A competitive Europe must show solidarity!

Together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as the social partners and many other stakeholders from civil society, the Belgian Council Presidency has laid down guidelines for the further development of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The La Hulpe Declaration is an important input for the prioritisation of the future European Commission and outlines the way in which an internally consolidated Europe can externally act confidently and competitively.

Ways to master current and future challenges

The two-day conference of the Belgian Council Presidency was concluded with the La Hulpe Declaration. Social partners as well as stakeholders from science and politics discussed possible ways of mastering current and future social and labour market policy challenges and jointly achieving the goals agreed in Porto. The role of the social partners as an essential pillar of democracy in Europe and the need to strengthen collective bargaining were emphasised. Further development of the European Semester and inclusion of social investment were also called for. After all, an efficient and forward-looking labour and social policy requires adapted governance structures within the EU.

The "European way of life"

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasised that the European way of life is based on fairness, competitiveness and a social market economy. Europe is synonymous with a long history of social progress, convergence and social dialogue. This makes Europe unique. Together with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, she emphasised that since the adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the social dimension has been at the centre of common European policy.

Fair cross-border mobility

At the conference, German Labour and Social Affairs Minister Heil reminded the audience that employee mobility is one of the key achievements of the European Union (EU). This mobility requires "fair conditions". Nobody should be deprived of their rights. Heil therefore believes that advisory services and contact points for mobile workers must be created, preferably organised via the trade unions.

Participatory democracy

At the conference, it was emphasised several times that employees need to be more involved in the decision-making processes of companies. This is the only way to find joint solutions to the many current and future challenges in the world of work. However, everyone would benefit from such solutions; employers, employees and society as a whole. The Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz Pérez, emphasised the goal that social Europe must be defined by social rights. This applies to the active involvement of employees, for example by setting minimum standards for co-determination. This may seem unattainable today. But both Díaz and Heil referred to the minimum wage directive. At first, this also seemed like a distant utopia.

Not everyone is on board

In Gothenburg in 2017, all Member states, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the social partners signed the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The La Hulpe Declaration has also garnered broad support. However, Sweden and Austria did not sign in the end. In Austria, the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP)-led Ministry of Economics and Labour was opposed to co-signing. In Sweden, the governing alliance of conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is dependent on the support of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. The European employers' organisation BusinessEurope - in contrast to the European association of small and medium-sized enterprises SMEunited - has also not co-signed the declaration. This is generally interpreted as a sign that the employers want to increase the pressure on the next Commission in favour of an industry-friendly policy.