EAPN presents its comprehensive response to the European Commission’s European Pillar of Social Rights: Make Social Rights the beating heart of Europe! The Pillar is a framework of rights and principles, with policy guidance and recommendations on some 20 policy principles which have been proposed. EU funds will be used in support and a ‘Social Scoreboard’ will monitor progress. It was adopted at the same time as a Reflection Paper on the social dimension of Europe. As we consider the two elements to be linked, this position paper covers both.
EAPN members took an active role in trying to shape the Pillar, up to its being adopted in April 2017. While it falls short of being a transformative European strategy to eradicate poverty, our focus now is to push for it to go beyond a framework of principles and be a framework of rights that can make a real difference to people’s right to a life free of poverty.
Read our assessment and recommendations below. Recommendations are detailed under 5 key steps, as follows:
Key steps to making the European Pillar of Social Rights a real framework of rights:
- Clarify interpretation of key social standards related to integrated Active Inclusion
- Ensure policy coherance in the European Semester and a road map for implementation
- Make the Social Scoreboard effective
- Propose ambitious legislation to guarantee rights to social protection and minimum income for all
- Prioritise good governance and participation for people experiencing poverty and NGOs!
