports.  It  focuses  on  the  working  age  population  and  covers  the  adequacy,  coverage 
and  activation  aspects  of  minimum  income  schemes.  Adequacy  is  assessed  with  a 
twofold  indicator,  which  compares  the  income  of  a  minimum  income  beneficiary 
respectively to the national poverty threshold and to the income of a low wage earner. 
For  the  policy  levers  on  coverage  and  activation  combined  with  access  to  services, 
general  principles  were agreed  within  SPC, but  no  quantitative  indicators.  Coverage  is 
however  captured  through  a  performance  indicator  on  benefit  recipient  rate,  that 
measures  the  share  of  working  age  individuals  receiving  any  benefits  (other  than  old 
age or survivors benefits) in the population at-risk-of poverty and living in households 
with  very  low  work  intensity.  The  recent  Council  Conclusions  on  strengthening 
minimum income protection759 invite to further develop this benchmarking framework. 

The  Commission  has  started  working  on  additional  frameworks  for  possible  use  in 
future Semester cycles, notably in cooperation with EMCO on benchmarking minimum 
wages and on mapping collective bargaining, and with SPC on pension adequacy and on 
childcare and support to children. The framework for mapping collective bargaining will 
provide a comprehensive set of indicators to support the analysis of national collective 
bargaining  systems  and  foster  mutual  learning  across  the  EU.  As  concerns  the 
benchmarking framework for pension’s adequacy, the task is to assess the current set of 
indicators  in  relation  to  adequacy  and  their  feasibility  for  designing  a  framework  for 
benchmarking.  The  SPC  Indicators  Sub-Group  (ISG)  has  identified  outcome  and 
performance indicators; work on policy levers will be further elaborated on the basis of 
experience with indicators in the forthcoming Pension Adequacy Report 2021. The work 
on  childcare  and  support  to  children  aims  at  further  developing  the  existing  SPC 
framework  on  child  poverty,  in  particular  along  its  two  dimensions  on  access  to 
adequate  resources  and  access  to  quality  services.  Some  outcome  and  performance 
indicators have been already identified, while work continues on policy levers. 

759  Council  Conclusions  on  to  Strengthening  Minimum  Income  Protection  to  Combat  Poverty  and  Social 
Exclusion in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond of 9 September 2020. 

121 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Annex: List of Acronyms 

3F 
ABV 
ABVV-FGTB 
ACEFIR 
ACV-CSC 
AEDES 
AEIP 
AIM 
AROPE 
ATD 
BAG WfbM 
BAGFW 
BAVC 
BDA 
BI 
CCP 
CEC 
CECOP 
CEEMET 

CEMR 
CESI 
CFDT 
CFE-CGC 

CGIL 
CIN-NIC 
CIP 
CNEL 
CNOS-FAP 
COFACE 
COMECE 
CONFECOOP 
CoR 
CPME 
CTEO 
DFK 
DGB 
DGUV 
DSV 
DVSV 
EAEA 
EAPN 
EaSI 

United Federation of Workers in Denmark 
German Association of Pension Schemes for Liberal Professions 
General Labour Federation of Belgium 
Catalan Association for Education, Training and Research 
Belgian Confederation of Christian Trade Unions 
Association of Dutch Social Housing Corporations 
European Association of Paritarian Institutions 
European Association of Mutual Benefit Societies  
At Risk Of Poverty or Social Exclusion 
ATD Fourth World 
German Association of Sheltered Workshops 
German Federal Association of Non-statutory Welfare  
German Federation of Chemical Employers' Associations 
Confederation of German Employers' Associations 
Swedish Construction Federation 
Portuguese Confederation of Trade and Services 
Confédération Européenne des Cadres (European Managers) 
European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives  
Council of European Employers of the Metal, Engineering and 
Technology-based industries 
Council of European Regions and Municipalities  
European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions 
French Democratic Confederation of Labour 
French Confederation of Management – General Confederation of 
Executives 
Italian General Confederation of Labour 
National Intermutualist College Belgium 
Confederation of Portuguese Business 
Italian National Council for Economics and Labour 
Italian National Centre for Salesian Work – Professional Training 
Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union 
Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union 
Portuguese Cooperative Confederation 
Committee of the Regions 
Standing Committee of European Doctors 
Chief Trade Enforcement Officer 
 German Confederation of Managers 
German Trade Union Confederation 
German Statutory Accident Insurance 
German Social Insurance 
 Umbrella Organisation of the Austrian Social Insurances 
European Association for the Education of Adults 
European Anti-Poverty Network 
EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation 

122 

 
 
EASPD 

ECEBM 
ECEG 
ECPC 
ECRE 
EDF 
EESC 
EFCI 
EFEE 
EFFE 
EFIC 
EFSI 
EFSI 
EIGE 
EK 
EKD 
ELA 
EMCO 
EMN 
ENIL 
ENNHRI 
ENSIE 
EPHA 
EPSCO 
ERDF 
ERGO 
ESF 
ESIP 
ESN 
eTIC 

ETUC 
EUD 
Euratex 
EUROFEDOP 
Eurofound 

EURORDIS 
EUWIN 
EVPA 
EWL 
FAFCE 
FEANTSA 

FENACERCI 

European Association of Service providers for Persons with 
Disabilities 
European Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring 
European Chemical Employers Group 
European Cancer Patient Coalition 
European Council for Refugees and Exiles 
European Disability Forum 
European Economic and Social Committee 
European Cleaning and Facility Services Industry 
European Federation of Education Employers 
European Federation for Family Employment and Home Care 
European Furniture Industries Confederation 
European Federation of Services to Individuals 
European Federation for Services to Individuals 
European Institute for Gender Equality 
Confederation of Finnish Industries 
Evangelic Church in Germany 
European Labour Authority 
Employment Committee 
European Microfinance Network 
European Network for Independent Living 
European Network of Human Rights Institutions 
European Network of Social Integration Enterprises 
European Public Health Alliance 
Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council 
European Regional Development Fund 
European Roma Grassroots Organisation 
European Social Fund 
European Social Insurance Platform   
European Social Network 
European Federation for Managers in Technologies of Information 
and Communication 
European Trade Union Confederation 
European Union of the Deaf 
European Apparel and Textile Confederation  
European Federation of Public Service Employees 
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working 
Conditions 
European Organisation for Rare Diseases 
European Workplace Innovation Network 
European Venture Philanthropy Association 
European Women’s Lobby 
Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe 
European Federation of National Organisations Working with the 
Homeless  
 Portuguese National Federation of Social Solidarity Cooperatives 

123 

 
 
FFE 
FH 
FLAI-CGIL 

FO 
FOREM 

FSG 
GI-ESCR 
HOSPEEM 
ICT 
IHPG 
IKEM 
ILGA-Europe 
ILO 
IPSE 
JTF 
KL 
LO 
M+E 

MEDEF 
MEP 
MFC 
MKB-Nederland 
MMM 
NEET 
NEXEM 

NGO 
NJCM 
NVR 
OCHCR 
ÖGB 
ONCE 
PpDM 
REIF 
RRF 
SGI Europe 
SGP 
SOSTE 
SPC 
SPP 
SS BOFOS 
SSE 
STEM 

Federation of Finnish Enterprises 
Danish Trade Union Confederation 
Italian General Confederation of Labour - Agribusiness Workers’ 
Federation 
French General Confederation of Labour – Workers’ Force 
Public Service for Employment and Vocational Training in Wallonia 
(Belgium) 
Fundación Secretariado Gitano 
The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 
European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association 
Information and Communication Technologies 
Irish Homeless Policy Group 
Innovation and Chemical Industries in Sweden 
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans und Intersex Association 
International Labour Organization  
Institute for European Social Protection 
Just Transition Fund 
Local Government Denmark 
Swedish Trade Union Confederation 
Federation of German Employers' Associations in the Metal and 
Electrical Engineering Industries (Gesamtmetall) 
Movement of the Enterprises of France 
Member of the European Parliament 
Microfinance Centre 
Dutch Organisation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 
Make Mothers Matter 
Not in Education, Employment or Training 
French Association of Not-for-profit Employers in the Social, 
Medico-social and Health sector 
Non-governmental organisation 
Dutch Section of the International Commission of Jurists 
Dutch Council of Women 
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 
Austrian Trade Union Confederation 
Spanish National Organisation of the Blind  
Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights 
Representation of the French social security institutions to the EU 
Recovery and Resilience Facility 
Services of General Interest Europe 
Stability and Growth Pact 
Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health 
Social Protection Committee 
Social Progress Plan 
Serbian Independent Trade Union of Bank Employees 
Social Services Europe  
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 

124 

 
 
STTK 
SURE 

TCO 
TELA 
TMF 
TSS 
UDES 
UGT Portugal 
UGT Spain 
UNIA 

UNICEF 
UNIPSO-UNISOC-
BRUXEO 
UN SDGs 
VBO-FEB 
VCP 
VET 
VNO-NCW 
WEC 
WWF 
ZDH 
ZPP 

Finnish Confederation of Professionals 
Temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an 
Emergency 
Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees 
Finnish Pension Alliance 
Swedish Federation of Wood and Furniture Industry 
Tripartite Social Summit 
French Union of Employers of the Social and Solidary Economy 
Portuguese General Union of Workers 
Spanish General Union of Workers 
Belgian Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition 
to Racism 
United Nations Children's Fund 
Belgian Cross-industry Confederations of Social Profit Employers 

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 
Federation of Belgian Enterprises 
Dutch Trade Union Federation for Professionals 
Vocational Education and Training 
 Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers 
World Employment Confederation 
World Wildlife Fund 
German Skilled Crafts Organisation 
Polish Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers 

125