Is the European Commission losing sight of social policy issues?

In this year’s work programme, the European Commission reaffirmed that strengthening social justice remains a key priority. The European social model is not only a societal cornerstone but also a competitive advantage for Europe. Nevertheless, since the start of the current legislative period, there has been little progress in the area of traditional social policy. Does this mean that, given the growing focus on competitiveness and defence, there will be few social policy initiatives to expect in the coming years?

Traditional social policy taking a back seat

Traditional social policy initiatives receive little attention in the 2025 work programme. While a new Action Plan for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights has been announced, along with a Roadmap for Quality Jobs and the already introduced Union of Skills, all these initiatives are non-legislative in nature. Additional measures were announced in the Mission Letter and during the hearing of Executive-Vice President Roxana Mînzatu, but their development remains unclear. These include initiatives on the right to disconnect, telework and the regulation of algorithmic management in the workplace. During her hearing, Mînzatu promised, among other things, to launch the second phase of the consultation on the right to disconnect with the social partners immediately after taking office – but this has yet to happen. Instead, the European Commission has commissioned a new study to collect information on the added value and impact of potential EU measures in this area.

Delayed evaluation of the European Labour Authority

There had also been an unexpected silence around the European Labour Authority (ELA) for a rather long time. It was established in 2019 to support Member States of the European Union (EU) and the European Commission in enforcing EU rules on labour mobility and the coordination of social security systems. According to Article 40 of the ELA founding regulation, the European Commission was required to present an evaluation of the agency’s performance by 1 August 2024. However, the evaluation was only published in late May 2025. Based on this, the European Commission plans to propose a revision of ELA’s mandate in early 2026. The evaluation inter alia drew on a resolution of the European Parliament from January 2024, which called for revising the ELA’s mandate. Among other things, Members of the European Parliament demanded that the agency be empowered to investigate suspected violations in cross-border cases on its own initiative. The European Parliament also called for expanding ELA’s mandate and scope of activity to include workers from third countries.

Planned withdrawal of the horizontal anti-discrimination directive

Furthermore, the planned withdrawal of the European Commission’s proposal for a horizontal anti-discrimination directive – as announced in the work programme – is being met with criticism in the European Parliament. The proposal aimed at the horizontal application of the principle of equal treatment, regardless of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. The directive was also intended to cover social protection (including social security and healthcare), social benefits, education and access to goods and services (including housing). The European Commission first introduced the proposal in 2008 but now intends to withdraw it due to the lack of agreement in the Council. During a discussion on 12 May between the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the responsible Commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, committee members expressed their disappointment with the withdrawal planned in August. Hadja Lahbib emphasised that the withdrawal was not inevitable and that she still hoped for an agreement in the Council in the coming months.

Where do social issues stand on the priority list?

In light of these developments, the question arises whether social policy will have to take a back seat to economic and defence policy in the future. However, a closer look reveals that it is primarily the narrative that has changed: initiatives important to social security – such as occupational health and safety, chemicals and health policy – are now increasingly presented within the framework of economic and security policy. This includes the Critical Medicines Act and the revision of the REACH regulation, which governs the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals in the EU. Moreover, it must be recognised that the current prioritisation is in part due to geopolitical challenges – similar to the situation at the beginning of Ursula von der Leyen’s first term as President of the European Commission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the European Commission’s focus may well shift again over the course of the current legislative period. For the German social insurance, the current developments require monitoring initiatives beyond traditional departmental boundaries and more than ever drawing attention to social concerns.