The confer­ence in La Hulpe casts its shadow ahead.

On 15 and 16 April, the Belgian Council Presidency is organising a high-level conference in La Hulpe on the further development of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). The aim is to lay down the key social policy priorities for the next EU legislative period. In the run-up to the conference, the Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs laid down their priorities for the further development of the EPSR.

The "Pillar"

Since its proclamation in 2017, the EPSR - the "Pillar" - has been driving the further development of a social Europe. It is the basis for many specific labour market, social and health policy projects at European level. Its 20 key principles range from the right to equal opportunities and equal access to the labour market to fair working conditions, social protection and inclusion. These form the guideline for a strong social Europe. Upward social convergence is anchored as a fundamental goal in the Pillar.

The EPSR has been gradually developed over time. Today, progress in the common principles is illustrated by a social scoreboard. At the Social Summit in Porto in May 2021, the heads of state and government renewed their commitment to the Pillar and adopted specific social policy goals for the EU and its Member States by 2030. Progress in achieving the targets, but also across all policy areas of the Pillar, is monitored in the European Semester. The basis for this is the annual joint employment report.

New chal­lenges

Since the Pillar came into existence, social security systems in Europe have also been faced with a variety of new challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. This means that their resilience, meaning their ability to withstand unforeseeable external shocks, has become a key issue. However, the interaction with important European policy objectives such as the European Green Deal or measures to combat climate change must also be defined. The 2022 Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition to climate neutrality is cited as a successful example of addressing the employment and social aspects of the green transition.

Further devel­op­ment of the Pillar

The Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs address these challenges and set out their priorities for the further development of the Pillar. At the top of the list is the improved intermeshed financial policy and social and labour market policy objectives. This applies to the European Semester, but also to cooperation at European level across portfolio boundaries. A first step was the first joint meeting of the Councils of Ministers for Finance and for Labour and Social Affairs on 12 March. But reporting also needs to be better harmonised. The reports published this year on adequate pensions and the sustainability of social protection systems are cited as examples.

Another focus will be on the life cycle approach proposed by the European Commission's expert group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state in the EU in its final report. A distinction was made between different population groups during their differing life phases. This allowed them to define what combination of social services, income support and supporting regulations would be needed to be able to realise effective social protection and well-being during their lifetimes.

First steps

On 11 March, the EPSCO adopted this year's joint employment report. The Social Convergence Framework is being implemented for the first time to support upward convergence. In a first step, risks to upward convergence are identified for all 27 Member States and the countries for which an in-depth analysis is necessary are named. These are Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Spain. Country-specific convergence reports are now being prepared for these countries.

La Hulpe

A declaration on the future of social Europe is to be adopted at the La Hulpe conference in April. This is to be signed by the EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the EU), the social partners and civil society. The aim of the declaration is to prepare the future social agenda for the period 2024-2029 and to reaffirm the EPSR as the EU's social policy compass for the coming years.